My sabbatical studies began at The Simple Way – an intentional community of primarily young evangelical Christians living in Kensington, Pennsylvania who see themselves as part of a movement called, “the new monasticism.”  The new monastics identify 12 marks of their distinctive identity.  These are:

1.  Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire.
2. Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.
3. Hospitality to the stranger.
4. Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.
5. Humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.
6. Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate.
7. Nurturing common life among members of intentional community.
8. Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children.
9. Geographical proximity to community members
   who share a common rule of life.
10. Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us
    along with support of our local economies.
11. Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18.
12. Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life.

I am still actively learning from and reflecting upon my time at The Simple Way.  But now, my sabbatical journey continues with another community…