The Land ended its third fiscal year ahead of the projected schedule toward sustainability. Not only did we only finish $6,000 short in donations compared to what our expenses were for the year but we also did not have to pull from our investment account as was planned. As a new organization, working toward sustainability we celebrate that we are ahead of schedule in meeting this goal.
We also celebrate The Land’s presence in a newly published book titled, “Adapting to the Land: A History of Agriculture in Colorado,” by John F. Freeman with Mark E. Uchanski. About The Land, Freeman writes, “At first blush, one might scoff at this experiment in agri-spirituality, casting it aside as eccentrically trivial. But following in the footsteps of the eighteenth-century English cleric, John Wesley, founder of (The Land’s) denomination, (The Land) seeks to instill a practical theology: recasting traditional Judeo-Christian ethics to fit contemporary circumstances, in belated recognition of nature’s limits.”
This Friday, The Land will be the feature presentation at the Ministry Incubators gathering at The Iliff School of Theology. Ministry Incubators is a graduate program dedicated to educating and equipping innovation in ministry. The Land’s presentation is titled, ‘Resistance and Resilience’ acknowledging all the barriers faced and overcome resulting in a vision made real.
Prairie School attendance has doubled as new people continue to find The Land a place they can call their spiritual home. Just about every week for the past few months, a participant celebrates communion for the first time in their lives.
As plans begin for the summer mission program, two mission groups are already registered and ready to participate. Groups will be welcomed by new staff including Emily Morton, our resident Naturalist, and our (yet to be hired) Garden Manager. The most recent staffing role added at The Land is the expansion of Eric McEuen’s role from Musician to the Minister of Music and Community. Stay tuned for more opportunities to connect with Eric as we celebrate this new cooperative leadership model at The Land.