Rev. Ken Parker founds Second Sunrise, a place to heal

PERU | When local Rev. Ken Parker fell sideways down the flagstone steps coming up from the barn, a neighbor urged those who ran to help not to move him. The caution and wisdom likely spared the local minister from immobility. The fall left six vertebrae in his neck broken, hip and leg injuries and a brain bleed. Taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, he spent weeks in intensive care. "They told me, at first, that if I made it, I would probably be paralyzed from the neck down or from the waist down," Parker told The Sun on a recent visit to the farm. From June 30 to Aug. 7, he received rehabilitative care at Fanny Allen. "The thing that gave me hope was that they couldn't find any cognitive damage," Parker said of the healing process that is going well. When he went in for brain scans, medical review showed no damage to the spinal cord, a near-miraculous outcome, since the breaks in his neck were millimeters from the thin cord that connects the spinal nerve system to the brain. "The tester told me 'This is our first and our last visit'," the reverend said. He remains somewhat amazed and grateful to have come through the fall with good mobility despite injuries to his hip. Parker uses a cane to move through the barn chores, feeding livestock, scattering corn and grains for his flocks of geese, pheasants, peafowl and chickens. He feeds happily grunting pigs and gives his two braying donkeys a corn treat. The alpaca was all smiles for a brief shower with the hose. GIFT OF ACCESS Gathering eggs of many colors, he filled a basket and then headed toward the stone stairway. One step at a time, he climbed to the farmhouse home where he and his wife Helle raised their three children. They've lived on these acres in Peru since 1970. In front of their home, a new ramp rises at a gentle slope over what was once a front walkway. Installation of the ramp began in the days before he was released from the hospital, and with the help of parishioners from the three churches he pastors: Moriah Methodist, Mount Moriah Presbyterian and the Essex Community Church. The design and construction were done by members of the Moriah churches, with materials funded by the pastorate in Essex. He began pastoring at all three after retiring from the Peru Community Church where he'd served for 33 years. Parker appreciates all the community has done to help, in word and deed. SECOND SUNRISE Retirement also brought a new focus to their farm, though blue ribbons for prize livestock still line the barn doors. Rev. Parker first established the nonprofit therapy project with donkeys, which became Thera-Pets. He has recently transferred the organization to new owners and is rebuilding his farmland therapy and counseling program as Second Sunrise. The name seems to emerge from his own renewal. Doing chores, Parker talked about sharing the peace and gentle chatter of his farm to help people who are grieving loss or faced with life challenges, disabilities or are in recovery. "If it's to provide a quiet seat by the pond or talk about life's challenges, the mission is to offer a peaceful place for pause," he said. His farm is a source of both delight and reflection, with flocks of Sebastopol geese, Top-knotted ducks with puffy feathered heads, soft feathered Silkies. The glowing yellow-gold and red plumes of Chinese ornamental pheasants glisten from their yard near the blue-green finery of peacocks. The Parkers are also raising a yak family and a herd of cattle. The bovine strode to the edge of their grassy acres to see who had come to visit. The tiny new yak calf is almost a month old now; Rev. Parker named her Tashi after caregivers he met in the hospital. Gratitude is the order of all chore rounds at Second Sunrise. And that is part of the counsel he offers, whether people come with disabilities or are working through grief or are in recovery. "The idea is to offer a peaceful place with emphasis on healing and deeply appreciating nature," Parker said of their farm's mission. The goal is to cultivate human health and well-being. "We never charge for a farm visit. This is done in the spirit of giving back to anyone who wishes to enjoy some time here. You do not need to be grieving to come," he said. The only requirement is to call ahead. To reach Rev. Parker at Second Sunrise and find out more, call 518-643-8295.

Signup for our newsletter

Rev. Ken Parker founds Second Sunrise, a place to heal

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS