Click to view images
We Have a New Temple Roof!
and Welcome Adam & Lakshmi to Nevada City!
February 5, 2024
Dear Mountain Stream Sangha,
We have a new roof and not a moment too soon! The installation was completed on Thursday, February 1st, just in time - before the massive atmospheric river arrived over the weekend. 5 Star Roofing found and repaired some roof rot, so again, it wasn’t a moment too soon. Deep bow of gratitude to everyone who donated to Mountain Stream’s Roof Appeal and gave us a new “Roof Over Our Heads.” As Jen Scott, our Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator, likes to say, “We be Sangha.”
Also, Adam Stonebraker and his partner Lakshmi Prasad are officially residents of Nevada City! They arrived very late last Saturday and Adam has hit the ground running. He already led last Monday’s Dharma talk and will continue with ‘part 2’ this Monday. Adam and Lakshmi will be at the Center at 5 PM for a community tea and cider social, and next Friday Adam will lead a pop-up dharma discussion before the meditation at Open Temple.
We are so happy to welcome Adam and Lakshmi into our Sangha and look forward to Adam’s guidance as Mountain Stream continues to provide a container where we can take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, so that we may show up more authentically for our wider community.
Again, deep bow for all the ways you give, show up, and support Mountain Stream. May Mountain Stream continue to be here to support you, our Sangha.
Much Metta,
Robyn Hennon, Center Director
Adam, his partner Lakshmi, and their cats, Yoni and Kali
Holiday Message from Adam Stonebraker, Guiding Teacher
December 25, 2023
Dear Mountain Stream Sangha,
As this year comes to a close, I’m reflecting on how much gratitude and excitement I feel both for the journey of this past year and for the one ahead.
With Metta, I want to thank each of you for welcoming me into this community with such openness and beauty. Lakshmi and I will be making the long trek to Nevada City in late January and we are very much looking forward to settling in to our new community.
In 2024, we are planning on expanding our offerings at Mountain Stream, with new opportunities to deepen our practice and learning as well as to serve our community.
May the coming year bring even more moments of mindfulness, joy, growth and connection. Let us walk this dharma path together, sharing blessings of compassion, understanding, and inclusion to all beings.
Wishing all of you peace and serenity in this season of light.
Deep Bows,
Adam
A Roof Over Our Heads ~ Update
December 1, 2023
We are so close to our goal! Thank you to everyone who donated to our new roof fund. We know there are many causes worthy of your money and attention, and the needs of the world can feel overwhelming. But your donations to Mountain Stream, big and small, help us continue to be a refuge, a place to shelter from the chaos, to find solace and ease. The dharma brings peace and equanimity to our lives and thereby to lives around us, reaching out to the whole world.
To help us bridge the gap, all the dana received for Mountain Stream during the month of December will go toward our roof campaign. If you haven’t had a chance to give and would like to do so, please go to https://www.mtstream.org/roof-appeal to make a donation, or come to one of our events and drop money into the dana basket. From the bottom of our hearts, we are grateful.
With much gratitude,
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Alison Sweetser, Board President
A Roof Over Our Heads ~
Roof Appeal Letter and Financial Report
November 2023
Dear Sangha,
Click to view images
The roof over our beautiful Nevada City Insight Center is showing its 73 years; the current three layers of roofing no longer protect us from the elements. Water has leaked into one wall and may have leaked into others.
The roof replacement is now urgent and we are reaching out to the Sangha to raise $30,000. Given the risks of heavy rains in the coming months creating further damage, we are moving ahead with the roof replacement with the full confidence that our Sangha will support this essential initiative.
While we have allocated a portion of the Rooted in the Dharma campaign contributions to our Building Reserve Fund, there is a need to maintain our Building Reserves for other competing planned and unplanned capital expenditures. Details of our conservative spending from 2021 - 2023 Rooted in the Dharma funds are now available in our Rooted in the Dharma Financial Report link, or see below.
We exist together in a circle of giving. For us, this circle is sustained by our love of the Dharma and our beloved Village Temple. To those who have given your time, your energy, and financial support over the past years, we extend our heartfelt gratitude.
Please consider a gift of $1000, $500, $250, $100, $50; all levels of donation are appreciated. For those of you who are planning your end-of-year donations, please consider a contribution to support the replacement of our roof. See ways to donate below:
Credit Card https://square.link/u/S1odusmS
Check payable to Mountain Stream Meditation: mail to PO Box 2510, Nevada City, CA 95959
Debit your checking account with online banking - saves us on credit card processing fees
Donor Advised Fund
Stocks/Appreciated Securities
Disbursement through IRA/retirement accounts
Company matching gifts - provide your company with our tax ID, 68-0351052
If you would like to learn more about contributing to our Village Temple Roof, please contact Marcia Craighead, Special Projects Manager: marcia@mtstream.org, (530) 265-6111.
With much gratitude,
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Alison Sweetser, Board President
What’s Next for Mountain Stream
October 2023
Dear Sangha,
Click to view collage
It was wonderful to see so many of you at our ten-year anniversary celebration held last month. Since that gathering, many Sangha members have inquired about how they can contribute to Mountain Stream’s immediate and long-term sustainability needs. The Board, Staff, and dedicated Sangha volunteers have worked together to create the following pathways for giving.
Near-term Sustainability Campaigns:
The Village Temple Roof Fund: We are launching a one-time, special purpose fundraising appeal to replace the failing roof over our beloved Village Temple. Our goal is to immediately raise $30,000 to complete this prior to winter. Please donate to the Village Temple Roof Fund at mtstream.org/roof-appeal
The Monthly Giving Circle: This funds our programs, our operations, and our dedicated Staff, without whom none of this would be possible. Thank you, Monthly Giving Circle donors! For those who are currently participating, please consider increasing your donation amount. For those not yet participating, and would like to start, please visit mtstream.org/donate
The End-of-Year Giving: For those of you who are planning your end-of-year donations, please consider one or both of the opportunities above. All donations to Mountain Stream may be tax-deductible. Thank you for your past generosity; we invite everyone to participate this year with a generous donation.
Long-term Sustainability Campaigns:
Upholding the Dharma: In 2024, we’ll launch a multi-year campaign to sustain Mountain Stream for many years to come. This is an ambitious and necessary step toward securing a sound future for Mountain Stream. We rely on our Sangha’s generosity on an ongoing basis to support our new Guiding Teacher, our beloved Village Temple, and an expanding array of dharma programs. If you wish to begin participating now in this multi-year campaign (similar to our previous fundraising campaign, Rooted in the Dharma fund), in advance of its formal launch, please visit mtstream.org/upholding-the-dharma-campaign
Mountain Stream Endowment Fund: As a means of ensuring the longevity of Mountain Stream and the Nevada City Insight Center for future generations, our Board and Staff will work toward creating the Mountain Stream Endowment. Details will be provided in 2024.
We hope that in reading about the various pathways to support Mountain Stream, you find the path or paths best suited to you. If you can donate to the roof fund, deep bows. If you can also become a monthly donor to sustain continuing operations and the programs you value, again, deep bows. And if your heart prompts you to sustain Mountain Stream and our beautiful gem of a temple in 2024 and beyond through Upholding the Dharma, deep bows! Your generosity is needed, is valued, and is received with gratitude.
If you would like to learn more about any of these opportunities, please contact Marcia Craighead, Special Projects Manager: marcia@mtstream.org (530-265-6111).
P.S. Please consider making your tax-deductible donation to our Village Temple Roof Fund as soon as possible. Mountain Stream Meditation is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Donations may qualify for a tax deduction. Please consult your tax advisor to determine deductibility.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Alison Sweetser, Board President
A letter from our Board President
September 20, 2023
Dear Sangha,
Mountain Stream’s Board of Directors, staff, and dedicated sangha members have compiled reports on a) progress on our three year Strategic Plan and b) our first multi-year fundraising campaign, Rooted in the Dharma (see links below). The year-end financial report will be made available when all the data is compiled in the coming months.
For those who would like to review our community’s strategic plan, the following link will bring you to that page (strategic plan). You can also read the workstream reports from the teams and committees tasked with fulfilling the strategic plan on that page.
Together, we can feel satisfaction in all we’ve accomplished, and review with interest and curiosity what still remains to be done. As Sangha, let’s continue to provide a sustainable future for Mountain Stream and our beloved Village Temple, both of which have nourished us through the past many years, from inception through the pandemic, to the present re-opening, and into a future rich with possibilities.
With deep gratitude,
Alison Sweetser
2023 Board President
Board Report - September 2023
Rooted in the Dharma Summary - September 2023