Lunch Conversation on Wednesday 6-22-16 regarding New Initiatives

Conversation Summary

Sonia welcomed the group and shared the history of the New Initiatives. Then she used the desire of the people of the Waupun area for ministry support in the hospital and the prison.

Questions were raised such as whether the ministry was one of presence of salary. Either seemed appropriate. The target audience is those who are leaving an active ministry and desire to do something different, like make a commitment to each other while working with the people. Areas near other sisters include Milwaukee, and Phoenix, as well as the greater Fond du Lac area. Will the group actually go someplace new or look more creatively where they are? Well Waupun would be an opportunity for sisters to start another initiative near others, but without the experience of being one more pea in the pod.

Then some shared opportunities where we already are. Some have additional room in established houses in some of the poorest counties in the nation where many have no running water. See attachments from the Southwest area. Electronic communication like ZOOM.US would allow face to face planning conversations. Milwaukee has countless opportunities, creativity has no boundaries. Gary and Marian University have extensive needs that sisters could engage in. Returning to the question of what kind of help people need. While Fond du Lac County is well organized, neighbors like Dodge County are struggling.

Eileen summarized two threads: ministry in extremely needy areas, and intentional community focused on ministry with the possibility of electronic group. The conversation turned to the need for a forum to tell each other our stories, not once a year at CSA days but we need to do in now and often. Such an opportunity will energize the storyteller and the listeners.

The next steps in this process include getting the notes typed and distributed. Getting a ZOOM conference call could follow. As soon as a group of three or four see a plan, they should approach the RC's with it. There is one ZOOM group of eight already functioning: it is non-hierarchical and uses the circle process with a guardian, the harvester and a host who organizes the three time zones. ZOOM uses a different bandwidth and only the one who sets up the call needs a paying membership.

The burning questions were reviewed: not like minded people but those willing to move, listening and deeply hearing are crucial, an agenda, building intentional community.