JONAH had it's founding ceremony on 11/11/2007 in Eau Claire, where participants spelled out the needs, real and personal, the mission, and the commitment and support to be expected from this association.

Covenanting bodies:

Good Shepherd ELCA
St. Bede Monastery
Unity Christ Center
First Congregational United Church of Christ
First Lutheran ELCA
Friends of Meeting of Eau Claire
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Eau Claire
Christ Episcopal Church

Thanks to Wayne Sorge for providing a recording of the ceremony!

Katherine is retired from her career as a clinical psychologist and author of To The Left of Inspiration: Adventures in living with disabilities. Blind from birth, Katherine has powerful insight into the dynamics of disabilities in our society.

Sara Thomsen lives amongst the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin, making music and leading a choir. She's released 3 solo albums plus one with the group called Three Altos. Raised ELCA Lutheran and an occasional UU attender now, her music is deeply spiritual with a lively concern for the world.

Frances Ford conceived of The War Plays Project, Inc in the period leading up to the US invasion of Iraq, a way to invite people to think of the too-little-thought-of aspects of war. She and the other folks with The War Plays Project have produced a series of short plays going beyond what the mainstream media is willing to consider.

Carlton has spent the past 2 years at an ashram in California, finding his way forward in his spiritual life. He's produced a CD Love Is The Cure that shares music he's been given, freeing him to skip past the ego battles that were such a part of his work as a counselor.

Nora has tasted a lot of different churches in the course of her spiritual search, and an important part of her quest included coming to grips with the parts of her that felt unloved and unlovable, that doubted that any church could be trusted. She has found a spiritual home, at present, at Unity Christ Center of Eau Claire.

Judy Hyde is a perpetual source of healing and fun for the world. She's been working for Free the Slaves for several years, finding ways to stem the record numbers of people - and especially kids - held captive for slave labor. Judy has a special concern for children, which led her to found the Children's Law Center of Connecticut in 1993, and her passions lead her to volunteer with the GI Rights Hotline and to participate with the Concora: Connecticut's Premier Professional Choir".

During nearly 30 years of driving trucks Annabella was pulled into deep spiritual introspection. One of the outcroppings of this was prolific songwriting on spiritual matters. With her partner at the time, Bobbie Bush, she formed the singing duo "Sweet Spirit". Annabella continues singing solo now delving into the challenge of balancing physical life with spiritual being.

Elizabeth Gordon recounts the spiritual & cultural odyssey in her newly released book, Walk With Us. When she and her female partner take into their home a 14-year old expecting triplets, it is a learning experience on multiple levels, mixing as it did Black Muslims and white Quakers, straight and gay, not to mention the generational differences. Elizabeth recounts the deeply emotional and powerfully spiritual twists and turns of helping raise 3 beautiful baby boys in trying circumstances.

Music Featured:
Ella's Song - Sweet Honey in the Rock