Credo – I Believe

Every year in one of our final weekly chapel times, the apprentices and staff share with one another our personal credos – what is it that we believe. What are the values and statements of purpose that we use to guide the words and actions of our lives.

Here are two credos that were shared this morning. The first is by our Director, Rev. Kim Hoare, a credo that has been process since she was an apprentice back in 1997. The second comes from our apprentice En Sawyer, who along with his partner Marcia, have founded a small intentional community in Detroit called the Taproot Sanctuary, and his words come directly from the core beliefs of Taproot.

Enjoy and perhaps give some thought to how you would answer the question, “What do you believe?”

My Credo – 5/30/19

I believe in the inherent worth of every human being and because of that belief, I feel that I am called to work for social justice and peace so that all human beings have the opportunity to live their lives fully.

I believe that as a white person I carry an inordinate amount of privilege that needs to be checked from moment to moment and in doing so will most likely make me feel uncomfortable.  It is up to me to choose to live in that discomfort and act upon it.

I believe in the power of relationship to enable true transformation.

I believe in daily resurrection – as the sun rises every morning, we are given the gift of a brand new day.

I believe in the rules of pond hockey:  no hurting, no swearing, and no arguing with the ref.

I believe in hydration – dehydration only leads to irritability and much dissatisfaction with the world.

I believe in listening to my body – it may know better than me when I am stressed and need to take a break.

I believe in the ministry of presence – there is much to be said for just showing up.

I believe in a God that is love – a love that embraces all, celebrates diversity, and extends hospitality abundantly especially to the stranger and those on the margins. 

I believe that true communion is cooking and sharing a meal with friends.   

I believe that we are called to be tenders and menders of creation – attending to and mending the broken places in our world whether they be spiritual, environmental, economic, or relational.

I believe that when things are looking bleak, nothing can beat a good night’s sleep to shed new light on the situation.

I believe in living the questions. 

I believe in the power of silence and music to speak our deepest emotions better than any words.

I believe that change is truly a constant of life.

I believe in saying “I’m sorry” and “I was wrong.” 

I believe in the wisdom of Ben Bernstein – Accept, Grow, and Contribute.

I believe that my credo will forever be a work in process. — Kim Hoare

Waste is a human concept.  The one place in the universe where waste exists is in the human mind.  Once we believe in the existence of waste we begin to see the world through that lens: wasted time, wasted space, wasted energy, wasted city, wasted food, wasted potential, wasted dreams, wasted human beings, wasted life.  We are being called to return to a sacred relationship with the universe.  Taproot Sanctuary is a place that honors each manifestation as an invitation towards something greater: conflict is an opportunity for deeper connection, spent coffee grounds a worthy substrate for mushroom cultivation, rainwater a beautiful gift for plants, and surrendered dreams a vintage spiritual compass to restore.  We are in process of developing a greywater filtration system where laundry water flows through three tiny ponds filled with wetland plants.  Their fibrous roots filter out the nutrients from the water while simultaneously purifying it, as a result beautiful wetland plants develop and provide habitat to countless organisms.  The purified water then flows into a woodchip bed innoculated with King Straphoria mushrooms in the duck run area of our backyard.  The mycelium absorbs and purifies the water once more before the water returns to the earth.  When conditions are right mushrooms fruit that ducks consume. Eventually that mushroom is turned into duck eggs that we eat for breakfast.  We cultivate a space and perspective where each moment, each thought, each resource is a gift withholding infinite possibility and relationship if we allow ourselves to dare. We are transitioning beyond the era of mathematics to the era of mathemagics, where 1+1 = ∞ and laundry water turns into breakfast.

— En Sawyer – speaking to the credo of Taproot Sanctuary