Friday, December 12, 2008

Why a Blog?

Well, here it is - the unveiling of the one and only Nazareth Farm blog where we will begin posting weekly reflections in January of 2009. At this point you might be wondering, "why a blog?".

As a staff member, one of my responsibilities and desires is to help volunteers extend their Nazareth Farm experience beyond just their group week. On Friday of each group week we have a discussion focusing on the many experiences of the week and the many ways that this week-long immersion extends beyond just a week but into our daily lives. We also reinforce this theme of "Bringing it home" at Saturday morning prayer before the groups leave the Farm and venture to their homes. Having these discussions is crucial to the reflection and development process, but I also felt the need for us as staff to provide an ongoing resource to aid in this theme of "bringing it home." Although sending out weekly emails seems like a good way to provide this resource, logistically it is anything but ideal. So I thought we could try a blog. The intention then is that we provide a weekly reflection focusing on anything from the cornerstones, to Catholic Social Teaching, to situations around the world, and many other topics. Along with that all of our readers have the ability to comment on any post on the blog which can then not only build community but also aid in our own personal growth. (All those comments will be sent to the administrator to be approved before they are posted, sorry we need some security features).

So beginning on January 11th, 2009 we will provide a weekly reflection written by a staff member, or even by one of our readers. All questions and comments can be posted on here or directly mailed to mikebennett@nazarethfarm.org. In the meantime, we are trying to spread the word as much as possible for that launch.

We hope the holiday season is life-giving and celebratory for you and your families.
-Mike and the Nazareth Farm Staff