It has been a busy and full summer on the Mountain.  There has been an enormous amount of tending, watering, growing, weeding at all levels and I can feel that we are now ready to move into the season of harvest.  It feels that Labor Day is arriving as the great metaphor for all that has transpired over the last couple of months.

Shawn and I were fortunate to attend two retreats this summer that blessed us both.  My experience at the Wisdom School session with Marc Gafni comes from that place that is hard to articulate.  I entered a deep, deep space where through the transmission of the dharma the gathered community was together evolving consciousness.  A real WOW experience.  We were also privileged to participate in the summer couples retreat, which was a full retreat, rich with laughter, story, deep sharing and connection and loving expansion arising out of the particular perfect alchemy of the group gathered that inspired and fed us all.

I would like to share with you more of the highlights of the summer at the Mountain: 

• 28 new people came to the Mountain for the first time this July and August!
• Nance McGee moved to the Mountain in July and has taken up a large portion of running the retreat center and overseeing leadership and programs.  Her presence and attention have been greatly appreciated.
• The Body Sacred community donated a brand new dishwasher for the kitchen!  Wow!
• Women Loving Women celebrated 10 years of community on the Mountain with a full summer retreat.
• The teens and young adults participated in three retreats over the summer
• Over 30 people came together to celebrate and connect at both the Women’s Festival and the Family Festival.
• The Gender Outlaw community held their second retreat for this year.
• The longer extended Spirituality and Sexuality and Integrating Life Choices retreats were well attended and afforded more time to sink into the heart and land of the Mountain. 
• So far there have been 298 responses to the Shalom Mountain community survey. What an amazing response!  If anyone is still wanting to respond, do so now as we will be closing off on Monday morning to be able to post results in advance of the Labor day weekend to the whole community.

The Mountain Trustees along with consultant Trish Blain have been laboring intensely to develop the vision and plan for a Shalom Mountain owned by community members. We are excited to share with the community what we have gathered from the community surveys and ownership possibilities at Labor Day work weekend.  Come join us for this significant time!

The fruits of our labor are upon us.

Victoria

It feels like great winds have been stirring around Shalom Mountain as we continue to explore the next steps in Shalom’s journey. Various plans are being debated and considered, conversations are being held in many corners, and everyone is searching their hearts and their lives for where their piece fits into the picture. There are many things still unknown and some directions seem to change weekly. And here is what I know today.

Retreats, gatherings and work weekends continue to gather the community. Over 120 people attended the May work weekend where much work and love was accomplished! One community member referred to the June Women’s Festival as "BEST EVER WOMEN’S FESTIVAL, 2010" (See Quote/Unquote in sidebar) and we are gearing up for a full summer of Teens and Young Adults, Families, Path of the Mystic, Wisdom School, Integrating Life Choices, and Women Loving Women.  Please take a look at our calendar (left) and see if one of our programs calls you to be on the Mountain this summer.

The September 2010-August 2011 program brochure should have arrived in your mailbox with a complete year of programming ahead. (If you would like additional copies, please contact the office.) Beginning in September, the price structure will change. Please note this is the first price increase in five years and we have moved from a sliding scale to a fixed rate fee structure.  Three-day retreats will now be $650, four-day retreats $750, five-day $850, six-day $950, and seven-day $1050. A few specialized programs such as Moving into Recovery, Teens and Young Adults, and Couples have their own fee structure. For many of you this may mean a small increase in fees which has been necessary to cover costs of running retreats. We trust that the transformative nature of the Shalom experience is well worth the cost of offering this work.

In early July Nance McGee will be moving into 663 Cattail Road (formerly the home of Joy and Lawrence) in order to be closer geographically as she continues to play a more active role in the running of the retreat center and programs.

As for ownership of the Mountain, Nance and a group of leaders continue to be in discussion around a leader run business and FSM continues to explore the possibilities of community owned property. Discussions continue around possible models for these transitions.

Judy Hall, who has brought her passion for the earth, the community, the food and our connection with it all has served the Mountain for over a year and has decided to end her residential time on August 5th.  Her contributions to Shalom are felt deep within the earth and the community.  We are so grateful for the gifts she has brought!

As seems to be the nature of Shalom and it’s work, life is continuously in process and birthing us and itself….so here I am again:

Trusting the process,

Victoria

It is a time of reflection on our beloved and mysterious Shalom Mountain as an evolving hope structure for our community and the world.  We have all in some way been captivated by her gifts and our lives have been transformed, although not often easily, by how she has required each of us to lay down our lives in ways we never imagined.  Yet, we have no choice but to follow her divine calling as it guides our individual and collective unfolding.

My story begins when I was 17 and attended, with my father, my first Shalom Retreat led by the wild and ingenious Jerry Jud and his then wife, Elisabeth.  Jerry and his consorts brought into our world this transformational process rooted in loving community.  When it was time for him tomove on, he called on Joy and Lawrence, who said yes to something not yet imagined in their lives.  In answering their call, their lives also transformed the many who came on retreat with them and even the nature of the organization itself.  As well as leading retreats and running the center, they began to teach others how to do those things and a leadership base began to emerge.

When Shawn and I began to feel the call, we were standing on top of Machu Picchu in Peru, in a healing ritual with Joy, Lawrence and a group of Shalomers.   Terry received his call to service in circle with Jerry Jud.  We imagined that our part was to make it possible for Joy and Lawrence to move to the next stage in their lives and to support Shalom through a transition time where a collaborative leadership base would develop to run the business and a whole community of stewards would unite and mobilize to sustain the future of Shalom. 

Our calling to be part of this process has required of us time, energy, finances, sweat and tears far beyond our comfort zone.  And yet, our calling and love for Joy and Lawrence, each other and Shalom Mountain left us no choice but to heed it.  Our lives have once again been transformed in ways we do not even yet fully realize.

Many are stepping forward to answer their call to serve and support and we are very excited to be a part of this unfolding vision.  At this time a group of leaders is in discussion around buying the retreat center business. FSM, with the help of the community, has decided to explore the possibility of buying the property.  We, the steward owners, fully advocate this transfer of the retreat center to the leaders and feel it is the right time for you the community to become owners of the land as the best way to support the continuation of the work of the retreat center.  We are eager to continue to do what we can, both financially and energetically, toward this next evolution.  Many of you have expressed your desire to be a part of securing the transformational power of Shalom and are intimately aware of what is required to lay down one’s life as the process takes hold of you. 

To take the next step always requires us to stretch and step out of our comfort zone to fully enter what is to come.  I invite you now to stretch into what Shalom is calling you to make possible and join us in becoming a part of holding, loving and securing Shalom and all she has to offer. 

More information coming soon from FSM!

Blessings,

Victoria

Memorial Day Work Weekend!

Friday, May 28 – Monday May 31, 2010

April 2010 Work Weekend

Love is goodwill in action.

Love is a response to need.

Come join us for a weekend of serving your beloved Shalom Mountain and living into the Skills and Principles of Loving

After an amazing April Work Weekend where many projects were attended to, the temple and grounds still needs lots of loving tending! One way that you can tend the temple of Shalom this summer, is to bring your love in the form of flowers to be planted over the weekend.  Our flower garden will be the product of your generosity of a flat or a couple pots of your favorite flowers or something from your garden that you would like to share.

Friday evening we gather for a potluck supper (bring a dish for eight) and community building. Saturday and Sunday we work for six to eight hours during the day and then spend the evening together with dancing and an auction to benefit Friends of Shalom Mountain and a Sunday night Talent Show. We wrap up the weekend celebrating our time together with a renewed commitment to live lovingly in the world.  Here are some of the projects that will need loving hands:

·  Clearing fallen branches on the land, chopping wood and gathering kindling
·  Painting the pool (scraping and priming got done in April!)
·  Washing windows
·  Gardening, gardening, gardening
·  Cleaning and reorganizing
·  Many indoor and outdoor tasks of tending to house and grounds for all ages and skill levels

Important info:

- Rooms are first come first served.
- Arrive after lunch on Friday, please! Early arrivals must be negotiated with us in advance.
- Bring a tent, sleeping bag (linens not provided) and your personal belongings.
- Bring a flat or a few pots of your favorite flowers (with a tag with your name and description of plant)
- Bring a potluck dish for eight for Friday evening
- Cost to help cover food:  $35 adults $10 children (6-12 yrs old). CASH preferred.
- Work weekends on Shalom Mountain are drug and alcohol free events.

Let us know you’ll be here so we can plan for you!  RSVP to: 845-482-5421, email@shalommountain.com or use our online registration.

PLEASE RSVP 

Life On the Mountain

NEWS FROM THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

By Judy Hall

Welcome Alex York!

First visit to Shalom Mountain:September 2001
Resident tenure: May 15 – the end of August
RSVP Position:Maintenance, general support
Former jobs: food service, landscaping, sales, limited painting apprentice, limited carpenter apprentice.
Favorite pastime on Cattail Road: Bonfires… hands down
Last book read: Fear and Trembling Kierkegaard, but there is a new one every day or so…
Quote: well… "All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant’s revolving door." – Camus

and Maeba Jonas!

First visit to Shalom Mountain: October 2008 Maeba Jonas

Resident tenure: Summer 2010 – May Work Weekend through The Family Festival
RSVP Position: Helping out Betty Ann in the office and house, also working on special video projects.

Former jobs: Johns Hopkins School of Public Health – HIV/AIDS research with at-risk drug users in Baltimore, Maryland.

Favorite pastime on Cattail Road:  Exploring new and exciting secrets of the mountain
Last book read: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Quote: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the mind." – The Little Prince

********************************************

Recent RSVP Acts of Kindness

A special thank you to nine RSVPers who contributed in the months of April and May!

Bara Brown (Feb/Mar)

Maeba Jonas
Leslie Krasner

Jen Kuhlman
Roberta Mahler
Emma Wrigley

Above and Beyond the Call:

Easter Weekend Painting Party:
Jen Kuhlman
Arianna Santoriello
David Turpin
Alex York
LRae York
and thanks to Carrie Jamison for supplying the kitchen with some brand new tea towels! 

If you would like information about arranging to come early or stay after a retreat to volunteer, please contact Betty Ann or Judy at 845-482-5421 or email@shalommountain.com

KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE AND VIBRANT

(Follow-up to my article in the January FSM Community News newsletter)

By Ken Frank, FSM President

In the Friends of Shalom Mountain (FSM) newsletter I stated that "I am committed with FSM to working with the owners and leadership to find successful ways through the challenges of this time." THIS PROJECT HAS BEGUN.

On January 20^th, in response to a request from Victoria, FSM convened a team of skilled professionals from within the Shalom community though not actively involved in Shalom Mountain (except as lovers and cheerleaders.) The Advisory Group met with the current owners who reported that they are in critical need of both relief from the financial risk and of support in ways to run the business. New approaches are needed to ensure continued viability and long term sustainability.

The group concurred that the issues of ownership and leadership needed to be dealt with separately, and individuals on the team committed to specific tasks in these two areas. Individuals from the Advisory Group will be working with both the owners and the Leadership Council to develop a set of critical choices for the owners to make that will meet their needs as well as the needs of Shalom Mountain, the leadership, and the Shalom community.

There was great gratitude to the current owners for stepping up two years ago; and the understanding that the specific management work and financial risk, coupled with the current economic climate, were far greater and more complex than they could have predicted or even imagined. There was absolute consensus that the job is to "start from where we are today and build on past and current successes." Some of these successes are evident in the high quality of leadership of retreats, the interest in and quality of training, the on-site staff both paid and volunteer, the recent cost savings in running the center, the magnificent and sacred ‘campus’ that is Shalom Mountain, and the loyalty and gratitude of the thousands of folks whose lives have been forever enriched by Shalom Mountain.

In response to your possible question of, "What can I do?" I would ask you to communicate with me personally if you have specific questions, brainstorms, or offering of expertise; join, continue, or expand your Faithful Friend contribution (this directly impacts the financial picture), add Shalom Mountain to your prayers, and most of all… hold a space of healing, renewal, viability and sustainability for our beloved Shalom Mountain mother house as this project progresses.

Thanks to Ken Frank for his contribution above! And now a few words from Victoria:

Many of you have asked what the Mountain needs.  What can you do?

• Attending retreats and encouraging others to attend provides the necessary income to operate the Mountain.  65 of us each bringing one new person to a retreat on the Mountain in 2010 would eliminate a loss similar to this year’s. 
• Contributing to FSM responds to the need for increased tuition assistance. 50 new Faithful Friends donating $17 a month or 50 Faithful Friends increasing their monthly donations by $17 would provide for $10,000 in tuition assistance.  More tuition assistance makes it possible for more people to come to retreats, which directly supports the Mountain.

• Volunteering your expertise and time for care of thefacility, support and promotion of the organization and its programs and special projects maintains and grows the Mountain.  Donating expertise in areas such as bookkeeping, web design, marketing, maintenance, gardening, printing, etc. saves the Mountain thousands of dollars a year.

 
Victoria Myer

Life On the Mountain

NEWS FROM THE KITCHEN AND VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

By Judy Hall

Pork Present

The pig (known affectionately to some as Kevin – Bacon, that is) that was raised on our kitchen leavings by Rich and Maryanne Dirie at the farm around the corner on Shandelee Road was slaughtered in November and his life has fed several retreats and the residents in the form of breakfast sausage and a delicious roast cooked by our new RSVP cook in residence John Carbone.

Goodbye

Two of the original members of the RSVP Team,Niilo Makkonen and Kathryn Zimmerman, are no longer living here. Niilo completed his 6 month commitment to RSVP and is taking the next steps in his life. Kathryn who is working with the Stewards on sorting out financial data, is now doing this remotely from her home in Rochester as she prepares to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in March! Niilo and Kathryn were here during the formation of this experiment that is the new residential volunteer program and we are grateful for their contribution. As we gather the data from our learnings of the last six months, we feel tender about some of the bumps along the road and extend our thanks to everyone involved for their patience and loving support.

Hello: Two New Residential Volunteers

Our two new residential volunteers started in January. John Carbone has chosen for his service to the Mountain, liaising with the cooks, the organization of the kitchen and pantries and the ordering of the food. Having been a cook here he has inside information and has been enormously helpful already. John being who he is has also found other ways to serve including organizing the wood and kindling for the fireplaces and helping with the labyrinth. Jen Kuhlmanwill be working more with Betty Ann Rutledge in the office and around the house and intends to bring her loving energy and creativity to the temple in whatever ways are needed.

In addition to our two new residents we have had an abundance of RSVP help this month. For example oneconversation Judy had with Tom Wickes(Shalom Seacoast Community) about the ecological and psychological value of eating seasonal and local food this summer, resulted in a New Year’s Eve feast of clams, halibut, lobster and salmon that he sought out at the markets and piers in Gloucester, brought to the Sober But Stuck Retreat and lovingly prepared with his partnerFrancesca!

Another conversation Judy had withRoberta Mahler on the April Work Weekend resulted in Roberta coming to Shalom for 3 days in January to help plan next steps for the Greening of Shalom. While she was here she also published an advertisement on an organic farming website to recruit an RSVPer with permaculture skills, and found a home for some red wrigglers. Click here to read the significant and funny story of red wrigglers at Shalom!

Wiki Site for Shalom Cooks
Another summer conversation seeded with Emma Wrigleyat the Cooks’ Meeting poked its head part way out of the ground a week ago when she was here as an RSVP building a Wiki site for Shalom Cooks to come together. It is just alittle sprout at this point but it has so many exciting possibilities, such as a recipe page, seasonal foods available, who is cooking, news from the kitchen etc. And just like Wikipedia it will be open to anyone who wants to contribute something related to Shalom Food, Garden, Composting, Cooks and the Kitchen.

Organizing Wonders

Wait until you see the undercroft! Maeba Jonas, who is an organizing wonder, tackled it (on one of those freezing cold days up here) with help from Joanna Barr, Jen Kuhlmanand Emma Wrigley. It is so clean two "senior" members of our community who will remain anonymous, suggested we could put a bed in there!David Turpin who seems to be a David-of-all-Trades helped me (Judy Hall) snake the septic. Yes, I am not a virgin anymore. David organized the hall closet and "Lost and Found" as well.

Neighborhood Holiday Party

One winter weeknight this December the walls of Shalom were ringing with the sound of more than 30 neighborscoming together to meet, some for the first time, to share a holiday pot luck dinner. In the Shalom way, led by Amy Gillingham, we gathered in a circle in the living room and shared contact information, interests and talents. This was typed up and redistributed as the start of a Neighborhood Resource Directory. A fruit of that evening is going to be a Board Game Party.

Recent RSVP Acts of Kindness
A special thank you to thirteen RSVPers who contributed in the month of January!

• Joanna Barr
• John Carbone
• Judy Johnstone
• Maeba Jonas
• Jen Kuhlman
• Karen Landry
• Roberta Mahler
• Niilo Makkonen
• Jeff Skarr
• David Turpin
• Trish Wassel
• Emma Wrigley
• Kathryn Zimmerman

Commitments!

Sending
Help
And
Love (to)
Our
Mountain!

What are YOU willing to do for Shalom Mountain this year?
Send an email to Betty Ann Rutledge at the Mountain and we’ll anonymously (with your state only) publish your commitments next month!

For Example:
From NY:  A commitment to bring 2 friends to a Shalom Retreat by September
From MA:  A commitment to take brochures on the Recovery Programs to a local AA Group
From CA:  A commitment to add $25/month to my Faithful Friends donations.
JOIN IN THE FUN!

Brand New Retreat Participants

9 = Number of brand new retreat participants in January 2010!
Wow!

As the end of the 2009 year approaches, I find myself in a time of review and reflection. While Shalom has weathered various challenges this year from changes in residents to a global economic downturn, I am encouraged by the outpouring of love and support of so many for the Mountain, from the leaders who offer their skills, time and dedication to running retreats and tending to the community, to the staff and all the volunteers who care for the facilities, prepare for retreats and provide many areas of support and interfacing with the community.  And of course, all who come to retreats and make it possible for others to come to retreats keep the Mountain alive.  We are a community of many loving supporters.
Many of you have asked for clearer information on the state of affairs at Shalom Mountain and here is what I can offer at this point:

• Betty Ann Rutledge and Judy Hall are coordinating the retreat center and the Residential Stewardship Volunteer Program (RSVP) and receive a stipend for their work on the Mountain.
• Niilo Makkonen and Kathryn Zimmerman are residential volunteers (RSVPers) on the Mountain.  Two others, John Carbone and Jen (J.J.) Kuhlman will be coming in January for several months (Meet them below).  These volunteers cover facility caretaking, office and financial consulting support, kitchen and housekeeping support.
• Additional volunteers have been coming to the Mountain for a day or two before or after a retreat, and some of you have expressed interest in coming up for shorter stays to work on special projects or assist from home with outreach and local community support.
• The two staff members and leaders of retreats are the only financially compensated roles in the organization.  All work done by the leadership council (other than leading retreats), the owners, bookkeeper, residential and community volunteers, FSM board and committee members is a labor of love and service and not financially compensated.
• By November 2009 Shalom Mountain had a significant loss this year of over $25,000.  This was a result of a 24% decrease in retreat income.  This means that the Mountain did not bring in enough money to cover its expenses for the year.  
• Retreat income included $50,000 in tuition assistance from the community provided through FSM. Tuition assistance in 2008 was $45,000 and in 2007 was $36,000.
• Given that this level of loss is not sustainable, conversations are taking place with owners, leaders and community members about the organizational and financial structures that will best sustain Shalom Mountain.

Many of you have asked what the Mountain needs.  What can you do?

• Attending retreats and encouraging others to attend provides the necessary income to operate the Mountain.  65 of us each bringing one new person to a retreat on the Mountain in 2010 would eliminate a loss similar to this year’s.

• Contributing to FSM responds to the need for increased tuition assistance. 50 new Faithful Friends donating $17 a month or 50 Faithful Friends increasing their monthly donations by $17 would provide for $10,000 in tuition assistance.  More tuition assistance makes it possible for more people to come to retreats, which directly supports the Mountain.

• Volunteering your expertise and time for care of the facility, support and promotion of the organization and its programs and special projects maintains and grows the Mountain.  Donating expertise in areas such as bookkeeping, web design, marketing, maintenance, gardening, printing, etc. saves the Mountain thousands of dollars a year.

Look for more ideas in the January issue of Mountain Matters about how we as a community can keep supporting and loving Shalom into the future!

As you celebrate the holidays and the coming of a new year may the light of hope and love surround you!
Victoria

I can feel the autumn in my bones these days.  The changing colors of leaves that drop and crunch under my feet, releasing that bittersweet smell of changing seasons.  At Shalom Mountain, I can also feel the changing seasons as we are immersed in the task of clarifying and developing  the structures and community of people who are holding and serving so deeply our beloved Shalom Mountain. 
The process for me has been one of both moments of excitement and possibility and also moments of confusion and fear.  I so fiercely want to protect her that sometimes I hold too tight and sometimes I struggle to see the way forward.  And yet, the seasons themselves continue to turn the wheel on their own time.  Shalom also is embracing her own evolution and as I watch her changing leaves and see her strong and steady trunk and branches, I know that I am, as we all are, an integral part of who she is and who she is becoming as we face into the coming season.
One of the changes that we have at Shalom Mountain are new faces and presences in the residential community.  These souls have come to serve the Mountain at this time and they bring with them many gifts of time, energy and skill and much commitment to the service of Shalom. To give you the opportunity to get to know them a little more, we are featuring them in this issue of Mountain Matters.

Many blessings to each of you as you turn the wheel this autumn!

What a joy and blessing was the Labor Day Work and Community weekend!  Over 120 beautiful souls gathered to offer their hearts, hands and bodies to the loving of our sacred Shalom Mountain.  The weekend was full of so many aspects of community: a meeting of the Leadership Council, work and dance, the auction and talent show, a memorial to Monti Bowes, a formal announcement of the new RSVP program, a moving tribute to the out-going residents and an introduction to our Wisdom School teacher, Marc Gafni. 
The weekend was another extraordinary expression of Love in Action as everyone stepped up in their unique way to contribute to the marvelous unfolding of the whole weekend.  Much was given, much was accomplished,  much was received.  So our deepest  gratitude to everyone who blessed  the Mountain with their presence and for their contributions in all the forms that took.  And a special recognition to the cooks, kitchen crew and kitchen meditation folks who provided a foundation for everything else that was done!  In gathering each of us, we weave the fabric of the whole.
Click here for a slide show of the weekend!

We would love to hear your comments. Let us know about your experience at Shalom Mountain!