We are currently a community of about 10 households living close to the land on 135 acres of mixed woodland and pasture. We range in age from toddler to 90’s, with more than 15 adults, a number of young adults, and an abundant handful of children.
We are on land in the gorgeous Hudson Valley and Capital Region of upstate New York, and in the foothills of the Berkshires. East Chatham is in Columbia County and by car is 35 minutes from Albany, 2.5 hours from NYC/Boston, and 10 minutes from our local Quaker Meeting in Old Chatham (http://oldchathamquakers.org/) as well as the Powell House Conference Center (https://powellhouse.org) of New York Yearly Meeting (https://nyym.org).
We are thriving in a range of green homes that use technologies including plastered strawbale walls, slip-and-chip walls, stick-building, timber-framing, passive solar design, solar hot-water systems, and wood heat; many of us built our own. Many of us garden organically, raise chickens, and eat increasingly more from what we grow. We join together in our big farmhouse or around a campfire for potlucks, occasional community dinners, workdays, committee meetings, spontaneous game nights and tea times, presentations on topics of interest, monthly community business meetings, and extended weekend retreats. We use Quaker processes in our self-government, including a form of consensus that seeks a spiritually led way forward, individual and corporate discernment, and the clearness process. We value equality, simplicity, and diversity of experience and viewpoints.
We are currently seeking new members! We regularly have (a) home(s) and rooms available for rent or purchase. We also have one house building site available. Our membership process starts with a mutual getting-to-know-each-other time, during which the potential member or member family gets involved with the community in various ways and gets to know us (and vice-versa). This often takes up to a year. The goal is to come to a sense of clearness, for the applicant as well as the community members, about whether the fit is a good one. More about our membership process can be found on our web site (https://community.qivc.org/faq-qivc#Participation).
We believe conscious culture creation in community can be a means to advance our intentions to:
* live in worship, increasing our mindfulness, spiritual focus, and God-centeredness by intertwining our daily lives with others who share these intentions
* create a village setting that values and engages participation by people of all ages, expands our experience of family, and supports our expression in the world
* create wealth that embodies integrity and Truth by carefully examining our engagement in the current economic order and stepping away from its destructive elements
* live in unity & harmony with the earth by considering the near and far environmental impact of our actions while striving for thrivability
* include a good measure of joy, fun, creativity, and service in our lives
QIVP (https://qivp.org) believes that our communities’ successes in achieving these five intentions will be aided by memberships diverse in race, age, ethnicity, sexual preference, and economic situations, and therefore it is our aim to gather communities whose members are diverse in these ways as well as others.
We strive to live spirit-focused lives that are simple, sustainable, and joyful, benefitting from and enjoying our close connections with each other and the land. We don’t all need to identify explicitly as Quaker (Religious Society of Friends). We welcome diversity of all sorts.
Prospective members get to know the community by participating in its activities, then write letters requesting membership and explaining how they and the community are a good fit. A committee of members and advisors meets with the prospective members to arrive at a recommendation, which is then considered by the entire membership. For more see the Steps in Membership section of our website: https://community.qivc.org/membership-qivc
(We’re actively seeking new members who share our intentions for community living, who have a healthy sense of self, and who are open to and able to hear other points of view. We have one house building site available now, two more possibly available in the future, and an existing house to purchase by a member household–see pictures of red house below.)
Visitor Process: We welcome visits in person — please contact us by e-mail at in**@**vc.org. To make your visit more informative, get some background beforehand from our web site, qivc.org. Visits on Friday afternoon/evening work best for guests and the community, with potluck or campfires regularly scheduled on Friday evenings. Overnight hospitality is available, usually, for those traveling from outside the area.
The whole membership decides collectively.
Everyone must agree before moving forward.
Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.
Since we operate according to Quaker business practice, we are all equally responsible to lead and to be led by others.
We make all decisions by a process called “sense of the meeting” or “unity.” These are Quaker terms for a process that goes beyond consensus to seek the will of the Spirit.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Join fee: Yes
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Annual operating fee per adult member is about $2,500; this is the average amount based on annual budget needs. It is often adjusted per household based on need/ability. Members with more money generally contribute more on an annual basis. The operating fees cover property taxes, capital loan repayments, insurance, and maintenance of commonly held assets as well as other community operating costs. We are not setup to offer work exchange.
There’s a required capital loan of $30 per square foot of living space (2011 figure) for homeowner members, and a capital loan equivalent to one month’s rent for renter members.
All are required to serve on committees and are encouraged to participate in seasonal work days, weekly chores to care for our Common House, and other projects.
Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Outbuilding(s), Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Internet
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
interaction while maintaining independence.
Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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