Community

Our vision for community is pure love.

We are in the very early stages of forming a community. We do not wish to build community with just anyone. We seek to build community with like-minded people whose visions are aligned with ours.

All interns are able to experience community living. We share meals and many other group activities. We live close and strive to have open, honest, friendly communication.

Just as the early followers of Jesus chose to live in community, and share their worldly possessions, so have we chosen. We believe that living in community is not only more sustainable, it also offers constant opportunity for emotional, interpersonal, and spiritual growth. The plan is to build the structure of community strong and then to begin taking in orphans. We share in the daily tasks of living, including food preparation, cleaning, and farm jobs.

We do not wish to live within, or create new walls of religion...rather; we seek freedom in the Holy Spirit. People from various denominations, religious or spiritual backgrounds are welcome. We do not wish to tell anyone how they should believe, or how they should live. We do simply ask that those who wish to join us for an internship or to live thoroughly read through the website to see if they are in accord with our community agreements. In general, we attract people who are truly seeking to surrender to the Spirit.

Surrender to God, liberty, freedom, non-judgment, acceptance, and grace are guiding principles for The Revolution Project.

The farm is absolutely a healing center. As such, we have set forth certain agreements to aid in the healing process, and to ensure a healthy community environment. We figure that some of these agreements will keep some people from wanting to live with us...and that is OK. We acknowledge that everyone on Earth is important and has a specific purpose. We believe that we are only called to those whom we are called. All of humanity is a variety of beautiful flowers in a giant flowerpot. We wish to grow with the flowers we are meant to grow with...Ok, a bit flowery explanation...do you get the point though? We are not judging our way to be the only way...simply the way we have chosen.

There are a few guidelines that we are really not flexible on...especially the agreements regarding drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. We are creating a safe family environment and have no desire to spend any energy attempting to ¨make¨ somebody stop breaking agreements. So, our farm is totally free from what we consider to be negative substances. This list also includes refined sugars, refined flours, and foods with artificial chemicals.

We believe that we are all called to be healers, and as such we are called to be healthy. Counseling and training is offered...physically, emotional, and spiritual.

Community Vision:

We at The Revolution Project view community as family. We are seeking community members who are already lined up with the general vision and mission of the project. We do not seek to convert, change, or impose strict rules of living upon anyone. Therefore, we do ask that anyone interested in becoming a community member with The Revolution Project, read very thoroughly through our website, and be confident that they are indeed being led by God to be part of the project. We seek the community as the support and staff for the healing centers, the farms, the orphanages, and the internships.

We believe in self discipline. By living in community, we give ourselves the opportunity to be refined and held accountable to high standards of love and discipline. We see everyone as a teacher and as a student. We choose to submit to one another in love. And most of all, we choose to surrender to the Most High God.

Here is a list of basic guidelines we have chosen for our way of life:

Community Membership

Each person or family desiring community membership will fill out the internship application available on our website. After approval, the interns will then have the opportunity to live on the farm to see if, indeed, this is the right choice of life for him/her/them. After a period of 3 months, if he/she/they wish to become members of the community, they shall advise the current community members of their desire for membership, and the community will decide.

Spiritual Views

We have chosen to have an open, non-judgmental world view, and therefore open our farm to people of all walks of life and faiths. We do not claim allegiance to any one religion, and rather look forward to the day of collapse of all religious divisions leading us into the reign of peace upon the Earth. We acknowledge that each person has his/her own individual experience with God, and that through listening and accepting without judgment, we can each grow in our own faith. We do not seek to push beliefs on others or to convert anyone to any set of beliefs. Our overall spiritual philosophy is to surrender to the One and Only Most High God moment by moment. We believe that Jesus taught us through his words and his actions, how to truly love and accept one another.

We seek discipline as a way of life. We do not wish to babysit or control anyone. Self-discipline is a key to our moving forward as a strong community. Through group awareness and accountability, we can each grow and advance in our own self-discipline. Our farm and project does definitely have a basic structure that we follow. We do not seek to be religious or demanding in our adherence to the structure, rather the structure becomes a basic guide, in which we build our daily lives. We generally wake up early and go to bed early, following the patterns of the sun. We all work in our respective areas of contribution to the farm and to the overall progress of the project. We have several group meetings per week, and share morning devotional and three meals per day. We do not require that anyone attend all meetings or meals, yet it would seem that anyone desiring to be part of the community would want to join the group activities.

Tidiness/Cleanliness/Personal Responsibility

We absolutely, positively, and certainly see tidiness and cleanliness as important keys to healthy community relations. I do not want to pick up your dirty socks, and I do not expect you to pick up mine. We ask that everyone take special care to maintain and pick up his/her own messes, and keep track of personal items. Each Monday we have a group cleaning time, in which we all pitch in together to clean and organize community spaces. If someone is working on a project, he or she is responsible to clean up or enlist helpers to clean up. For times when one of us is forgetful or lazy, we ask that the others beat us severely with the end of a broom…Come on, it was a little joke. However, we do ask that each of us hold others accountable to keep community spaces nice, neat, orderly, and clean.

Communication/Conflict Resolution

We believe in being very open and honest, and speaking the truth in love. We also recognize that the truth has many facets, and that each of us has different perspectives. Therefore, we choose not to assume, rather we choose to communicate directly with one another about problems, grievances, pet peeves, and conflicts. We have chosen to implement the communication strategy given by Jesus:

   1. If you have a problem with someone, go to them directly and speak with them to bring resolution.
   2. If that does not work, get someone else to mediate and speak with them again.
   3. If that does not work, take the issue before the community.

We also choose to use techniques of peaceful communication. Non-Violent Communication is one technique, developed and outlined by Marshall Rosenberg, that we choose to implement. This technique holds a focus on personal feelings and personal needs, rather than finger pointing or blaming others for one´s own feelings. We recommend reading his books, Non-Violent Communication, and Speak Peace In A World In Conflict

Art and Design

We believe that each of us is an artist, and we encourage everyone to explore and experience various forms of art. Our goal is to have studios of all kinds. Certain guidelines are set forth to maintain tidiness and order. As far as the design of the farm…well, the idea is to have well presented art and design in all public spaces.   Therefore, we ask that no one hang or display art, or make changes to aesthetic design in community spaces without approval from the design committee.

TV/Movies/Media

Absolutely no TV will be on the farm. We do enjoy movie night once a week, with only very conscious, family friendly themes. People who wish to watch TV, who wish to watch movies often, or who wish to allow their children to be exposed to such often, probably would not fit into the type of lifestyle we seek to maintain, and therefore would not be candidates for community membership…again, we do not wish to change anyone.

Magazines and newspapers from the general secular world are not welcome on the farm. Magazines or newspapers with a positive, conscious message are acceptable.

Food/Meals

We have chosen a very health conscious diet on the farm. Foods with refined sugars, flours, or with artificial additives of any kind are not welcome on the farm. We eat a mostly vegetarian whole foods diet with the exception of organic eggs, dairy, and fresh fish for those who choose. We choose to eat together as a family three times daily.

Drugs/Alcohol

Drugs, alcohol, and tobacco are not welcome on the farm. We are a natural healing center; therefore the use of prescription and recreational drugs (this includes marijuana and other “natural” drugs and mind-altering substances) are not welcome on the farm. We also refrain from drinking coffee on the farm.

Housing

Community housing will be a blend of dorm style housing and individual housing units. At this time, we are working towards building more housing. We now have one main house with several shared bedrooms and a separate small cabina for the Allen family. We also have several outdoor roofed areas for tents. After a person or family has been with the project for a period of time, if he/she/they wish to have an individual housing unit built, we will, as a community, take steps to build such. We do believe that it is important to have private areas with time away from the community to reflect, be alone with God, and recharge. Therefore, in addition to the wonderful outdoors, various roofed spaces will be available to meet such needs.

Electricity

Electricity is used in limited quantities.   We wish to create and maintain a balanced lifestyle of natural patterns and rhythms with a few modern electrical conveniences. A few examples of electrical conveniences are: washing machine, various kitchen appliances, refrigerator, computers, and low wattage lighting. We do not wish to have very much overhead lighting, except in kitchen areas.   We greatly enjoy dinner by candlelight. We do not foresee electricity in every individual housing unit.

Children

We see children as some of our greatest teachers. We seek to empower them to discover who they are created to be, and to eventually guide our community, and the world into harmony and peace through lives of love in action. We see community members as aunts, uncles, and grandparents to all the children. The core of physical responsibility generally remains with the parents, and the overall raising of the children is a blessing we all share. Just as a school has a basic structure for the guidance and discipline of children, so do we. We do not use or condone corporal punishment (physical spankings, etc.); rather we seek non-violent means of guidance. We do authorize community members to apply appropriate discipline to children when needed. ¨Time out¨ is one technique often used. For more info regarding our philosophy on children, please click here to read the booklet Empowering Children and Creating Peace in the Home. We purposely choose to limit the amount of toys for the children to encourage them to creative process.   In general, the toys on the farm will be educational in nature. Video game systems are not allowed on the farm – i.e. Gameboy, Play Station, etc.

Hosting Interns/Guests

As community members, we choose to be the guides for the interns and guests on the farm. Though the physical activities and responsibilities will differ from person to person, we are each part of the God’s channel of love that is the healing team we call The Revolution Project. For personal friends and family who wish to simply come for a visit, we ask that members check with the rest of the community, and that that member take personal responsibility for orienting their guest to the farm, set up the sleeping space, wash the sheets when they leave, etc.

Animals/Pets

The animals that live in nature and with us are viewed as brothers and sisters, created by the same One who created us. Therefore they are treated with respect and love, from great to tiny. (Although, some of us still swat at mosquitoes when they bite.) Farm animals and pets are a community decision. We are open to having various animals living with us. Dogs and cats will be considered on a case by case basis. Any dog or cat who would kill the wild birds, lizards, chickens, or who would tear up gardens, or be a nuisance by barking, etc., will not be welcome on the farm.

Personal Belongings

The idea of our community is to attract people who have a view of sharing as a way of life. Therefore, we seek to share items such as automobiles, tools, musical instruments, computers, etc. We also seek to share money, and to create income streams together. We also acknowledge the desire for various personal items. For purposes of non-attachment and for practical reasons of having a clutter-free life, we do ask that personal belongings be very limited. We also ask that personal belongings be cared for and not left as clutter in community areas.

Views of Abundance

We believe that we are called to live in abundance, and that God desires for us, the children to be free of worldly attachments. This balance is something we discuss and keep in the forefront of consciousness. We believe in focusing together to manifest our needs as a community, and as individuals. We share in meeting the needs of each individual, and trust that God will provide for all, including medical, dental, clothing, educational, etc.