Church for Our Common Home — Church For Our Common Home

Photos are from the Harvard Spirituality and Art Conference 2025

Artist Statement This art work is a community project inviting many people, ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, etc. to contribute to the creation of our untraditional “Manger Church” where we sometimes worship with the animals in the barn. Our vision is of a world of Peace, Justice, Beauty and Love; what Jesus called the Kingdom of God, what my teacher and mentor, Dr. John B. Cobb Jr. called an Ecological Civilization. The barn mural art project was a calling from Our Lady of Guadalupe the Black Madonna of the Americas. She calls us to rebuild the church and our world. We are in solidarity with “the least of these” the poor and vulnerable, especially non-human creatures as we witness the extinction of species and eco systems. My life has been a reflection of an experince I had when I was 7 years old in the Dormition Abbey of Jerusalem, The Tomb of Mary. The feminine face of the God of Love became Mother Mary. Underground, I experienced that she had been a dead woman, but before my eyes she resurrected and came to life. The wooden statue transformed into a woman of flesh and deep feeling. Sleeping Beauty, who was unconscious had a raising of consciousness and woke up!

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photo green hills w sheep.jpg

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I thank the countless volunteers, friends, family, Woofers…. for all of you who have loved me and our church to what is now our shared vision. We are called to do creative work aka as God’s work. Church for Our Common Home is a church dedicated to Mother Earth, the divine feminine, the arts and loving community. Our place of worship is The Earth with, in and for God and the natural world. Our vision is made manifest in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Barn Mural, as well as in our Living Rosary, the Interfaith Secret Prayer Garden with 12 prayer stations on 12 trees, (Special thanks to Nancy Mahoney for painting at St Briget at the first of the tryptic boxes of three prayer altars honoring Briget the Trible Goddess of pre Christianity, Hildegard and Julian of Norwich and for all her support of our church.) an Eco Build Compost toilet (Lead by Erin Shepard, Antigone and many worker in our eco build workshops) the Dream Incubation Guest House with a door of the Lovers Tarot Card, a walking Snake Labyrinth, (created by Kathy Ruyts) The Wailing Wall, many Wwofer’s - most recently Andrea, a talented artist who finished the door of the Dream Incubation Guest House, painted her dog/wolf Zeus howling at the moon, and much more. Like much of this art work here it began with an idea and vision. I drew The Lovers card from the Tarot Card deck on the door. My talented stepdaughter Katie Rutherford was the first to begin painting. Thank you, Katie! Many others have contributed to the door as well as the work and vision. Special thanks to Erin a talented artist and for her encouragement for me to paint the rainbow scalloped patterns of my vision when the sky opening as a child. THANK YOU Erin for your painting with me and your support of this vision!) to Adrianne Jung who makes the photoshop images with me and helps me with all things technical, Hilda a talented artist who took the lead on the peacock and roses, as well as all those visiting from China who have contributed. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR OUR SHARED VISION OF Peace, Justice, Beauty and Love on Earth. We thank all the animals and angels in the barn, barn yard and in the Interfaith Secret Prayer Garden, and everywhere on our common home, Mother Earth. You are our teachers and constant companions.

(Photos below are from the archives.)

2018 Rise for Climate March

2018 May Karaoke Party

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Event on Earth Day Weekend

April 22, 2018

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Pando Populus

Otay Mesa Detention Center

Rev Bonnie Tarwater and Dr. Walt Rutherford with Church for Our Common Home in solidarity with children and families at Otay Mesa Detention Center.

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Salvation Mountain and Slab City

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Dan's Housewarming

August 12, 2018

Dan’s Housewarming, birthdays, and Sunday services.

2018 Strawbale House

Vegetable Garden

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32 faith leaders arrested at border

Faith at the border

At Border Field State Park on Monday, more than 300 faith and community leaders took part in a protest against the treatment of the migrants in Tijuana, Mexico.

Photos from the the San Diego Union Tribune.

Photographer: Nelvin C. Cepeda

2019 General Assembly Worship and Procession of Species

GA in Spokane Washington with UU Ministry for Earth in Earth Worship service and Procession of Species (June 20, 2019) Pictures by James Long and Amelia Diehl.

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2019 Earth Day "Soap from Compost" workshop

Photos From Home Page

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Bonnie Tarwater (second to the right), a minister of Church for our Common Home, walks with other religious faith leaders to the border fence at Border Field State Park in San Diego, California on December 10, 2018. Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI

Bonnie Tarwater (second to the right), a minister of Church for our Common Home, walks with other religious faith leaders to the border fence at Border Field State Park in San Diego, California on December 10, 2018. Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI

Alexis’ Day of the Dead work of food art 2018 all the more fabulous for it was a diabetic dessert for her American adopted Grandfather!

Alexis’ Day of the Dead work of food art 2018 all the more fabulous for it was a diabetic dessert for her American adopted Grandfather!

Dream of the elephants coming to talk to the whales for they are angry the whales have given up and are resigned to mass extinction. Mother Mary caresses Ganeshas trunk.

Dream of the elephants coming to talk to the whales for they are angry the whales have given up and are resigned to mass extinction. Mother Mary caresses Ganeshas trunk.

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Please join us for potluck dinners every Sunday after worship at 6 PM and bonfire!

Please join us for potluck dinners every Sunday after worship at 6 PM and bonfire!

Dog Chapel in Meditation Garden for Blessings of the Animals.Mural projects ongoing.

Dog Chapel in Meditation Garden for Blessings of the Animals.Mural projects ongoing.

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Dogs welcome at worship!

Dogs welcome at worship!

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Back to Church for Our Common Home

2018 Rise for Climate March

2018 May Karaoke Party

Event on Earth Day Weekend

Otay Mesa Detention Center

Salvation Mountain and Slab City

Dan's Housewarming

2018 Strawbale House

Vegetable Garden

32 faith leaders arrested at border

2019 General Assembly Worship and Procession of Species

2019 Earth Day "Soap from Compost" workshop