Social
Concerns
Summer Fellowship
Bethlehem Farm
Site Address:
572 Bethlehem Farm Lane
Alderson
,
WV
24910
United States
Website:
www.bethlehemfarm.net
Volunteer Non US Citizen
Yes
Categories:
Language Preferences:
Location Details
Description
Bethlehem Farm is a Catholic Community in Appalachia that transforms lives through service with the local community and the teaching of sustainable practices. We invite volunteers to join us in living the Gospel cornerstones of service, prayer, simplicity, and community. While Bethlehem Farm serves our sisters and brothers primarily through low-income home repair and work with local community organizations, our work involves much more than just the physical labor. We go beyond hammering nails and painting walls and dig deep into the basic need for people to feel loved and appreciated. With a focus on social justice and the Gospel cornerstones, we emphasize working with people rather than for them, and we strive to always learn from one another.
Student Role
The work at Bethlehem Farm is at its core relational. Students will work alongside other Summer Servants (who have committed to serving 2-12 weeks) as service week leaders, assist at work sites or on home crew, interact with volunteer groups during their visit to Bethlehem Farm & aid in chores around the Farm. They are under the supervision of the Bethlehem Farm director (or his/her designee) & accountable to the Caretaker community (year-round community members). Some responsibilities may include: • Working in the garden & household chores • Participating in appropriate community meetings • Coordinating work sites as assigned • Helping maintain & repair buildings & farm grounds • Interacting with adult & youth volunteers, participating in all aspects of group weeks as a role model • Teaching basic construction skills to volunteers (when applicable) • Supervising volunteers at work sites, while ensuring and maintaining safety • Building & maintaining positive rapport with families
Work Schedule
There are two basic rhythms students will encounter, both of which include at least 35-40 hours of work per week. Regular “ordinary week” responsibilities: Day begins at 7:30 with morning prayer, followed by morning chores, then breakfast. After breakfast, Caretakers meet to coordinate work for the day/week while students begin dishes then everyone heads off to their tasks for the day once dishes are done. The community eats lunch together around 1 pm. We work until roughly 5pm, dinner is at 6 & we rotate on the dinner dish crew. On Thursdays, there is no morning prayer & instead the day starts at 9am. Meals for weekends are on their own, starting on Friday evening. “Group weeks”: We host groups of 10-30 high school volunteers most weeks of the summer For the most part, Caretakers take care of the schedule on group weeks, & as long as students are at morning prayer on time at 6:55 am, things flow into one another. On their first group week, students will typically join in on the programmatic things & be rotating with the group, but that can change depending on the needs of the given week. SCSF students lead & teach as servant leaders & mentors to the high schoolers, especially once they have already been to a given worksite. During group weeks, SCSF students are expected to be in the Farmhouse, backyard, activity field, etc, engaging with volunteers during their after-dinner free time (or at least present to them if they want to engage). The hour between 5 pm and dinner is personal break time, then once evening prayer is over, you can consider yourself off for the evening unless you’re on lights out, which is at 10:30pm. Night/morning off: After their first two group weeks, SCSF students can sign up for a morning or a night off each week, meaning they are “off duty” until breakfast or during/after dinner. There is free time on the weekends after the group leaves around 10am Saturday morning and before a new group arrives at 5pm Sunday evening are free. After two group weeks in a row, the community also takes a full day off.
Orientation
We provide written orientation materials for SCSF Students and Summer Servants to review before arriving. There is also the option to have a phone or Zoom call to check in with the Hiring Coordinator with any questions before arriving. When the SCSF Students arrive, they will be greeted by a “weekend welcomer” who will show them to their room and give a brief tour to orient the space. They will continue orientation by sitting in on orientation for volunteers that happens on Sunday evenings, and then have an SCSF-specific orientation with the Hiring Coordinator on Monday evening of the week they arrive. There will also be a tool and safety training before going on the worksite. There are always new tasks to learn at the Farm that Students will have an opportunity to jump right into. Each time doing a new task, a Caretaker will explain the purpose and be available to answer questions. The Hiring Coordinator will agree on times to meet with each SCSF student for a weekly check-in.
Housing Information
SCSF Students will live on the third floor (“the Treehouse”) of the Caretaker Residence with other Summer Servants. There are two shared single gender bedrooms (bunk style) and a Shared co-ed bathroom. Caretakers also live in this building on the first, second, and basement floors. There are plenty of common spaces here for SCSF Students to hang out and build community. These accommodations are just across the breezeway from the Farmhouse, where we host volunteers. The Bethlehem Farm community eats three meals a day together during the work week (Monday-Friday). Weekend meals are eaten at your own time, but there are always delicious leftovers available in the fridge. There are pillows, blankets, bed linens and towels available, but folks are also welcome to bring their own. We use fans to keep the house cool during the day, and each room now has a mini-split AC unit. Because we live on a well, we ask each person to conserve water by limiting total showers to 10 gallons per week. We have laundry machines as needed, and a line dry system. Phone service is limited, but we do have a landline. Wi-fi available for use in the evenings.
Drivers License
If the student has a license and is willing.
Student Preferences
Willingness to work under a variety of situations & weather conditions. Ability to follow directions & work well with others. Prefer basic knowledge of construction tools & the safe use & proper care of them. Open to collaborative work with volunteers & the people of the area. Open to living a close committed intentional community life. Some experience in youth/young adult leadership. Open to reflection, simplicity, & living in community.
Start And End Dates
Flexible. We could use help for that full 5/17-8/13 range. The most ideal might be May 29-July 24.