The Commonage - Procter Center

Most simply and most profoundly, we have lost the sense of belonging and the sense of life. We have lost the sense of belonging in our world and to the God who creates, nurtures, and redeems this world and all its creatures, and we have lost the sense that we are part of a living, changing, dynamic cosmos that has its being in and through God. We have lost this sense of belonging and life, not as an intellectual matter, an idea, but as our daily sensibility that accompanies and qualifies all we do. –Salle McFague, The Body of God, pg 34

The Commonage program is designed for young adults, aged 18-26. The program offers immersive experiences and education in restorative agriculture, spiritual practice, and communal living within a farm, camp, and retreat center setting.

We are excited to announce the launch of The Commonage at Procter Center – An Episcopal Service Corps program for Farmhands, coming in 2026

The aim of establishing The Commonage is to transform the farmhand program from simply an employment opportunity into an Episcopal Service Corps program, thereby giving it greater intentionality and meaning for participants and the wider Procter community, similar to the intentionality of faith and community that our Summer Camp Counselors experience.

Sarah Alphin, an alumna of the Episcopal Service Corps and Farm Manager at Procter Center, will coordinate The Commonage under the leadership of the co-executive directors and with support from an advisory council.

This program, which will launch in 2026, is already being rooted in ora et labora (prayer, and work) following the ethos of the Benedictine tradition – an ethos that will run through the entire program an ethos that will run through the entire program as we work to wed our call to the land to the call of faith and community.

Unique to The Commonage is a hybrid intentional community life with a shorter residential experience compared to most year-long ESC programs. Our ESC program will offer two tracks: a long-season and a short-season. Long-season corps members will serve from March 1 through October 31, while short-season corps members will serve only for the summer months. Both tracks include residential intentional community experience with one another and others in the broader Procter Community. And once the residential experience has concluded, corps members will continue to gather monthly via Zoom and twice more in-person for formation retreats through the following year–a schedule that allows for college students to participate while completing their academic studies.

The Episcopal Service Corps empowers young and emerging adults to transform unjust structures through community building, local collaboration, prayer, and action. They do so through the values of community, justice, discernment, and formation. Through residential and non-residential programs throughout the United States, ESC’s year of service is one way that young Episcopalians join God’s transformation of our world. Learn more about the ESC experience at this link.

Commonage Members will experience:

-a life together tethered by prayer, shared meals, play, rest, study, conversation, service, and hard work

-experience in restorative agriculture and contemplative practice that seek the good for all of Creation

-experience in outdoor education and animal care

-life in community with one another and the various intergenerational communities connected to Procter, especially the summer camp community

-experience working with with volunteers, farmers markets and community supported agriculture

-beautiful seasons on 1200 acres that include a 15-acre lake, 70 acres of woods, and access to all camp amenities such as kayaks, canoes, hammocks, labyrinth, trails, sports court, and more

– a centrally located location between mid-size cities such as Columbus and Cincinnati, and within half a days drive of Indianapolis, Chicago, Nashville, and Louisville.

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