ABOUT BCM
Bartimaeus | Cooperative | Ministries
Why the name Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries? (See below).
About our Oak Tree symbol and watershed context.
About Casa Anna Schulz in Oak View, California.
Meet the BCM team.
Meet some of our Friends and Collaborators.
Ched Myers’ and Elaine Enns’ Speaking Schedules (link to chedmyers.org)
Image at right from a tryptich on Jesus' healing of Bartimaeus by Charles McCollough (used by permission).
BARTIMAEUS. In the story of the poor man Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), the gospel gives us an archetypal portrait of the healing journey from denial to discipleship. We believe that followers of Jesus should stand for compassion and equity, and against all forms of oppression and violence. But to do this we must face our personal and political blindness to the realities of suffering, as well as to God’s horizons of justice. Jesus gives us eyes to see and courage to follow in the Way of faith, service and solidarity.
COOPERATIVE. BCM was founded in 1998 as an ecumenical experiment in capacity-building for communities of faith, incubating collaborative work around liberation, nonviolence and mutual aid. We are a circle where persons called to radical discipleship can find support and mentoring. We are a non-profit organizational vehicle for promoting practices of church renewal, Restorative Justice and Decolonization, Sabbath Economics, bioregional sustainability and social transformation.
MINISTRIES. Learn more about our five Program areas. Below is a sample of BCM projects:
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Ched Myers, an ecumenical activist theologian, is a popular educator, writer, teacher and organizer, committed to animating and nurturing church renewal and radical discipleship, and supporting faith-based movements for peace and justice. You can find his many publications at www.ChedMyers.org.
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Elaine Enns, DMin, a Canadian Mennonite, is an educator, writer, facilitator and trainer in conflict transformation. She focuses on how restorative justice applies to historical violations, including issues of intergenerational trauma and healing. Find her publications here.
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These intensive 5 day seminars are held during the third week of February in Oak View, CA. They focus on biblical literacy, naming and healing personal and political pathologies, and social analysis and Movement history. Each Institute explores a key issue such as ecojustice, nonviolence, undoing racism, healing, or art for social change. Learn more about our upcoming and past Institutes here.
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BCM offers opportunities to learn on-site at Casa Anna Schulz in Oak View with: The Bartimaeus Study Fellowship: Reading, Writing and Mentoring in "Movement Christianity".
If you are interested in a possible Fellowship, please contact us for information on how to apply.
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Sustainable Lifestyle
BCM practices and promotes Sabbath Economics, regenerative small scale agriculture and watershed health. Casa Anna Schulz is a demonstration site for green building, water conservation, intensive food gardening, native habitat restoration and literacy, and biodiesel transportation.
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Communications
BCM sends a monthly E-News and three resource mailings a year to share-partners of our “community supported ministry.” We also maintain these active websites, Facebook pages and blogs:
- Ched Myers & friends blog
- BCM Facebook page
- BCM YouTube Channel
- Watershed Discipleship website
- Coming into the Watershed Facebook page
- BCM on Instagram
We produce webinars and podcasts, and publish a wide variety of books, articles and audio resources, available on our sister site www.chedmyers.org.
- Ched Myers & friends blog
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BCM staff and volunteers work regularly with:
- local partnerships including The Abundant Table and the Ojai Valley Green Coalition;
- regional kindred organizations such as ReconciliAsian; the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity; Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice; and the Catholic Worker movement;
- and national and international groups such as The New Poor Peoples Campaign; The Proctor Institute; Pax Christi; Kairos Canada; Sabeel; Sojourners; and the Forum for Theological Exploration.
We have a wide circle of sister communities around North America, including the Beloved Community Center; the Carnival de Resistance; Salal and Cedar; and Wilderness Way.
We have helped found and sustain four national ventures with and for faith-based activists:
- the Watershed Discipleship Alliance;
- the Word and World People’s School;
- the Sabbath Economics Collaborative; and
- the Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice (Stony Point Center, NY).
We have many collegial relationships with groups in Costa Rica, Australia, the U.K., Sweden and Palestine.
- local partnerships including The Abundant Table and the Ojai Valley Green Coalition;
Images and Art