Donations Neeeded at Nickelsville Homeless Camp in Seattle, WA

Contact info:

www.nickelsvilleseattle.org

alexl@nickelsvilleseattle.org

Phone: (206) 888 8051

Mailing address:

Meeting Location: 1902 Second Avenue (& Stewart)

Read more about it their situation at Christine’s blog.

Help Make the Invisible Visible

From Christine

Last night Dustin Cross who lives in the basement apartment at the Mustard Seed House came to see me. He was very agitated because he had just returned from a meeting about the Nickelsville, the camp for homeless people built at 7115 West Marginal Way SW here in Seattle. This camp is composed mainly of people who have lost jobs and housing because of the economic downturn. Today Dustin will join with others in protesting the demolition that will occur in the next 48 hours. Surely this is what Christianity is all about – becoming advocates for the marginalized and overlooked in our midst. He would appreciate your prayers. Here is the facebook message he sent me last night.

The mayor is going to demolish tent city “Nickelsville” and we need your help Thursday night or Friday morning! Put your faith in practice!

During the One Night Count of homeless in January 2008, it was found that almost 10000 were homeless in King County. With the economic downfall, these numbers are surging. The local shelters are ALL turning away people on a nightly basis and in record numbers.

To address these issues in Seattle, what has the mayor done? He has made it illegal to sleep in any public area! Public areas are being “swept”, where police go in and demolish and throw away everything. How would you like to lose your job and end up being homeless, on the streets with your family, and own nothing because all of your possessions have been trashed?

This is the story of many here at Nickelsville…

My friends, I am asking you to come show your support. Demolition has been scheduled for either Thursday afternoon after 5pm or at Friday morning around 8 or 9 am. We need people to come and stay either for a few hours or stay the night to show community support to the mayors office and the media. There are also tents available and crude framed housing if you want to stay the night.

Thursday we will be building housing for these people, if you can swing a hammer or even if you just want to be on national TV (inside edition is there!) please come. Please forward this info!

Thanks,

Welcoming the harvest

From our garden and 3 apple trees. Harvested in just a couple hours in the afternoon.

Interview with Catie, 5yrs old communitarian at MSH

Last month I (Eliacin) interviewed Catie for the MSA Seed Sampler issue on Living Simply with Kids. I asked her thoughts on why she lives in community and the importance of gardening. It’s pretty insightful and very funny. 

Listen here.

Race and New Monasticism

This is a post I (Eliacin) wrote for God’s Politics blog as my contribution to the current conversation on Racial Reconciliation Challenge to New Monasticism initiated by Jason and Vonetta Storbakken from Radical Living Community in NYC.

What I wrote may sting a bit, this kind of stuff always do. So I am expecting some heat to come from it. I expect some push back and defensive comments, but hopefully this will add to the conversation.

New Monasticism and White Privilege
What Vonetta and Jason have done with their provocative blog post is to help shed light on the homogeneous white and male expression in New Monasticism and beyond. By that I mean how “natural” it seems that most of the perceived leadership of this movement is white and male. I am certain there are women and men of color alongside. People of color are often considered strong companions and wise counselors, but often in hierarchies of power, people of color are behind the scenes–not in the spotlight. Part of the luxury of oblivious white privilege is that it is normal to have people of color around, while for the most part being oblivious that they are systematically assigned a place on the sidelines. It is not by chance that it is hard to find people of color as prominent figures in spreading the vibes of New Monasticism through books, conferences, and new media. This also true of many other new emerging expressions of contemporary Christianity.

This predominantly white expression of New Monasticism is not a personal thing, it is part of a larger system of social categories, social identity and perception. New Monastics, white and of color, are not above or beyond the psychology that structures our racial and social identity and consciousness. Nor do we live in a vacuum where we are not affected–positively or negatively–by these structures. So this conversation is not about just individuals, but about bigger dominant systems of oppression. That said, it does get personal sometimes–and not by choice. The unearned privilege that comes with being white may not be something people choose or take. The advantage is given by the system of social categorization, but the realization that some might benefit from a social construct while others are marginalized is a tough pill to swallow.

Read more at God’s Politics Blog…

Ricci’s blog featured in BlogHer

Ricci’s blog The Revolution Starts at Home was featured this week in BlogHer. 

Finding Simplicity | BlogHer

By Rachelle Mee Chapman
In a western commercialized society, is there any part of the spiritual path that is more difficult to practice than simplicity? The noisy-ness of our world can make it incredibly difficult to find a place where you can live with less, quite your monkey mind, and leave a smaller footprint on our good, earthy Mother.

That’s why I’m so thankful for my sister bloggers out there who keep on keeping on with the quest for simplicity, and offer their experience as assistance for the journey.

Ironically, the concept of simplicity can actually get quite complicated. That’s why I’m thrilled to introduce new blogger Ricci Kilmer, who has summed up her idea of simplicity here:

Simplicity is a means of identifying ourselves with our sisters and brothers around the world. (A story told to me by a college student returning from a short-term mission to Africa probably explains it best. In talking with the people where they were serving and building homes the Americans were telling about what their own homes were like.  When it came to explain the purpose of the garage the Africans were incredulous, “You have a house for your car??? Many in our area have no houses at all!”)

• Simplicity it a way to live lightly on the earth.
• Simplicity is usually a slower-paced way of living day-to-day.
• Simplicity can usually allow you to live with less expense and therefore opens up many choices you might not otherwise have (such as living on a single income.)
• Simplicity allows you to have more to share with others, either of time or money.

Ricci is practicing what she preaches at the Mustard Seed House in Seattle, Washington. Mustard Seed residents are committed to learning to live simply in an urban environment. The community has been at it for years now, so it’s easy to trust the ideas Ricci is summing up and dishing out about everything from simple food to sustainable laundry. I’m looking forward to learning more from her succinct, insightful posts.

Read more…

New season in the Mustard Seed House

 

Tonight we had our first community dinner night with Dustin and Joy, the new communitarians at MSH. After several times together and several times of prayer and discernment, we invited Joy and Dustin to join us in this adventure in intentional community living.

Here is the Afro-Celtic prayer we prayed as way to begin this new season in the Mustard Seed House.

Prayer:

[Christine, Ricci & Joy light 1 candle each]

[Selah: take a moment of silent to meditate in the light of the candles]

[Christine & Tom]

O Lord, O God, 

Creator of the land, the earth, the trees, 

the animals and humans, all is for your honor,

The drums beat it out, and people sing about it, 

and they dance with noisy joy that you are the Lord. 

[Selah: stop and listen]

[Dustin & Joy]

Let your face shine upon us, O God

and be merciful to us.

[Selah: stop and listen]

 

[Ricci & Eliacín]

The Peace of God, the Creator,

and of Christ, the Redeemer,

and of the Holy Spirit, The Sustainer,

be upon us

for ever more.

[Selah: stop and listen]

 

[Dustin]

Yours is our trust, O King of kings,

We pray that no evil and malice,

no hatred or fear, may smother the flames.

[Selah: stop and listen]

 

[Joy]

We pray that indifference and apathy,

contempt and pride,

may not extinguish its light.

[Selah: stop and listen]

 

[Christine]

Be with us by day, 

be with us by night,

and as darkness covers the earth,

keep our lights shining brightly.

[Selah: stop and listen]

 

[Tom]

We are on a journey,

for our hearts have run before us,

to your kingdom;

once far off,

we have now been brought near.

[Selah: stop and listen]

 

[Ricci]

We pray the protection of Christ to clothe us,

Christ to enfold us,

To surround and guard us,

this day and every day.

[Selah: stop and listen]

 

[Catie]

See how good and joyful thing it is to dwell together in unity!

[Selah: stop and listen]

 

[Eliacín]

Glory be to the Father, the Creator and Source,

To the Nursing Mother,

To Jesus, the Healer and Eldest Brother

And to the Unsurpassed Great Spirit. 

Amen.