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August 23, 2010
Dear Friends:
Thank you
so much for all of your support of Ghost Ranch. Initiatives in financial and environmental
sustainability are helping the Ranch to preserve the land and to grow
educational programs for adults and youth in the areas of Spiritual
Development, Sustainability and Creation Care, the Arts, and the Sciences and
the Outdoors.
The
following is an update of current projects at the Ranch.
We are:
- Negotiating
water rights for increased water storage in Abiquiu
Lake with the City of Albuquerque. We are
including our neighboring ranchers in our work with a water rights
attorney and water economist to make the best decisions possible for the
long-term health of the Ranch, our neighboring communities, and the
environment around the lake.
- Negotiating
a donation or land swap from/with the Forest Service for the land where
the Piedra Lumbre Visitor
Center is located.
Future use of this site includes a possible secure gateway to the Ranch,
the relocation of the museums, a paleontology and archeology research
center, or a program center.
- Closing
the operations of the building in Santa
Fe by December 31, 2010. The governing board made this decision
as the operations in Santa Fe continue with operational deficits and
building repairs are needed for the replacement of a roof, new heating
systems, new water and sewage systems, the removal of asbestos and the
re-wiring of out-of-code aluminum wire. As with the water rights, we are
in close communication with the General Assembly Mission Council staff,
and soon with the General Assembly Mission Council elected, to retain any
proceeds in the National Ghost Ranch Foundation Endowment and Capital
Improvement Funds, after paying debt to PC(USA) and setting up a line of
credit outside the national church, which is no longer funding any
deficits of any of its entities.
- Researching
the possibilities in placing the Abiquiu property into conservation
easements to protect the land and to create further trust between the
Ghost Ranch Governing Board and the General Assembly Mission Council staff
and elected members.
- Working
with an experienced Fund Development Consultant to improve and expand our
donor database, increase the stewardship from our churches, and prepare a
feasibility study for the next phase of the Capital Campaign, which will
include the building of much-needed private rooms, more volunteer housing
and the elimination of deferred maintenance. We also have grant writers on
contract now who are researching and writing government grants, foundation
and corporate grants, and specific grants for special projects such as an
educational curriculum for the museums for resources for educators and the
expansion of the farm for more locally-grown foods for our dining hall and
for local food banks.
- Expanding
program offerings year-round. We have expanded our busy season from summer
and college Jan term to May 1 through November 15, and additional March
and April courses. We are also expanding our programming for national
church initiatives such as Interim Ministry Training and Casa del Sol
retreats and spiritual formation programs. Programs in Earth-Honoring
Faith, Youth Week, Youth Service Corps, Adult Service Corps, Discerning
the Signs of the Times, Music Weeks and the Blessings of Jesus and
interfaith programs led by Philip Newell, are all growing by large
numbers.
Other exciting news includes:
- The
paleontologists working at the Ranch this summer told me that fossils are
being found at the Ranch that have not been found in other locations
around the world. They are greatly interested in having a research center
here and are looking into funding possibilities for it.
- The
artist Atta Kim has created an installation of a blank canvas which will
stay on the Ranch for two years, with the elements defining the art. It is
located between Piedra Lumbre and the O’Keeffe house. There are currently
five installations – Manhattan, Auschwitz, Hiroshima, the Dalai
Lama’s front yard, and…Ghost Ranch!
- The
special fund drive for capital improvements on the Ranch brought in $113,500
of a $156,500 goal; the projects completed include much-needed roof
repairs, a commercial washer and dryer for housekeeping,
resulting in faster work times and cleaner linens, the replacement of the
security gate on the West End road and
other repair work.
- The
annual fund goal was to bring in a minimum of $303,000; we have $269,140 in to date. With your continued help, we can exceed
our goal and show a positive bottom line in 2010!
- The
Farm, started last summer after a 15-year hiatus, has expanded and
provided great produce and eggs for our guests in our dining hall. We have
partnered with local farmers in the expansion and the plantings and will
continue to do so as we set higher goals for next year.
- The
O’Keeffe Landscape Tours were expanded to 2 a day, 4 days a week, and will
be increased to 3 a day in 2011. We have also expanded the horse riding
program using horse “volunteers’ (horses whose owners board them here free
of charge while we use them for trail rides), and have plans to add more
outdoor adventures in hiking, boating, high and low ropes, cross country
skiing, and additional tours of movie sites and geology and paleontology.
- Adult
Service Corps remodeled the service corps shed, aptly naming it the “Bill
and Carol Mackey Service Corps Shed” in honor of Bill and Carol’s
retirement in 2009 after 30+ years of volunteer service. Service Corps helped
with 17 weekly duties on the Ranch and accomplished 183 projects this
summer with 91 participants under the leadership of Dennis Smith and
Billie Rogers. This is in addition to the 20 members of the New Mexico
Potters Association who worked shortly before the summer season to greatly
improve the area of Pot Hollow and several of the kilns.
- The
entire college staff and its leadership embraced the covenant to live in a
healthy community and substance-free (even if of legal age for tobacco and
alcohol), setting the precedence for the standards in the future summers
at Ghost Ranch. Parents were excited about the role models and mentors
provided for their children and youth and for the high-quality program
developed and utilized this summer.
- 1/3 to 1/2 of our guests this summer were new to the Ranch. Thanks to their
suggestions, we’ve learned about the processes and information we “assume”
a person knows when taking a program here and can improve our services to
first-time guests. Of course, our repeat customers had suggestions which
we have either implemented or in the process of improving. These include a
total redesign of our website and the completion of the computer system
that will allow for actual on-line registration. We’ve also found that
“Family Week” and “Youth Service Corps” are misnomers in that the first
implies that children can only come during those weeks and the latter
doesn’t reflect the Program for Teens that many parents thought we had
discontinued; both of these are incorrect perceptions and the names will
change in 2011 to reflect the realities of the program.
Hopefully, I haven’t left out something near and dear to
your heart. If there’s something I should highlight in a future update, just
let me know.
Many blessings to you and thank you for all you do,
Debra
Debra M. Hepler
Prayer Boards We added Prayer Boards at Ghost Ranch Abiquiu in the Main Office and in Santa Fe outside the Dining Room. During our weekly services held either at the Agape Worship Center or at Casa del Sol, we remember those with a particular need; on a routine basis, the prayer requests from the board are removed and added to a physical offering in the service.
When you are at the Ranch, please add your prayer requests. If you have a special need or prayer at home, submit your request to us by email or regular mail and we’ll add it to the board for you.
Together, we will lift up our prayers!
NEW DIRECTION FOR GHOST RANCH SANTA FE
Read the Governing Board Statement 23/07/2010,14:47
View  FAQ About Santa Fe New Direction document 23/07/2010,18:35.
Earth Day Sermon
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