Anavah House

c/o Joshua and Alyssa Smith

909 Normal Ave. Apt. 4
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

November 1, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

Grace and peace be with you! We hope this letter finds you well, and your ministry thriving. We are Joshua
and Alyssa Smith, a recently married couple passionate about social justice, relational ministry, and
following the teachings of Jesus Christ. Joshua has recently completed the coursework for his degree in
English from Southeast Missouri State University, and has begun attending seminary at Central Baptist
Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas. Alyssa is wrapping up her degree in graphic design, and will
hopefully also be starting seminary at Central next fall.

Recently, a new movement has arisen within the Church led by visionaries like Shane Claiborne and
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove to resurrect the work begun by great spiritual leaders such as Mother Teresa,
Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Archbishop Oscar Romero.
This “New Monasticism” has roots in the ancient monastic traditions of the Desert Fathers, but is also
framed within the context of our changing, technologically advanced, and increasingly broken world.
Communities such as The Simple Way in Philadelphia, Rutba House in Durham, North Carolina, and Reba
Place in Chicago have begun springing up all over the country, with the sole aim of cultivating the love of
Christ among the forgotten places of the American empire.

It is in this spirit of radical love that we have developed a plan for a New Monastic ministry in the Kansas
City area called Anavah House, from the Hebrew word for “humility,” or “knowing one’s place in the grand
design of God’s creation.” Our mission, as we see it, is to love and serve Jesus Christ by loving and serving
our neighbors in authentic Christian community. We plan to do this by living, eating, and working together
as early Christians did (Acts 2:44-47), engaging our neighborhood through community development
programs, cultivating sustainable living as stewards of God’s creation through ecologically dependable
methods, and—like the Benedictine monks—by welcoming all into our community as we would welcome
Christ. We feel that not only is this form of ministry vital to the survival of the Church, it is also the passion
and the future of our generation of Christians.

Our plans extend far beyond what we could hope to communicate in a single letter. We have attached our
vision and mission statements, as well as some core values and an action plan of goals for the next few years.
We hope this will give you a chance to better understand what we are about. If possible, we would love to
be able to speak more about Anavah House, New Monasticism, and the changing face of ministry in
America with you or your church in the hope that you might support us as we endeavor to establish Anavah
House as a new way of “doing ministry.” If you are interested, please contact us any time using the
information below. This is an exciting time for us as Christians, and we are eager to begin our work to
transform our community and be transformed by the power of the love of Jesus.

Yours in Christ,

Joshua and Alyssa Smith

909 Normal Ave. Apt. 4
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
(573) 576-0840
joshuapaulsmith88@gmail.com