Saturday, June 30, 2007

Attention, Friends of the Geranium Farm!

Almost every day, I enjoy the essays of Barbara Crafton's "Almost-Daily E-mo" delivered into my e-mail inbox. From time to time, I have featured some of her essays here. One of her messages this week included an out-of-ordinary appeal, which I copy here:

Dear friends, the Geranium Farm could use a little help! Donations to the Farm cover the cost of the website and – full disclosure – Barbara Crafton's pension payments, which are a bit overdue at present. If you have enjoyed the eMos over the years and can afford to do so, a modest donation would surely come in handy right now. Please be assured that this is not a marketing preamble that will end up with your having to pay for the eMos – they are, and will always remain, gloriously free.

But it does cost us money to keep them coming. A few facts: the Geranium Farm is in 68 countries now, visited by thousands of people every day. The eMos themselves go to about 20,000 people. At any given time, 350-450 candles are lit in prayer in the Vigils section of the Farm. The Farm has a deacon, Joanna Depue, whose ministry has been approved by our bishop – making her the first virtual deacon in the church. It has a parish kitchen, the HodgePodge, in which you can find out all sorts of interesting things. It furnishes audio versions of the eMos to the sight-impaired or just to people who really miss the South – they are read by Buddy Stallings, a Missisippian. Carol Stone writes about economics from a Christian perspective in such a way that even I can understand it. There is a You-Tube presence through the ministry of Matthew Moretz, by far the coolest person on the Farm, whose popular "Fr. Matthew Presents" video explains it all to you, and Lane Denson's "Out of Nowhere" appears regularly on the Farm, along with the work of other writers. There is an archive of every eMo ever published. And there is more.

If you can help us keep it all afloat, please do. I will be most grateful. Visit http://www.geraniumfarm.org/epledges.cfm.

I mailed my check today. I encourage you to do the same, if you're one who has enjoyed Barbara's+ reflections and contributions to the wider church. If you don't know her, click here to visit the Geranium Farm. She often recalls me to "first things," when the wackiness of the Anglican Communion threatens to distract me. Please support her work, if you can.

3 Comments:

Blogger Caminante said...

I'll have to check out the audio. Buddy and I were classmates in seminary (he was a year ahead of me). Good to see his name.

7/01/2007 4:06 PM  
Blogger Lisa Fox said...

Do, Caminante. I enjoy his dulcet tones.

7/01/2007 7:08 PM  
Blogger Joanna Depue said...

Thanks so very much for posting what Barbara wrote regarding finances. The Farm is such a resource that it is wonderful knowing that the word gets out for those who seek to deepen their inner life. All of us who work on the Farm do our small part to spread the Good News in a world that seems to forget how very dependent we are on God and the Divine extended family! Peace, DJ (Rev.K.Joanna Depue,deacon)

10/08/2007 8:57 PM  

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