Sacred Exchange
Intentions & Offerings
A balanced life is built on mutual care. As you offer your hands to the land, the community offers its heart to you.
Honoring the Rhythm
4 Hours Daily: Focused labor (Mon–Thu) to sustain the land.
Stewardship: Treating tools and shared spaces with mindful care.
Presence: Honoring the monastic silence and the daily prayer schedule.
The Community’s Care
Rest: A peaceful room or cabin designed for contemplation.
Nourishment: Shared communal dinners and kitchen treats.
The Land: Unlimited access to 250 acres of trails and meditation spaces.
🌲 Land & Structure
Life & Flock: Tending chickens 3x daily and maintaining the barn and hay.
Stewardship: Organizing the outdoor tool shed and maintaining community machinery.
Infrastructure: Building cabins, decks, and fences, or crafting seating from timber
Beautification: Clearing trails, planting seasonal trees, and tending the garden..
🍞 Kitchen & Provision
The Sacred Table: Preparing and cooking shared meals for residents and retreatants.
Retreat Nourishment: Specialized meal support and kitchen care for those in deep silence.
Kitchen Rhythms: Diligent dishwashing, drying, and putting away dishes to keep the kitchen flowing.
Pantry Stewardship: Organizing food storage, rotating supplies, and deep cleaning the pantry.
Provision: Receiving and storing grocery deliveries and caring for our shared culinary tools.
🏠 Hospitality & Home
Sanctuary Care: Mopping common areas, sweeping, vacuuming, and dusting Sophia House.
Retreat Hospitality: Performing room turnovers, laundry service, and deep room cleaning.
The Outer Reach: Tending to decks and patios, walking the community puppy, and admin/tech.
Humble Service: Managing trash and recycling and maintaining the "Radical Welcome."
The Service Journey
(The Practicalities)
The Work Week: Our primary service hours are Monday through Thursday. Starting Friday, the weekend is yours for rest and reflection, unless you feel called to assist with a special community project.
Skill Matching & Humble Service: While we love to utilize your specific talents—be it plumbing, electrical, woodworking, or tech—we all share in the "foundational" tasks like sweeping or dishes when the house requires it. In this house, no task is too small.
Safety & Machinery: Use of outdoor power tools and saws is welcomed for those with experience. We provide a safety orientation and tool-check to ensure the well-being of every resident and guest.
Mutual Discernment: The first seven days are a time of discernment. At the end of this week, we will meet to ensure that the rhythm of the house and the service provided are a good fit for both you and the community.
Extended Stays & Planning: We ask that all guests have their next accommodation or travel plans secured before arrival. Any commitment beyond the initial week is based on a mutual agreement between you, Br. Stefan, and the community residents.
