The Center Connection - April 2020: Updates from a Quiet Campus

Updates from a Quiet Campus With our campus and the rest of the state shut down, it is sure quiet around here! We miss the hubbub of what is usually one of the busiest times of the year. Our Leadership Team is working remotely (and are checking their emails and voicemails regularly!), though residential staff and volunteers are still on campus, carefully attending to farming, administrative and grounds-related tasks in solitary shifts. Our current plan is to remain closed at least through May 25. Please visit stonypointcenter.org/covid-19 for updates, information about our COVID-19 rescheduling and cancellation policy and response efforts. Despite our distance, we are grateful to be connected to you in this time of uncertainty. One thing we are sure of is that the way forward is still in community! Prayers for the Frontlines  As we move toward Passover, Easter and Ramadan, we are also approaching the peak of the COVID-19 virus in the hardest hit state in the nation. We are sending out special prayers and gratitude for all the frontline and essential workers that are pouring themselves out for the common good right now - especially our friends at Rural Migrant Ministries and Coalition of Immokalee Workers who continue to pick our food; and all the doctors, nurses and staff from guest groups Doctors without Borders, Montefiore Medical Center, SUNY Downstate, and Mount Sinai St. Luke's-Roosevelt Emergency Medical Residents.  Farm Update: Sowing During COVID-19  The start of this spring on Stony Point Center's farm has been unlike any other to say the least. Planting seeds in springtime is always an act of faith, and as we seed this year, we are faithful that we will be able to share the harvest when guests return to Stony Point Center. In the meantime, we're looking forward to working with other organizations in our area to make sure that the food we're growing (especially the season's early harvests) makes its way to the folks who need it. Read Full Update Here. Faith in Farming Podcast: Amirah and Will kicked off the 2020 farming season with a conversation about birds. After several recent bird encounters, and, in honor of Will's second child who was named after a bird, they reflect on sharing space with our feathered friends. Listen anytime at faithinfarming.fireside.fm Finding New Ways to Connect Social distance must not equal social isolation! Like all of us, the residents who live on our campus and make up the Community of Living Traditions have been coming up with ways to stay connected while also practicing physical distancing. As the weather warms, we've set up some chairs ten feet apart in the center of campus for anyone who wants to get some sun and conversation.   We are also thrilled to be able to connect with guest groups in new ways. Though we will miss hosting the Acoustic Getaway this spring, we are pleased to pass on this invitation from the Folk Project to participate in their "Acoustic Stayaway" concert and workshop series, every weekday at 7pm eastern time! Click here for details. If your SPC event has been redirected online, let us know and we can help spread the word.   Upcoming Events - Online! Now is the time to draw on and cultivate resilience and spiritual grounding in community to support each other in new ways during this difficult time. Until you can visit us again, Stony Point Center and the Community of Living Traditions are extending our practices of radical hospitality, mutual aid and multifaith community into the virtual sphere. Connect with us for an Easter Sunrise Service (a collaboration with the Shivananda Yoga Ranch), a Book Discussion Group - we're starting April 15 with Parable of the Sower, an Earth Day Celebration on April 22, and more.  To see more upcoming events, visit stonypointcenter.org/public-events.   CLT in Action: Standing with the Most Vulnerable The pandemic is impacting us all, and immigrants are among the hardest hit. Proyecto Faro (meaning "Project Lighthouse), founded by former SPC Sandy Shelter resident Charo Ureña with assistance from CLT, is working hard to respond to the needs of food-insecure immigrants in Rockland. Donations are urgently needed to help this grocery card distribution effort.   CLT also recently joined with allies across the region to sign a letter demanding that Governor Cuomo release qualified ICE detainees and incarcerated people as a part of the state's efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. Click here to read the letter. As part of this campaign, CLT members Matt, Joyce, Amirah, Farah, Sarah, Will, Kitty and Rick participated in a COVID-Safe Car Rally (pictured) at the Orange County Detention Center to demonstrate support for and solidarity with those incarcerated there. Read full article here.  Farm-to-Table Recipe Parmesean-Zucchini Casserole As we practice physical distancing in hopes of containing COVID-19, we are all trying to limit the amount of times we walk into the grocery store. One way to limit grocery store trips is to supplement your fresh vegetables with delicious frozen vegetables. Here at Stony Point Center, we use frozen farm-grown vegetables often - especially zucchini. Towards the end of the growing season, when the amount of zucchini surpasses the daily needs of our kitchen, our farmers shred and cube the excess and freeze it in one-gallon freezer bags.   Although fresh zucchini is best for roasting and sautéing, frozen zucchini actually works best in casseroles and soups - because the freezing process makes it softer and quite mushy. Here is one of Chef Donna's favorite zucchini casserole recipes - it serves 6 to 8. Ingredients:  * 4 cups of chopped or shredded zucchini   * 1 Tablespoon salt  * 1/2 cup finely diced onions  * 1 Tablespoon minced fresh or granulated garlic  * 2 eggs  * 2/3 cup grated Parmesan  * 1 cup shredded mozzarella  * optional: one cup of diced or shredded cooked chicken, ground beef, diced firm tofu, or soy crumble For topping:    * 1/2 cup bread crumbs (we use Panko)  * 2 tablespoons of melted butter Method:    * Preheat oven to 375°  * If you are using frozen zucchini, thaw completely and add 1 Tablespoon of salt. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then using your hands and/or a strainer, squeeze out all of the water. If you don't squeeze out all of the water from your frozen zucchini, the casserole will be watery!  * Mix the zucchini, onions, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, mozzarella and optional proteins together.  * Spread evenly in 8x8 a prepared (sprayed or buttered) baking dish. Bake 20 minutes, then remove and sprinkle with bread crumb-butter topping. Bake an additional 10 minutes. If you want, you can substitute some or all of the zucchini with chopped broccoli, yellow squash or asparagus; and some or all of the mozzarella cheese with any other shredded cheese. Learn more about SPC's farm-to-table food service here. Welcoming Across Boundaries Nurturing Inclusive Communities Cultivating Peace & Justice info@stonypointcenter.org stonypointcenter.org 845-786-5674 Stay Connected

Stony Point Center, 17 Cricketown Road, Stony Point, NY 10980

The Center Connection - February 2020: Coming in from the Cold

Coming in from the Cold We are so pleased to have our dining room fireplace "back online." In December, All Seasons Chimney spent several days thoroughly refurbishing our 70-year-old chimney, and the fire has been dutifully warming hearts and bones ever since. Pictured: a volunteer relaxes after tending the fire. February is a wonderful month because it's when we start tapping our maple trees. Once the sap starts flowing, there will often be a hot outdoor fire burning next to Stone House as we do our weekly boil. Come by and have some warm sap with cream!

Winter's Welcome and Return - Special Promotion! Winter is one of the best times to book a retreat or conference at Stony Point Center!  Right now we are running two winter promotions. If your group has not booked an event with us since 2017, or if you are a new group, find out how you can receive a 20% discount on your next stay.

Recovering the Biblical Tradition of Lament All are invited to experience the 2020 Presbyterian Women's Horizons Bible Study: "Into the Light: Finding Hope Through Prayers of Lament," which will be held May 6-8 at Stony Point Center. The gathering will be led by pastor, author and artist P. Lynn Miller. In these times, recovering the tradition of lament may be one of the church's most important gifts to the world. Read more and register   To see more upcoming events at SPC, visit stonypointcenter.org/public-events

A New Worship Every Thursday Evening All are welcome to attend Quaker Worship, every Thursday at 5pm. Location varies; please call ahead. How is Quaker Worship done? We use silence and expectant waiting for a deeper connection with the Divine. Click here to learn more.

Faith in Farming: Interview with Brooklyn Demme Last fall, Stony Point Center hosted a screening of the new documentary "The Place Where People Gather" which witnesses the Ramapough-Lenape Nation's struggle to gather and pray on their own land. For the latest episode of the Faith in Farming Podcast, Amirah talks with the film's director Brooklyn Demme about the film's inspiration and origins. Listen at Faithinfarming.fireside.fm

CLT in Action: Proyecto Faro and International Sanctuary forge links in migrant solidarity organizing In the last few months, CLT members have traveled to the US-Mexico border region twice as part of migrant solidarity organizing initiatives. In January, Amy Dalton traveled with members of Proyecto Faro to learn from the trailblazing community legal clinic Keep Tucson Together. In November, Susan Smith and Rick Ufford-Chase joined with delegates from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Kenya, Eritrea, Ambazonia, Mexico, Canada and the United States for the third annual gathering of the International Sanctuary Declaration (ISD) Campaign. CLT is one of the lead signatories of this initiative, along with Asylum in Church (Germany) and No More Deaths (Arizona). To learn more, visit tinyurl.com/global-sanctuary and read Susan's in-depth article on wagingnonviolence.org.

Sabbatical Year for the Summer Institute After much thought and conversation, the Summer Institute Leadership Team has decided to take a sabbatical year. We will not be offering Farm the Land, Grow the Spirit this year but look forward to welcoming you next summer. During this fallow year, we will be focusing our energy and attention on the life of the Community of Living Traditions and the growth and development of Stony Point Center. Click here to read more about the Summer Institute.

Join our Team!! Job Opportunities At Stony Point Center Are you looking for a place to contribute your skills to building a brave and welcoming space for guests of all traditions, walks of life and faith backgrounds? Stony Point Center is currently seeking a part-time Front Desk Associate and a full-time Director of Administration. View our current openings here.

Farm-to-Table Recipe  Jelly Donuts for Shrove Thursday That's right - Thursday, not Tuesday! Here at SPC we follow the Polish tradition of getting a head start on the pre-Lent indulgence. In Poland, it is traditional to launch a week-long feast by making sweet breads called "Pączki" - meaning "little bud." As one saying puts it: "If you don't eat at least one doughnut on Shrove Thursday, you will no longer be successful in life." This recipe that Donna recently made from NYT Cooking is pretty close to a traditional Pączki recipe. We like to fill the donuts before frying, and we try to use something made from our grounds - like crabapple or hawthorn jelly. If you want to experience the real thing, come visit us on Fat Thursday - February 20, 2020! Ingredients: 1½ cups milk 2¼ tsp active dry yeast 2 eggs 8 Tbsp butter or coconut oil ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 tsp salt 4¼ cups all-purpose flour 2 quarts canola oil (for frying) Method:  * Heat the milk until warm but not hot. Add the yeast and stir lightly. Let sit until the mixture is foamy.  * Add eggs, butter, sugar and salt and beat using an electric mixture. Add half the flour, mix, then add the rest. Transfer to a floured surface and gently knead until smooth.  * Set in a large greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  * Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it to ½-inch thickness. Cut the donuts using a drinking glass or similar sized circular cutter. Flour the cutter as you go. Knead scraps together and repeat until you have used all the dough.  * Put the donuts on floured baking sheets so that there is plenty of room between each one. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes.  * About 15 minutes before the donuts are done rising, put the oil into a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Heat to 375. Line cooking racks, baking sheets or plates with paper towels.  * Carefully add the donuts to the oil, a few at a time. Let cook for about 45 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to flip. Cook until they are deep golden all over. Place cooked donuts on the prepared plates or racks to cool.  * Roll in a bowl of granulated sugar, and fill with your favorite jelly.  * Serve fresh and warm!   The SPC kitchen serves three meals per day, most days, all year long! Meals are made from scratch with as many farm-fresh ingredients as are currently in season. Learn more about SPC's farm-to-table food service here.

Welcoming Across Boundaries Nurturing Inclusive Communities Cultivating Peace & Justice info@stonypointcenter.org stonypointcenter.org 845-786-5674