For Everything There Is A Season: Goodbye to Two Friends

For Everything There Is A Season The seasons in the U.S. are certainly changing right now. As we say goodbye to a painful era of the Trump administration, PPF is also sadly saying goodbye to two organizations that have been long-time allies: Stony Point Center in its current form and Presbyterian Voices for Justice. PPF's Executive Director Emily Brewer is out on parental leave moving into a new season as well and we will let you know when there is good news to report! During her leave, I (Sarah Prager) will be helping out with PPF's communications as I did from 2013 to 2018. I'm delighted to temporarily return to the PPF family for this season. Both Stony Point Center and Presbyterian Voices for Justice cited Ecclesiastes 3 in their statements last month, and President-elect Biden quoted the same verse in his victory speech on Saturday. This is a time to heal in so many ways. We are with you as we all strive to do that. Stony Point Center's Transitions Like so many, we in the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship are deeply saddened to hear of the new phase that Stony Point Center will be entering into where they will dramatically downsize and lay off all of the staff.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Presbyterian Mission Agency, which manages Stony Point Center, decided in October 2020 that it was no longer financially viable to keep Stony Point operating as a 90-person retreat center.  In November 2020, almost all of the remaining staff will be laid off, and the other two staff will be laid off at the end of 2020. In 2021, Stony Point Center will have two buildings open for small guest groups. Please read Stony Point’s statement about the closing here.  Since 2008, Stony Point Center has been a dear “home” for the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship in many ways: we have held many Activist Council gatherings, Accompaniment Program Trainings, and other events there. We had office space there until we went virtual in 2016, and even then, Stony Point remained our mailing address. We will continue to support Stony Point Center by holding small events there when we are able, and our mailing address is not changing for the foreseeable future.  We are saddened and disappointed by this decision, however financially necessary it may be. Stony Point Centerーwith the farm, the Community of Living Traditions, the many other justice-committed guest groups who we encountered there, and so much moreーhas been an important part of PPF’s life and an important part of the life of many social movement groups over the last years.  We give thanks for the leadership of Rick and Kitty Ufford-Chase and their vision for SPC that helped shape it into “much more than a conference center,” but a place where diverse groups and people could gather to create, envision, and work together for a more just world.  We are confident that this is not the end of Stony Point and that the Spirit will continue to be at work in this place. Right now we are lamenting the ending of this chapter and we are also deeply grateful for the experiences and growth that occurred at Stony Point Center. We’re particularly grateful for the relationships that formed there that were possible precisely because of the unique nature and radical hospitality of SPC.   Presbyterian Voices for Justice We are deeply grateful for the work that Presbyterian Voices For Justice has done over the years, along with their predecessors. We share in the sadness at its closing, celebrate their accomplishments, and are honored to receive a financial gift from them to continue the work. Excerpts from their October 27 statement are below: As the writer says in Ecclesiastes, "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven," a consideration of stewardship of resources led to the decision for Presbyterian Voices for Justice to celebrate its history by donating its financial resources to three social justice causes. "We are delighted to be giving a donation of $9,431.35 to each of these: Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, the Office of Public Witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and to the Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon Scholarship Fund," said Rev. Bear Ride. Presbyterian Voices for Justice is grateful for the vision and mission of these three faith and social justice causes designated to receive these donations from the remainder of our financial resources of nearly $30,000. It was the stewardship of our financial resources and the urgent need of social justice work during this time of global pandemic, racial injustice and financial distress that called us to provide support to [these organizations]. "We are grateful for all of the members and supporters of Presbyterian Voices of Justice and its predecessor organizations, the Witherspoon Society and Voices of Sophia. Our history goes back 47 years, to the founding of the Witherspoon Society in 1973. As this chapter closes, we know the intersectional work of faith and social justice continues within and through the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, our Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC and the Katie Cannon Scholarship Fund," said Manley Olson. Upcoming Events on Zoom Coffee Hour: What Are We Learning About Defunding the Police? Friday, Nov 20 - 1:15pm ET Discuss what we're learning in Action Circles and elsewhere Register here Coffee Hour Bible Study: "Advent & Apocalypse: Beginnings and Endings" Friday, Dec 4 - 1:15pm ET Join our guest theologian Cláudio Carvalhaes to kick of the Advent season Register here Presbyterian Peace Fellowship 845-786-6743 | presbypeacefellowship.org Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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