[Oe List ...] Easter whirlwind--alive and well!

[elliestock at aol.com]

Dear ICA/OE colleagues--

Greetings from whirlwind St Louie!


I am in our presbytery center using one of the computers here because our computers and phone lines are still down following last week's storm and won't be restored til the end of this week or early next week.  The Good Friday tornadoes ripped through our home and church neighborhood, uprooting and splintering huge 200+ year-old trees which fell around both buildings, but fortunately narrowly missing them--unlike some other very nearby churches/homes/areas which sustained major damage highlighted in the national media.  No injuries, just minor damage, and a lot of debris cleanup.  Our son Ahren flew in for the Easter weekend (he plays the trumpet for our Easter sunrise and later service), arriving at the airport a half hour before the storm wreaked havoc there.  He was able to fly out again Sunday night.  Because the power was still down, the sanctuary was too dark and was not elevator accessible, so we had a very spirited Easter service in our fellowship hall.

Our hearts and prayers go out to those in this area, Arkansas and so many others that are recovering from this record-breaking number of tornadoes, storms, and flooding across the country.

Tomorrow Carleton and I leave to go on a weekend study leave at Genesis Farm for a Transitions Community seminar, focusing on creating sustainable, resiliant communities in light of peak oil, global warming, and financial crisis.  The Transitions Communities movement began in Great Britain, led by Michael Brownlee and Lynette Marie Hanthorn who will lead this seminar along with Genesis Farm (www.genesisfarm.org ) director Miriam MacGillis, OP.  Karen Snyder and Pam Bergall are working with transitions communities in the Chicago area.  We are eager to learn more about it and begin to merge our OE-ICA/faith-based community organizing/new cosmology/transitions community context/methods and experience in the future.  We return to the Genesis Farm in August for the two-week new cosmology/earth literacy immersion program (also led by Miriam MacGillis).  At the end of this program, Brian Swimme's new film "The Journey of the Universe" will be shown.  (This is also being produced as a book and a 12-lesson dvd series).  After forty-years, we announced our retirement from the local congregation, effective August 31, so we are preparing for a new adventure--not sure where or what.

Eastertide blessings to all.  If you're ever in St. Louie, you're welcome to stop by.

Grapes and peas ~

Ellie 
























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