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Gather & Grow

Rebuilding the Family Economy

Gather & Grow
  • Events
  • Our Story
  • What We Do
  • The Family Economy
  • Resources
  • Give
  • Family Economy

Annual Gathering

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    Location
    The Grovestead Farm
    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 six children. He is the author of Durable Trades: Family-Centered Economies That Have Stood the Test of Time.


    Becca Groves is a mother of six, 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
    • 7:30PM – FELLOWSHIP TIME

    SATURDAY, September 3rd

    • 8:30AM – COFFEE & DOUGHNUTS in the Barn
    • 9:00AM – Why Communities Fail – Allan C. Carlson
    • 10:00AM – Parallel Economies or Inheriting the Earth? Perils and Promises on Our Way Out of Egypt – Rory Groves
    • 11:00AM – BREAK FOR LUNCH
      (restaurants in town or bring your own picnic, fridge/freezer space available)
    • 1:00PM – Community and the Land: What Agrarianism Has to Say about Christian Community – Allan C. Carlson
    • 2:00PM – 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


    This event is fully booked.


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    It was a glorious day in the sugar shack. We all took a shift feeding the fire and Alden became the master impurity skimmer. My bibs came back after maternity leave and I was feeling all sorts of happy while enjoying a mega steam facial, soaking up vitamin D, and enjoying the company of whatever kid wandered in to check on the sap. Today felt like actual springtime and it felt great.
    A great homeschool or home-from-school spring break project: plan the garden planting! Ivar and I spent the morning looking at the farmers almanac, our seed packs and notes from years past and wrote on our calendar when we should sow our seeds under grow lights and when we should get each item in the ground outside. It’s like the biggest word problem you’ve ever come across. Great critical thinking skills and a whole lot of hope because the farmers almanac seems to think we’ll be digging in mid-April. A hopeful word!
    At dinner, during ‘hey, hey what do ya say? What was your favorite part of the day today?’ Alden reported that the best part of his day was busting up the ice between the truck and the van and asked if he could go back out after dinner. I just loved that at age 5, he has tapped into the universal joy and gladness of helping the ice go away.
    A wonderful day with wonderful friends! About 50 undaunted Minnesotans braved subzero windchills to learn all about maple syruping and then we headed up to the (heated) barn for a pancake potluck. Good food, good fellowship.. a blessed time all around.
    “Once upon a time a little girl was very happy to work. She love to work. All she wanted to do was working. She loved working. She was very happy to do that. The And.” If you need her, you can find Hattie loading and unloading the dishwasher...happily. Can you tell we talk a lot about the choice we have in working? You can work crabby or you can work happy!
    Last year we had two families go home and tap their own maple trees that very afternoon! Our annual Great Maple Syrup Get Together is one week from today. We have just a few spots left for a morning of tree tapping, evaporator empowerment, snow pants and (new this year) a big brunch potluck up in the barn. We’d love to have you! Come try maple syrup in your coffee. You won’t be sorry. Gathering is Saturday, March 18th, 10:00-1:00ish. Sign up at gatherandgrow.us and bring something yummy to share!
    Gather & Grow
    Rebuilding the Family Economy

    P.O. Box 326
    Northfield, MN 55057

    Gather & Grow Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible.

    “We urge you, brothers . . . to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

    —1 THESSALONIANS 4:10-12

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