Kingston House
Huntsville, Arkansas, United States
- Last updated: June 22, 2018 (3 seconds ago)
- Listing created on: June 13, 2015
Mission Statement
Remember “The Waltons” TV show? Ever wish you had been part of the Waltons’ family? The vision of Kingston House is to be the Waltons’ family times three: 20 residents living together as a supportive family of born-again Christians eating together, playing together, studying the Bible together, praying together, laughing together, learning together, and creating a rich and meaningful life together.
Community Description
Can you imagine how awesome it would be to live in a huge house full of your closest friends? Imagine the camaraderie of eating every meal with these friends, the abundance of joyful experiences hanging out with these friends any time you want, the treasure trove of memories your children will create growing up together with their friends, the benefits of raising your children together with your friends, confident that this support network of caring friends is always there to help you watch your children so that you can get your “me” time, and help your children with their homework, and help you work through life’s difficult challenges. Imagine how comforting it would feel knowing that there will always be someone there to greet you when you came home. Imagine the peace and security drifting off to sleep each night assured that there are trusted protectors in the house who will still be there when you wake up each morning. Now imagine being able to live this dream at less cost than you are probably spending now and doing less housework than you are probably doing now, giving you more time, more money, and more energy to enjoy your children and your life. This is the vision I have for Kingston House.
The house is a beautiful, 7000-sqare-foot, fully furnished estate nestled in the majestic Ozark Mountains, with a breath-taking view of the surrounding countryside. It’s only a 500-foot walk to the largest lake in Madison County, perfect for swimming and fishing. It’s also a short drive from some of the best hiking, boating, rafting, fishing, caving, nature watching, and other awesome outdoor experiences that the Natural State has to offer, and only an hour and a half from Branson, the Christian entertainment capital of the world.
Kingston House is also conveniently situated in the middle of a well-established Christian neighborhood community, called Living Springs – 21 caring and supportive Christian households, most of whom meet together every Sunday in the neighborhood community building (only 600 feet from the house) for worship, fellowship, and dinner. Can you imagine how cool it would be to live in a house where, not only is each member of the household a born-again Christian, but everyone of your neighbors is also a born-again Christian? At Kingston House, this slice of Heaven is not just a dream, it’s an every-day reality.
The goal of Kingston House is not to indoctrinate anyone into any particular lifestyle or belief system, but rather to provide for you a fun, supportive, caring, enjoyable, affordable, and amazingly cool place to live and grow in your own walk with God, and where you are encouraged to develop and exercise your own individual God-given gifts.
If this vision resonates with you, or if you are just curious, I invite you to bring your family to Kingston House for a relaxing and fun-filled visit. I will do my best to make you feel at home, because it is my hope that you will want to call Kingston House your next home. But even if Kingston House is not your next home, at least you will have a uniquely awesome vacation experience that you and your children will be talking about for a lifetime.
- Status: Forming
- Started Planning: 2015
- Start Living Together: 2017
- Visitors accepted: Yes
- Open to new Members: Yes
- Please read the details in Membership below before contacting this community. Send Message
- Contact Name: Brad Colenbaugh
- Phone: 321-254-2961
- Community Address:
394 Madison 3180
Huntsville, Arkansas, 72740
United States -
Location
About
- Type(s): Shared Housing, Cohouseholding, or Coliving (multiple individuals sharing a dwelling), Spiritual or Religious Community
- Location: Rural
Government
- Decision Making: Consensus (everyone agrees)
- Identified Leader: Yes
- Leadership Core Group: Yes
- Additional Comments:
Kingston House is not affiliated with any particular religious order or ministry. There are not a lot of rules or dogmas to worry about. Each Resident is expected to be: a born-again Christian, respectful, responsible, well-behaved, tidy, able to control the behavior of their children (if they have any with them), able and willing to do their share of the housework, and pay their rent on time. Community decisions that affect everyone equally will likely be decided by consensus during the all-hands meetings. Other decisions will be decided by a leadership group or the community leader.
Economics
- Dues, Fees, or Shared Expenses: No
- Shared Income: None
- Required Labor Contribution per Week: 5
- Open to members with existing debt: Yes (some debt)
- Additional Comments:
Rent, including utilities and complete furnishings, is $200 per adult per month ($100 per child per month) plus 50 cents per square foot for private bedroom (or your share of a shared bedroom) and $1 per square foot for private bathroom (or your share of a shared bathroom). For example: the rent for one adult occupying a 170-square-foot bedroom and a one-third share of a 60-square-foot bathroom is only $305/month. The rent for one child sharing a 100-square-foot bedroom with one other child is only $125/month. RV and tent camping is available at reasonable rates, for those who prefer a more “outdoorsy” lifestyle. The food charge is currently $200 per person per month and is payable directly to the food coordinator. Currently the food coordinator is also preparing almost all the meals, but that might evolve into being a shared responsibility in the future. Each resident is expected to clean up after themselves and their children, as well as do their share of the common housework or yard work, such as vacuuming, dusting, and cutting the grass, which is approximately 5 hours per week per person, which is probably a lot less time than you are spending now on these chores. To accommodate each resident’s unique schedule, budget, and lifestyle, residents may opt out of some or all of their housework in exchange for higher rent, or do extra housework in exchange for lower rent. There are no other financial or work requirements. There is no buy-in, no monthly dues, and no income sharing requirement. There is also no house business to work at. Each resident is free to pursue their own career aspirations, and keep whatever income they earn.
Sustainability Practices
- Energy Infrastructure: We are connected to the grid.
- Current renewable energy generation: 0%, or close to 0%
- Planned renewable energy generation: Up to 25%
- Current food produced: 0%, or close to 0%
- Planned food produced: Up to 25%
- Food produced locally: Up to 25%
Lifestyle
- Common Facilities: Common House, Garden(s), Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Waterfront access, Internet
- Internet Available: Yes, community provides it
- Internet Fast?: Yes, it’s fine.
- Cell Phone Service: Good for some people.
- Shared meals: Approximately all meals
- Dietary Practice: The house diet depends on the preferences of the residents
- Dietary Choice or Restrictions: No – people may eat however they wish.
- Special Diets OK: Yes
- Alcohol Use: Yes, used seldomly, or ceremoniously.
- Tobacco Use: No, this community does not permit tobacco use.
- Additional Diet Comments:
Most of our meals are prepared by the food coordinator and eaten together. Occasionally residents will eat at different times than other residents due to personal schedules. The diets that Kingston House cater to evolve around the residents. We have the potential to grow our own food. There are two huge gardens on the property just waiting for someone with a green thumb, a vision, and a desire to work their horticulture magic. Alcohol is not consumed by any of current residents. Wine (in moderation) is permitted (though not encouraged), beer is strongly discouraged, and consumption of any other alcohol and intoxication are not permitted.
- Common Spiritual Practice(s): Christian
- Education Style(s): Up to each family or individual
- Healthcare Options: Up to each family or individual
- Additional Comments:
Each resident is expected to attend one weekly all-hands meeting; but beyond that, residents are free to come and go as they please and participate in as many or as few house activities as they wish. Verizon is the only cell phone service that works at Kingston House.
Community Affiliations
Living Springs: A slightly outdated, but still mostly accurate, website describing Living Springs, the Christian community neighborhood that Kingston House is located in, is www.christiancommunities.com.
Keywords
Christian, Discipleship, Spiritual Gifts, Vegan, Vegetarian, Organic, Ozarks, Mountains, swimming
