December 2023 - Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

How It All Began
by Karen Snyder 17 Dec '23

17 Dec '23

Do you remember the email Ed Feldmanis sent last week quoting Frank Knutson, who challenged us to be reflecting about "How it all began” in terms of the life of the Institutes? Aimee Hilliard sent these words by Frank about his perspective some time ago. Enjoy! HOW IT ALL BEGAN REFLECTIONS ON THE ECUMENICAL INSTITUTE BY FRANK V. HILLIARD One could say there were two beginnings, both of which started with the Army - Notre Dame game of 1946. The game is ranked 7th on the all time great games of college football, but in my opinion it should be ranked first. It is ranked 7thpurely because of bias for offensive, rather than defensive, football. The game was the last game of the season and was held at Yankee Stadium. Both teams were undefeated with Army having a 25 game win streak and two national championships the two previous years. There were four current and future Heisman trophy winners on the field that day. At quarterback Notre Dame had Johnnie Lujack who became famous as a star for the Chicago Bears. Notre Dame also had an end named Leon Hart who won the Heisman his senior year and is the only lineman in the 20th century to win the Heisman. Army had Doc Blanchard and Felix Davis, both of whom won the Heisman and are the only tandem backfield to win the Heisman. They had not lost a game in their storied career at Army. Blanchard was called Mr. Inside and Davis was called Mr. Outside. Davis had a rushing average of 8.26 yards per carry which still remains an NCAA record. Upon graduation from West Point both Blanchard and Davis, the two most celebrated athletes of their day, were assigned to serve out their army career in San Antonio. Here the story begins. Jack Lewis, a former head cheerleader at the University of Texas, was a Presbyterian minister serving as chaplain at the University. He got the idea of asking Blanchard and Davis to come to Austin to be introduced at halftime of the U.T. intramural championship football game. To his surprise, they accepted. Lewis planned to give a speech at halftime to what he thought would be three or four hundred people. When word got around that Blanchard and Davis were coming, over 5,000 people showed up. Lewis said later, that he realized he didn’t have anything meaningful to say to the students at halftime. After brooding about this, he asked his board if he could have a year’s sabbatical…to see what was happening in the Church. Of course, a Presbyterian minister would go back to his roots in Scotland. There, Lewis became enamored of a group of ministers and laypeople who were working together rebuilding an old abbey on the island of Iona. They had formed covenanting groups throughout Scotland doing theological studies and prayer. They became known as the Iona Community. “Lewis also became fascinated with the residential style of religious instruction at Cambridge and Oxford. He began formulating a plan incorporating both the dedication of the Iona group and the insights of Cambridge and Oxford. He would establish a student community alongside the University of Texas where students would commit themselves for a year of Christian living and study while continuing their regular courses at the University of Texas. With contributions raised from churches and with a small grant from the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., he purchased an old motel located a block from the campus. He formed a board of directors, put up a sign, and began recruiting students to join in the experiment.” Thus the first beginning. Lewis soon realized that he needed a professional teacher and director of curriculum . To get funding for this phase of the project, he went to the Danforth Foundation to ask for $10,000. Lewis presented his plan to create a residential program in which students would study theological education part time while they attended the University. According to stories Lewis later told, he was interrupted in making his request, by the Director of the Foundation, saying, that this was a tremendous idea and would $40,000 be enough. ($40,000 was a lot of money in the 1950’s.) With this grant, Lewis hired Joe Mathews to the new post. Thus the second beginning: a story of Joe Mathews and the corporate ministry which articulated their audacious task as “Renewing the Church for the sake of Renewing Society.” Here I interject my own story. I had graduated from Perkins Theological Seminary, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where Joseph W. Mathews had been my professor. I was in a deep struggle. I did not want to leave the ministry as a vocation but felt that I could not be effective as a pastor in a local congregation. One day, as I was especially down, I remembered Joe saying that he had had some hard times in his life. So I decided to telephone him in Austin. I told him my quandary and I asked him, what had helped him in hard times in his life. He said, “The Church of Jesus Christ, Our Lord.” I said, “Oh, Joe, don’t give me that kind of bull.” Joe responded, “If you feel that way, why don’t you come to Austin and we will talk about it.” The very next day, I drove to Austin where I saw a group of clergy and laity working together and teaching a theology that was relevant to everyday life in a fashion that thrilled me. As Bonhoeffer said, the power of a corporate group is greater than the sum total of it’s individual parts. Consciously or unconsciously I realized this. Joe offered for me to become an intern. I immediately said, YES. I tell my story because this is a story of many of those who became a part of the faculty because they realized the power of working corporately with Joe Mathews as our leader, a man we all deeply respected. The facts are that I witnessed us growing from a small group of families, both clergy and laity in Austin, Texas to a faculty of over 2,000 with Chicago as our headquarters and located in some 55 cities in the US and over 35 nations in the world. Oh, the Army vs Notre Dame game? With the two greatest offensive teams of the decade playing for the national championship, it ended in a nothing to nothing tie. The radio announcer, Stern, kept saying, “I am glad that I am not on the field today. I’ve never seen hitting this hard.” A nothing to nothing tie, now isn’t that the greatest game ever!?!

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Remember Kenneth Boulding?
by James Wiegel 15 Dec '23

15 Dec '23

"What this means is that for any individual organism or organization, there are no such things as "facts." There areonly messages filtered through a changeable value system. This statement may sound rather startling."This from the paper we used in the 1969 version of the Imaginal Education Colloquy . . . See below an article on the history of "the fact" An obituary for the fact | | | | | | | | | | | An obituary for the fact Farewell to a friend of social harmony (1500–2000) | | | Jim Wiegel “…the long work of turning their lives into a celebration is not easy. Come and let us talk“. The Sunflowers. Mary Oliver

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Bob and Sarah Booher
by Karen Snyder 11 Dec '23

11 Dec '23

Dear Bob and Sarah, I am sighing. Reading Bob’s talk “Profound Humaness as Action” after the Town Meeting Campaign in 1977, he reminds us (see attachment), “In sighing we touch heavenly sorrow and become vitality.” And at the end of his talk, he says, “We have become people blessed by heavenly sorrow … Profound Humaness. ,,, Profound Happiness. “ And now maybe we would say Profound Being. Thank you Bob and Sarah, for all the years you demonstrated profound action in our midst and ever since. And for the profound beings you are in your care for family and community. I have pictures of you in my mind leading Town Meetings, Global Womens Forums and LENS. I keep remembering the imagery of the crimson line of history that Herman Hesse introduced to us in The Journey to the East. He opens the book with, “It was my destiny to join in a great experience. Having had the good fortune to belong to the League, I was permitted to be a participant in a unique journey. What wonder it had…” Doesn’t that make you want to go back and read it again!?! All of us reading these messages are a part of that crimson line and were able to meet, live together creating community and acting profoundly. We met and dispersed and continue on the crimson line journey, each carrying the spirit of being a social pioneer into our own postage stamps of responsibility. Bob and Sarah, I deeply appreciate being with you on this journey and wish you all the best as you continue your journey in the days ahead. Peace and love, Karen Snyder Troxel “Whatever the problem, community is the answer.” Margaret Wheatley https://wedgeblade.net/files/archives_assets/20805.pdf 20805 PDF Document · 134 KB > On Dec 10, 2023, at 2:39 PM, Lynda C via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: > > With Bob and Sarah Booher’s permission, I am posting the sad news that Bob has entered Hospice care at their apartment at > The Village > 1471 Long Pond Road, Apt 303E, > Rochester, NY. 14626. > > They would welcome notes, memories and reflections that you may wish to share. Photos and old stories would add to the conversations. They are very pleased that their very supportive children and grandchildren are nearby. > > Sarah keeps things lively from her power wheelchair, which greatly enables her to get around more easily. Spirits are good, but Energies are low so phone conversations are difficult. > > Email to both addresses: pmainc(a)stony.rr.com <mailto:pmainc@stony.rr.com> for Bob and gefbooher(a)stny.rr.com <mailto:gefbooher@stny.rr.com> for Sarah. > > We send our care for this strong couple as they care for each other. We are grateful for our shared journeys through the Local Church Experiment, time in Area NY, all the Chicago gatherings, and most recently through the Archives. > > Lynda and John Cock > > > > > _______________________________________________ > OE mailing list > OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:OE@lists.wedgeblade.net> > http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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Remembering Byrne Johnson
by Karen Snyder 07 Dec '23

07 Dec '23

Carole Bond Johnson wishes to share with you that her husband, Byrne Johnson, passed away December 2nd. The celebration for his completed life will be December 20, on his 94th birthday, at Faith United Church in International Falls at 11 CST. It will be streamed on the Zion Lutheran Church, International Falls, media site and available later on the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church’s Facebook page. To read Byrne’s obituary, click on his name on the ICA Archive Memorials page: https://icaglobalarchives.org/memorials/.

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Remembering Frank Knutson
by Karen Snyder 05 Dec '23

05 Dec '23

These are the words of Ed Feldmanis as he recalls his experiences of Frank Knutson: Sitting in the very first collegium in 1971, at the Cleveland Religious House, we new interns introduced ourselves to each other. Frank, who was then known as Bob, began to talk about his Cincinnati background. Frank had been part of a cadre, with numerous achievements, including recruiting RS-1 and the Parish leadership Colloquy. Like Frank, many of this group were members of the Friendship United Methodist Church. That cadre and it's pastor, Mark Dove, reinvigorated Sunday School classes and created a unique catechism for their youth based on RS-1. Frank had been the director of a science center located in the repurposed Cincinnati Union Railroad Station. After several years it became apparent that the project was not economically viable, and it was time for Frank to move on. The moment was right for Frank and his family to make a vocational decision to live in a family religious order. Frank brought with him a practical approach, logically based, on how to get things done. He was both a great handyman and a practical visionary who understood how to make spiritual events happen. It was Frank who inkinded and operated a used but still working A. B. Dick Press that was located in the Religious House basement. That was the tool that allowed the House to produce brochures and manuals that supported the work of Cleveland region colleagues. Frank took to heart the call to be comprehensive and created the unique and most extensive Odyssey manual written at that time. When challenged about why it was necessary to be so fastidious, Frank answered that he wanted to create a tool in which a person who had never heard of the Order or The Odyssey could immediately facilitate the event. Frank even included meal menus and a shopping list. Later at the Anchorage Religious House, Frank used not only the comprehensive Odyssey manual, but went on to teach Anchorage house members how to write and produce brochures and manuals that would continue to support local colleagues. Frank's passion was about the Word, which when he first was addressed by it and had his life changed, wanted to share it with everybody. It was the same Spirit many years later that led Frank to engage with the work of the Living Archives. Frank's domain was as the curator of some 40,000 images and photographs. ~~ Ed Feldmanis

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Archive colleagues remember Frank and Jack
by Karen Snyder 02 Dec '23

02 Dec '23

Ed Feldmanis and I have been sharing our gratitude for the roles Frank Knutson and Jack Gilles played in making the Archives accessible over the years. Frank, among other things, organized 40,000 photos of the ICA’s global work, which is now available to all. Ed has known Jack for many years, including before Jack’s work with the Archives. After Ed wrote the following words about Jack, I suggested they should be shared on the list serve and he asked me to send them to you. ****** I first encountered Jack in 1971. Once I met Jack I found the encounter unforgettable. Several times he was a guest at our religious house dinners, every time my impression was the same. First, here was a guy whose life was turned upside down by the Gospel. Second, there was no question that when you met Jack you met intensity. Even in those early days there was something wild about him. Thirdly, it was easy to grasp, that this was a guy gifted with an impactful big brain. When in later years, Jack found himself in the Cleveland Religious House, next to Case Western University, Jack discovered that Kenneth Boulding, the author of The Image paper which fundamentally changed how we all understood education, was lecturing. Afterwards, Jack approached him, introduced himself, and said, “Whatever you have planned for the rest of the evening, I have a better offer for you.” Many of Jack's Order colleagues have commented the Jack had brass balls. This is certainly an instance of that. Boulding agreed to come for refreshments with members of the House. According to Jack, Boulding was astonished by the concept of Imaginal Education; his response was, "But it only took me a couple of hours to put this on paper." Jack once shared with me that his greatest satisfaction was his work in India. It was more than undertaking of the Human Development Projects in one of the toughest places in the world. What Jack understood was that the very mindset and operations of how businesses worked had to fundamentally change. So Jack promoted, recruited, and presented the LENS course with every opportunity. Jack's passion was in the belief that India could not move ahead without the transformation of business from its' heavy-handed top-down operations to one which was more egalitarian and human. Jack was fully on board with Peter Drucker's idea, "Work no longer can just make a living, it must make a life." Whenever, over the years, students approached Jack for career advice, he would share with them an unusual perspective. "The first thing to do," he would say, "is to ask yourself if there is anything you would want to experience or undertake that if you missed the opportunity, you would regret it for the rest of your life." The one thing that was true for Jack was that you could take the man out of the religious order, but you could not take the religious out of the man. Whether the Order went out of being or not Jack always understood himself to be the religious. In Jack's later life his ambitions were twofold. One was to make a go of the Litibu Ecovillage which he helped found and second to share with the world our Institute colleagues' knowledge, experience and works. Jack helped formulate the framework of the archives collections and shared his vision about its values and direction. Jack was entranced by water, and yearned to be around it. In this case the Pacific Ocean. When he died he was exactly where he wanted to be. From Ed Feldmanis and Karen Snyder

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Thank you, Rob
by Margaret Gergen 01 Dec '23

01 Dec '23

Thank you for saying so succinctly, yet eloquently, what I just this afternoon was expressing (not nearly as articulately) to a colleague. And for reminding us all that we daily continue the journey knowing, like Moses, we won't see the Promised Land. Take care, Margaret Gergen

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David Morton's Passing
by Mari Crocker 01 Dec '23

01 Dec '23

(This is my third attempt to get this message out to you. I seem to have sent it to an old address. Hope this gets through this time. Marilyn) Dear OE/ICA Global Colleagues, It is with deep sadness, and permission from the family, that I share the news that our dear colleague and longtime personal friend of the the Crocker family, David Morton, passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2023. David contracted a rapidly progressing form of pneumonia that did not respond to massive doses of antibiotics, and his breathing failed. David and his first wife, Betsy (deceased 1989), were members of the EI/OE community from 1967 - 1978, serving in assignments in various places in the US and Australia. David, a committed researcher, teacher and voracious reader, significantly expanded our Order’s outreach to understand the “new quantum sciences” and their intersection with theology in the years he was a Prior of our Research Centrum in Chicago. He also served on the Global Panchayat, and was one of the major writers/editors of The Order Polity Document, at the request of our founder and Dean, Joseph Mathews, (just before Joe's death in 1977), to “pull together the fundamental operating principles and foundational understandings of our experimental family religious order.” My husband Joe and I were blessed to have been assigned to work with the Morton family both in Chicago, and in Sydney, Australia — and continued our friendship after 1988 when the OE was called out of being, and many of us continued to live out our commitment to serve those in need in many different ways. Joe officiated at the lovely marriage of David and his wife, Denney, in 1991 and we have continued to be close friends, especially as it became more possible when Joe and I moved to Maine in 1999. David and Betsy’s children, Kim Morton Case and Luke Morton, and Denney’s three daughters from a previous marriage, Kate, Julie and Susan all are gathering around to support their blended family in this time of loss. I’m sure messages of condolence to David’s wife and family will be deeply appreciated: Mrs. David Morton, Apt. 2A. 18 Blueberry Lane, Falmouth, ME 04105. Cell: 207-400-9955. Email: denneymorton(a)gmail.com <mailto:denneymorton@gmail.com>; or Kim Morton Case, E mail: casebkim(a)gmail.com <mailto:casebkim@gmail.com> With abundant gratitude for David’s life and his gifts to us all, I offer this — and will send additional information as the family requests. Grace and peace, Marilyn Crocker

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Birthday Witness
by Richard Alton 01 Dec '23

01 Dec '23

*Birthday Thoughts: My Solar Hero* I was struck by Terry Bergdall’s Thanksgiving report from Litibu about his solar cooking for his community dinner. What a great image of our future. Actually, this is the second time Terry has brought solar to the community. Not long ago, Terry was the Executive Director of ICA USA and started a social investment program to fund Kemper’s (Greenrise) own solar system. You invest in the solar system and then from the savings in electricity the Institute would pay you back in cash (50%) and the other half in tax deductions. Absolutely brilliant (somebody told me the real thinker was the late Board member and financier Bob Rafos) but Terry put it into action which was the huge task. Bless him. Solar now covers 25% of our energy use in the Greenrise building. I have become fascinate with solar; after Sally and I invested in the ICA solar project, we did a solar system on our church, which helped reduce our energy cost dramatically. We not only did solar on the roof but also community solar where you buy solar panels in a solar field, which puts solar energy in the system to match your energy used. You could argue you were Net Zero. All our energy was renewable energy. Bless the Methodist Church: they just committed to be Net Zero by 2050. Our Methodist Conference’s Bishop came out with a Net Zero Task Force that is making solar a huge focus. Reminds me of H. Richard paper on the Church as Social Pioneer. The church is being the church when it is the first to repent for the sins of a society, turns its back on it and leads society in the social act of repentance. And then there is the ICA USA Africa Fund which has found an amazing amount of interest in village solar. Zimbabwe has combined solar with their Self Help Groups saving to rotate getting a home solar system. Women groups in Zambia are using solar to keep their chicks warm at night. Ghana has used solar to bring lights to the community. Kenya has just started Self Help Groups to save for family solar kits. Uganda has over 2,000 families in Self Help Groups saving for solar. As Richard Kirya reported on Uganda solar work: “More than 90% of the 230,000 people living in Budaka District of Uganda live without reliable access to electricity. There are reports where young school going children ten to fifteen-year-old have been badly burned in kerosene accidents in the countryside and urban slum communities. The families and children rely on kerosene lamps for lighting their homes; these are very smoky and blacken their home and clothes with soot. The school going children rely on kerosene to study, which is dangerous and produces poor-quality lighting. They cannot study longer, and efficiently. Some homes have experienced total burn of their entire homes causing loss of life long achieved properties.” The world is in a precipitance state. As global leaders gathered in Dubai for the United Nations climate talks known as COP28 this month, we must acknowledge that the fossil fuel age is out of gas- that its end is inevitable, we must ramp up renewables and phase out fossil fuels. Our future is helping communities become Climate Change Ready. Not only with solar energy but, most importantly, coming together to build communities moving together… recognizing we do not stand a chance alone. My survival depends on you. Niebuhr saw this tragedy of ‘individual overemphasis’ and not recognizing how ‘self and society are bound together’. Dick Alton, Greenrise Community member, entering 82 and working to be the church. Became religious and a theologian in 1968. -- Richard H. T. Alton ICA Global Fund The Last Chapter Methodist Net Zero T: 773.344.7172 richard.alton(a)gmail.com Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 Won't you be my neighbor?

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