Saturday, March 11, 2006
Koinonia Dreaming
Scott has blogged Briars in the Cottonpatch, a film about Koinonia Farm near Americus, GA. There was a class at Candler last semester on intentional communities that used the film, I believe. There is also a good book I have read about it called Interracialism and Christian Community in the Postwar South: The Story of Koinonia Farm.
Koinonia's one of my favorite places on earth. We don't learn about it in school in South Georgia, in spite of growing up right down the road. In fact, for all I knew there was no civil rights movement below Atlanta, until I grew up and started exploring local histories on my own. When I found out about Koinonia, I just had to go see what that was about. This was during a very non-religious period in my life when I was very deep into exploring issues of race in the areas where I grew up. I took my much younger cousin with me, I think she was in high school and so not me, I don't think she gave a hoot about it, but wanted to ride around the back roads with me anyway. I met Ellie then, I believe, and watched a short film, and toured the exhibit on the history. I have since been to 2 GA Peace and Justice organizers retreats there and maybe one other drop in visit.
I feel so at home there, and have had fantasies of joining the community, but I have a deep and abiding attachment to a) my stuff and b) my internet. So it will have to wait until retirement so I can take my rv containing the aforementioned stuff and internet and be there as one of the community volunteers who come for a time in their rvs to help out, rather than a permanent resident.
And of course, the Cottonpatch scriptures just blow me away. I resonate so much because the places there are the places I knew growing up. I am still fuzzy on some biblical geography, but I know where Atlanta, and Valdosta, are with my eyes closed.
Scott also notes that the Americus Disciples Church was once a Universalist church! Next time I'm down there, I'll check it out. The thought that a Universalist conference took place at Koinonia! Now I love it even more...
Aside from Koinonia, Americus is a neat area of south Georgia. In addition to visiting Plains (Home of Jimmy Carter)and Andersonville (former site of Civil War POW prison) and the Habitat for Humanity Global Village two winters ago, my husband and I spent our wedding night, back in 2002, at the Windsor Hotel in downtown Americus--in the tower room. We drove the rest of the way to Atlanta the next day to leave for Maine. For South Georgia, that's high living and I felt like quite the princess! So if you've never been to the area and are heading down I-75, it's definitely worth the detour to spend a few days in that section of the state.
Koinonia's one of my favorite places on earth. We don't learn about it in school in South Georgia, in spite of growing up right down the road. In fact, for all I knew there was no civil rights movement below Atlanta, until I grew up and started exploring local histories on my own. When I found out about Koinonia, I just had to go see what that was about. This was during a very non-religious period in my life when I was very deep into exploring issues of race in the areas where I grew up. I took my much younger cousin with me, I think she was in high school and so not me, I don't think she gave a hoot about it, but wanted to ride around the back roads with me anyway. I met Ellie then, I believe, and watched a short film, and toured the exhibit on the history. I have since been to 2 GA Peace and Justice organizers retreats there and maybe one other drop in visit.
I feel so at home there, and have had fantasies of joining the community, but I have a deep and abiding attachment to a) my stuff and b) my internet. So it will have to wait until retirement so I can take my rv containing the aforementioned stuff and internet and be there as one of the community volunteers who come for a time in their rvs to help out, rather than a permanent resident.
And of course, the Cottonpatch scriptures just blow me away. I resonate so much because the places there are the places I knew growing up. I am still fuzzy on some biblical geography, but I know where Atlanta, and Valdosta, are with my eyes closed.
Scott also notes that the Americus Disciples Church was once a Universalist church! Next time I'm down there, I'll check it out. The thought that a Universalist conference took place at Koinonia! Now I love it even more...
Aside from Koinonia, Americus is a neat area of south Georgia. In addition to visiting Plains (Home of Jimmy Carter)and Andersonville (former site of Civil War POW prison) and the Habitat for Humanity Global Village two winters ago, my husband and I spent our wedding night, back in 2002, at the Windsor Hotel in downtown Americus--in the tower room. We drove the rest of the way to Atlanta the next day to leave for Maine. For South Georgia, that's high living and I felt like quite the princess! So if you've never been to the area and are heading down I-75, it's definitely worth the detour to spend a few days in that section of the state.
