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 Clinch Appalachian Artisans Cooperative

Hodges Mission Letter 
Volume 8, Issue 1

Jubilee Project, PO Box 657, Sneedville, TN 37869     423-733-4195    Fall, 2007

stevejubilee@bellsouth.net  Website http://jubileeproject.holston.org

Advance Specials: Program & Staff #781350-4, Hodges Salary Support #781325-3        

Holston Conference #3500-301-56

 

Dear Friends, this has been a busy year for us at Jubilee Project!  Several staff changes have meant we, especially Steve, have unexpectedly spent much time training new staff, even as opportunities for ministry suddenly began multiplying in many areas of our work.  All of this has meant time demands increased greatly; sorry we haven’t written more, but we have much to tell!

 
Our work with small businesses through the Clinch Powell Community Kitchens and the Appalachian Spring Cooperative and Clinch Appalachian Artisans Cooperative are growing in important ways.  The use of the Kitchen is increasing, both as our previous kitchen users sell more of their products, and as new small businesses seek us out. Growing interest from local school districts in buying potato wedges made in the Kitchen from local farmers to replace deep fried potatoes, promises to increase Kitchen use even further.  Appalachian Spring Cooperative sold 2 ½ times as much in gift baskets last Christmas, as the one before.  It too is moving toward greater financial self-sufficiency, with a goal of increasing sales at least 30% this year.  Clinch Appalachian Artisans Cooperative continues to gain new members, and greatly increased the numbers attending its second annual local Art at Elrod Falls Festival.  Both cooperatives have improved their websites, and made them easier for customers to buy member products (www.apspringcoop.com, www.clinchartists.com)   


God is opening up exciting new opportunities in Steve’s work!  Entrepreneurship: Two years ago Steve helped started and still coordinates a statewide entrepreneurship network, the Tennessee Alliance for Local Enterprise, with the goal of removing obstacles to and opening up opportunities for small business. TALENT just held its 2nd Annual Tennessee Entrepreneurship Conference, and established a committee of 9 persons from around the state to plan a process for developing a statewide entrepreneurship strategy.  Farm-to-School: Three years ago, Steve helped begin a project helping local farmers sell to local schools.  This year we are working with 15 farmers and 3 school districts, and have begun talking with a nearby larger school district.  A state legislator has contacted Steve to get his help in drafting what will be Tennessee’s first farm-to-school legislation, which will make it clear that local school districts can preferentially buy local food, will adjust bidding requirements to allow small- and medium-sized farms to bid on portions of school food needs, and which will involve farmers in working out the documentation of food safety and quality standards.  Retail Store: For the last year, Steve has led a diverse group of people in studying the feasibility of a retail store in nearby Kingsport that would feature almost completely foods raised and processed from local farmers.  A written feasibility study is almost completed and shows exciting prospects for the success of such a store.  Chamber: Steve was elected President of the local Sneedville/Hancock Chamber and Community Partners, and has played a larger role in keeping the local county Fall Festival going and in other efforts helping the county with economic development. 

Diantha’s work is blooming – literally!  With a major initial boost from a summer intern, Diantha has helped the local elementary school develop a school garden. Her work with adults has prospered too: the county leadership program she coordinates has doubled the number of persons wanting to participate, and begun to receive modest funding from local businesses.  It has been very gratifying to Diantha that the local Drug Use Prevention Coalition that she helped get started has developed new leaders: while Diantha continues as treasurer, others have stepped forward to take on the chair, vice-chair and secretary positions.

The big news in Jubilee’s youth program is that two of our recent high school graduates have applied to Berea College, as a direct result of visiting it as part of a Jubilee Youth trip.  Randy Hildebrant’s work with youth and work camps is greatly aided by a new Mission Intern, Stephanie Kellner, who is with us for a little over a year.  Work camps have helped us finish a second handicapped-accessible home and get a third one under roof this year.  We may have more news later this year or next about a possible collaborative project to develop a Christian recreation and activity center in Sneedville.

In addition to progress in many areas of Jubilee’s work, we are grateful that salary support for us has remained very strong.  But we are at a low point in donations that can go for general expenses that are essential like secretary and bookkeeper salaries, utilities, and insurance.  We also have a special need for a commercial size refrigerator for our workcamps to use.

We both continue to be much involved in church work.  Diantha continues to play piano (and occasionally cello) for Sneedville United Methodist Church, and is the new Chair of the Outreach Ministry Team for the church where she is encouraging the church’s Mission Committee and increasing awareness and involvement in caring for God’s Creation.   Steve is currently Church Council Chair, and has just begun his fourth year of teaching Disciple Bible Study at the church.  He chairs the Holston Conference Outreach Advocacy Ministry Team (the equivalent of Board of Church and Society in other conferences), and has played a part in starting task forces on Health Care and Domestic Violence which are operating largely without his help now.  Currently Steve is taking a leading role in starting cross-team task forces on Biblical Hospitality to Immigrant Neighbors, Advocacy Coordination, and Caring for God’s Creation.  Steve will attend the 2008 General Conference as an alternate, and will be a delegate to the 2008 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.

  In family news, our daughters are grown and scattered, and we see them when we can.  Our eldest daughter Hope is 26 and is a massage therapist in the Washington DC area, starting a private practice.  Her fiancé, Schuyler Cunningham, has been working for Shore Bank in DC.  Our second daughter Joy is 24 and just moved to Asheville, North Carolina where she is getting settled; she has no job yet, but is bartering renovation work for rent and is very active in transformational theater groups.  Our youngest daughter Sugi (Sarah Grace) has been in Eugene Oregon for a year working on organic farms and gaining extensive knowledge and skills (and muscle); she will travel back to this area of the mountains in November.  Steve’s mother Peg is enjoying life at an excellent assisted living center in Pleasant Hill, Tennessee, 3 hrs away.  Diantha’s parents, Don and Grace, live in the same retirement community in Pleasant Hill, so we go see all three many weekends. While the mission work at Jubilee and our church involvements keep us pretty busy, we do try to get away occasionally to see family, and starting this summer, to use our new inflatable kayak on the rivers and streams of the beautiful mountains of our region!

LOTS OF LOVE, Steve and Diantha Hodges

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

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HODGES MISSION LETTER