The mission of The Hearth is to cultivate space where people of purpose can rest, restore, and reconnect.
We do this in the communal spaces of our rooms and gathering halls, by offering low-cost space rentals to mission-aligned partners, and by inviting individual Restorers to accessible, affordable retreat space on our Silver City campus. In the past year we have hosted youth retreats and gatherings, community dances, a wedding and other family celebrations, support groups, and workshops. We are even working to restore the soil in the yard to support a community garden and orchard that will provide food and shade for the neighborhood. You are invited to participate in life at The Hearth.
The Vision
The Hearth is an emergent space housed in the First Presbyterian Church (FPC), Silver City, building: a space that responds to the needs and desires that exist within the region and celebrates its rich history, present, and possibilities. For people who are experiencing burnout, grief, or exhaustion—for all those in need of a pause, particularly those working for the betterment of humanity—the Hearth offers space and time for rest. It is a place for nurturing and restoring one’s body, mind and spirit. It is a place for connection: with oneself, with community, with creation, and with the sacred. It is a place of reconnection to one’s wholeness and sacredness, inherent and not connected to productivity or accomplishment. Rest and connection are essential to the restoration of health, energy, creativity, and the well-being of people and their communities.
The Community Connection
The Hearth looks inward and outward, hosting people in need of rest and reconnection in spaces that are responsive and accessible to local community use. We are actively seeking partnerships with people and groups who align with our values: community, collaboration, includion and celebration of all identities, transparency, abundance, and rest.
A growing number of local organizations meet here on a weekly and monthly basis, including a women’s singing group, a guitar concert series, several support groups, a yoga class, and all-age alcohol-free Saturday night dance potlucks. We are honored to partner with these groups and invite you to contact us with your meeting and event needs. Celebrate with friends and family, and come out to meet your neighbors.
The Wider Context
The Hearth is located in the community of Silver City, a dynamic town at the edge of the remote and vast Gila National Wilderness. Silver City is also within four hours of three major Southwestern cities—El Paso, Albuquerque, and Tucson—all of which are home to many people who witness and work with some of the most pressing issues of this time and place. This includes border solidarity, anti-gentrification, climate and environmental justice, and immigration accompaniment work. This is world-changing work—necessary, powerful, and often challenging.
While The Hearth is supported by the Presbytery of the Southwest as part of the New Worshiping Community Program which grounded in Christian faith, there is no requirement for a particular belief system to participate in Hearth activities.
All in need of rest are welcome.
The Community Hall, which has its own sound system and a stage with a green room, can accommodate up to 230 people. Twenty tables and 80 chairs 0n chairs are on hand. It’s perfect for fundraising dinners, large potluck gatherings, and plays. The room opens onto an outdoor patio.
Rental of the Community Hall comes with use of the kitchen. It has two sinks, two stoves, a dishwasher, and enough plates, silverware, serving and drinking vessels for 100 people.
SPACES FOR COMMUNITY and FAMILY RENTAL
The performance hall seats 200 and has a sound system as well as wonderful acoustics. It’s the perfect venue for a concert or a wedding. A room off to the side can be used to keep your band’s instrument cases and to enter and exit the stage area.
Call 575-519-4017 to discuss renting for your group or event.
The Team
Board Members:
Alison Wood (they/she) is an administrator and organizer with more than a decade of experience in multicultural non-profit leadership. She holds a Master of Social Work and is currently employed as the Director of Older Adult Services at Jewish Family & Children's Services of Southern Arizona. Alison previously served as the Site Coordinator of the Tucson Borderlands Young Adult Volunteer program for 7 years, including guiding the program through the first three intense years of the Covid-19 pandemic. They bring particular skills in communication, strategic planning, and coalition building to this project; they have a longing for worship that is deeply authentic and holds space for the complex emotions that spring up in a broken world.
Luke Rembold (he/him) is a ministry professional who is currently working as the Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator for the Presbytery of Santa Fe. Luke comes to the desert southwest from Oregon, and has shown success in building relationships across geographic and social boundaries. Luke brings particular skill in partnership building, fundraising, and community organizing to this project. His longing is for worship that is inclusive, connective, and full of music.
Katie Sharar (she/her) is a professional grant writer with more than two decades of educational and organizing experience in the Southwestern borderlands. Katie has a proven history of successful funding campaigns, including bringing in more than $5 million in grants for a single non-profit. Katie previously worked as the Director of Children and Youth Faith Formation at St Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Tucson; she has deep connections in Silver City and El Paso, and brings her knowledge of the region, funds development skills, and strategic communication to this project. Katie’s longing is for worship that finds sacredness in silence and honors each person’s individuality within the fellowship.
Staff:
Emily Aversa (she/her) is our Community Engagement Administrator, responsible for connecting people with the spaces at The Hearth and its administrative aspects. She brings her communication, listening, facilitation, and organizational skills to The Hearth, as well as a wealth of community connections. Emily is an educator who has taught children ages 5 to 15 in Silver City and Gallup, NM and in a holistic international school. Currently, she owns and operates an independent book and record store downtown. Originally from New York City and the Hudson Valley, Emily has happily called Silver City, NM home since 2005.