Dear MoonTree Community, I hope this finds you well and with your year off to a wonderful start! My challenge in 2022 for myself, our ministry, and our community is to be present.
Consider for a moment how easy it is and how often we are taken out of the present moment. Whether it’s reflecting on the past or anticipating the future, so many thoughts arise in our heads that pull us away from what is happening in the present; within ourselves, with the people around us, with the world around us.
As a team, we have spent a good deal of time the past couple of years trying to plan for the future. This year, we are finally bringing some of those plans into the present:
- After a year of planning and preparation and thanks to the generous support of many donors, we will begin the initial plantings for the Fr. Edward J. Reutz Memorial Food Forest.
- Through the culmination of hundreds of hours of county-wide engagement, collaboration, and conversation, the Marshall County Arts and Culture Council will officially be established and begin its work.
- In partnership with Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation District and Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund, we will be implementing a county-wide cyanobacteria monitoring and education program that will include all 17 major freshwater bodies in Marshall County.
- In response to the Catholic Church’s call for “a synodal church,” we will be hosting and engaging in synodal conversations with those of all different faith traditions, spiritual practices, and non-spiritual/religious beliefs in an effort to contribute to a more inclusive and welcoming church to “help sow the seeds for a more mindful, compassionate, and sustainable Earth community” that transcends spiritual/religious divides.
All these endeavors in 2022 are made possible through the financial support, spiritual guidance, and community-centric focus of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and those who support the mission and vision of MoonTree Studios like YOU. Thank you for your time, presence, and support.
With gratitude, |
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Matthew Celmer
Fellow human being, MoonTree Studios |
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