Location
The Grovestead Farm
(address will be emailed), Northfield, MN
Date/Time
Date(s) - Friday, September 2, 2022 - Saturday, September 3, 2022
2:00 pm
Our second annual gathering of newsletter readers and kindred friends is scheduled for Labor Day weekend in September. The event is held right on our farm in Northfield, Minnesota. Come and be encouraged in your journey towards self-sufficiency and resilient households.
Our theme this year is Christian Community. Family historian and author Allan C. Carlson will keynote and share his thoughts on building Christian community in times past and present. Allan’s writings on the family economy have been profoundly influential on our family and he has been a steadfast friend to the Groves household. We are excited to host him this year.
Rory and Becca will also speak on the family economy, self-sufficiency, and the importance of intentional community now more than ever.
Speakers
Dr. Allan C. Carlson is an internationally acclaimed lecturer, founder of the World Congress of Families, and editor of The Natural Family: An International Journal of Research and Policy. He has authored 15 books including The Natural Family Where It Belongs: New Agrarian Essays. He resides with his wife Betsy on their multi-generational farm in Illinois.
Read an interview with Allan Carlson here.
Rory Groves moved his family from the city to the country several years ago to begin the journey towards a more durable way of life. Rory and his wife Becca now reside in southern Minnesota where they farm, raise livestock, host workshops, and homeschool their five children. He is the author of Durable Trades: Family-Centered Economies That Have Stood the Test of Time.
Becca Groves is a mother of five, married to a never-saw-it-comin’ aspiring farmer in Southern Minnesota. As new farmers, I write about our transition from the city to the country with hopes of sharing our joy and gratitude for all that we are learning.
Schedule of Events
THURSDAY, September 1st
- 5:00PM – Thank You Dinner for Donors
Special dinner at our farm with Allan Carlson for monthly supporters of Gather & Grow (please RSVP separately)
FRIDAY, September 2nd
- 1:30PM – CHECK-IN
- 2:00PM – OFFICIAL START & WELCOME
Created for Community – Becca Groves - 3:30PM – America’s Original Intentional Community – Allan C. Carlson
- 5:00PM – POTLUCK PICNIC – main dish provided, bring a side to share
- 6:30PM – Against the Grain: Covenant Community in an Age of Autonomy – Rory Groves
- 8:00PM – FELLOWSHIP TIME
SATURDAY, September 3rd
- 8:30AM – COFFEE & DOUGHNUTS in the Barn
- 9:00AM – Why Communities Fail – Allan C. Carlson
- 10:30AM – Parallel Economies or Inheriting the Earth? Perils and Promises on Our Way Out of Egypt – Rory Groves
- 12:00PM – BREAK FOR LUNCH
(restaurants in town or bring your own picnic, fridge/freezer space available) - 1:30PM – Community and the Land: What Agrarianism Has to Say about Christian Community – Allan C. Carlson
- 3:00PM – SHARING & SENDING
* Childcare will be available during speaker sessions
Lodging
- We have reserved a block of rooms at GrandStay hotel in Faribault, MN. Contact the hotel directly at 507-334-2888 and ask for reservations under Becca Groves to get the discounted rate of $132 for double beds and $119 for a king bed.
- There are also numerous AirBNBs around town.
Camping Off-site:
- Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is a few miles away and can host camp sites and RVs.
* We do not have on-site camping this year
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