Raven Ridge Reflections

Building buildings and building community

For many years I was a community organizer. Some of my training was done at the Gamaliel Foundation, the same place where Barack Obama was trained. That focus was faith-based organizing. I’ve also done extensive work as a political organizer.

Additionally, through the years I’ve engaged in a good deal of construction work. Remodeling buildings for my restaurants and stores, working with my brother who was a contractor, and homesteading in New Mexico building my house, dining hall, greenhouse and a house for my mother.

Raven Ridge Retreat Center and Raven Ridge Retirement Community is a fusion of lumber and people. The physical construction of glamping units and senior homes will create the infrastructure for building community. To be honest, it’s easier to turn boards into buildings than individuals into community. But humans are social creatures, so communities grow where people are planted. The challenge is creating a healthy community through nurture and grace.

As this project moves forward, I’ll try to share the process as part of the process. One of the most important lessons I learned from community organizing is to trust the process. Shortcuts to reach a goal end up destroying community. So, board by board, conversation by conversation, Raven Ridge will grow and become a place of nature, nurture and belonging.

Paul Peterson