A New Playset at Koinonia!

A generous family from Jordan donated a playset for the Koinonia beach. A "real" playset has been on the Koinonia wish list for at least a dozen years. Thank you much (you know who you are)

Connect at Koinonia!

About 100 Hennepin members and friends enjoyed a beautiful fall afternoon together Sunday at Connect at Koinonia. Lunch was served to the group and then the group split up for tours via foot, tractor and boat. The highlight of the afternoon was the dedication of a new deck and picnic tables, rehabbed by the Recyclers of Hennepin. Also, several new bricks will be added to the Koinonia Legacy Plaza, to commemorate gifts of Friends of Koinonia.

Connect at Koinonia has been a biannual event at Koinonia for the past several years but there were several participants who asked why “we don’t do this every year.” So we’re adding a Connect event to next year’s calendar. Mark your calendar now for Connect at Koinonia 2010 which will be held on September 26^th, 2010.

"This is our chance to say thank those who support Koinonia, and to introduce this outstanding ministry to new Hennepin members," said Dahlen.

Koinonia is Hennepin's 100 acre retreat and conference center, just west of Annandale, on Lake Sylvia. If you missed Connect at Koinonia, call Kevin at 1-888-801-7746 to arrange a visit. Koinonia needs our support!

Marching Marching Marching

The bells rang and the whistles blew at Koinonia this past week with the Minnetonka Marching Band. Here are a couple shots - what fun------

Grandparent Camp

There are two weekends a summer when Grandparents connect with their Grandchildren at Koinonia Retreat Center. The camp is offered through the Minnesota Conference of the United Methodist Church. The weekend in June filled up, but there still may be room in August. Contact the Camping Office at http://www.minnesotaumc.org/

Gather the Family at Koinonia

"Koinonia is a great place to have a family reunion, the food is great, the accomodations are wonderful" - what more can we say?

Consider Koinonia for your next family reunion.

New Life at Koinonia

I discovered this little guy on the patio behind the Sumac Lodge on Tuesday afternoon. He must have been taking a break while his momma went grazing.

We're not sure how old he is, fawns are normally born during the last weeks in May or in early June.

Harley Wilson, our Koinonia Property Manager, took the picture.

Koinonia and the Hennepin Recyclers

Hennepin Recyclers at Koinonia

The Hennepin Recyclers replaced the picnic table tops and benches at Koinonia on May 20th and 27th. Lead by Art Smith and Bill Pilgram, and joined by Jim Talle, Jim Soltau, Lee Carlson, Tom Wilson, and Carl Sundeen the recyclers actually completed the picnic table project the second time. The first time was in 1994 just three years after the Recyclers formed at Hennepin. The new cedar tables look stunning on Koinonia’s brand new deck, located just outside the dining room and overlooking beautiful Lake Sylvia.
The Recyclers gather every Wednesday afternoon to work where they are needed at Hennepin. Some of the projects at Hennepin the recyclers have taken on include the original accessibility ramp, numerous storage projects, library shelving, and lots of painting.

In addition to those already named Fred Blaisdell, Clarence Vogel and Tom Ludlow regularly attend on Wednesday afternoons when they are able.

The Hennepin Recyclers are a living legacy of deceased Hennepin member Howard Shenohon who orgainized the group in 1991.

HAUMC Weekend at Koinonia May 2-3

Thirty five Hennepin members and friends participated in the Koinonia Environmental weekend May 2 and 3, in a major expansion of the former annual birders weekend.

There were opportunities during the weekend to identify wild flowers, re-landscape the footbridges on the Reflecting Pond, remove buckthorn and prickly ash (both invasive plant species) and of course, bird watch.

“We had a terrific weekend, planting trees, enjoying the splendor of Koinonia and identifying birds," said Tom Sopoci, Koinonia board chair.

Even when the sun went down, the birds were still visible in two illustrated bird lectures provided by Bob Janssen, Hennepin's resident bird expert and also assistant manager of the Steeple People Surplus Store. Bob was joined by John Dunlop, another long-standing Hennepin member, in a great talk about sustainable energy, from his perspective as Senior Project Engineer for the American Wind Energy Association.

After hours on Saturday there was a fire built and smores made down by the lake where we listened to several pairs of loons yodeling.

"This event has become one of the key Hennepin weekends at Koinonia," Sopoci commented. "We hope it will continue to grow in the future."

Mark your calendars now, the 2010 Environmental Weekend will be held at Koinonia on May 1^st and 2^nd.