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“Marianna Bailey's Zoom Meeting” has been updated.
by Marianna Bailey 07 May '20

07 May '20

“Marianna Bailey's Zoom Meeting” has been updated. when: Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 5:00 AM EDT - 9:00 AM EDT Repeating event. invitees: and you. See replies - https://www.icloud.com/calendar/eventreply/?t=2_GEZTKOJXGM4TMNJTGEZTKOJXGOM… updated by: - Marianna Bailey reply: Accept - https://www.icloud.com/calendar/eventreply/?t=2_GEZTKOJXGM4TMNJTGEZTKOJXGOM… Decline - https://www.icloud.com/calendar/eventreply/?t=2_GEZTKOJXGM4TMNJTGEZTKOJXGOM… Maybe - https://www.icloud.com/calendar/eventreply/?t=2_GEZTKOJXGM4TMNJTGEZTKOJXGOM… iCloud is a service provided by Apple. Apple ID: https://appleid.apple.com/choose-your-country/ Support: https://www.apple.com/support/icloud/ww Terms and Conditions: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/icloud/ww/ Privacy Policy: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/privacy/ Copyright 2020 Apple Inc. One Apple Park Way, Cupertino, CA 95014 USA. All rights reserved.

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A Reflection on the Doctrine of Discovery
by Ellie Stock 07 May '20

07 May '20

Hi Folks, Hope you are doing well in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic and sheltering-in-place--day ##56 and counting here. On another subject, but not totally unrelated, for the last few years part of our work related to environmental and racial justice has included facilitating seminars and presentations on the Doctrine of Discovery, 15th Century Papal Bulls that commissioned explorers to the New World, and how it continues to impact these critical issues nationally and globally. In case you are looking for something to read while sheltering-in-place, attached is a reflection on the Doctrine of Discovery and some of its impacts and implications past, present and future. Take care and be well. Grapes and peas~ Ellie :)elliestock@aol.com

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5/07/20, Progressing Spirit: Jessica Shine: Why The Church Must Die - Part 3; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 07 May '20

07 May '20

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#yiv7049481722templateHeader .yiv7049481722mcnTextContent p{font-size:16px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv7049481722 #yiv7049481722templateBody .yiv7049481722mcnTextContent, #yiv7049481722 #yiv7049481722templateBody .yiv7049481722mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv7049481722 #yiv7049481722templateFooter .yiv7049481722mcnTextContent, #yiv7049481722 #yiv7049481722templateFooter .yiv7049481722mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Why The Church Must Die - Part 3 | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Jessica Shine May 7, 2020It’s done. Over.With a few clicks I have ended the longest adult relationship I’ve had. I sold my 2005 Subaru Legacy.In the span of a few days I listed and sold a car I had owned since I graduated with my master’s degree and began formal ministry. That car has outlasted a marriage, an engine (timing belt), and my relationship with the church. Besides my parents, family, and a few close friends, this car has been the longest enduring companion to my story - 342,000 miles of it to be exact.Why didn’t I sell it sooner? There were so many reasons to keep it. The exterior was clean. The black leather interior was spotless. The heated seats, moonroof, and all-wheel drive had provided ease for so many memorable trips to the beach, the snow, and everywhere in between.I had been ready many times to end that relationship before 15 years. There were plenty of reasons to upgrade, sell, downsize, and the like. Part of me was tied to that car, for better or worse. It was mine. I bought it (with some help from Abuela, gracias) and paid for it myself. I was used to it so why sell it? And it was so fun to drive! And… it was just a car. There will be other cars. If I’m being honest I don’t even need a car. We have a paid for 2008 Prius, which like many of you, is not being used much these days. And my wife and I would love to be car-free at some point, though with a 16 year-old that seems like a lofty goal. It’s really tough to dream about a new car because I loved that car. I was used to it, it was used to me.No this isn’t an ad.Here’s the point: “Sometimes we confuse the Church with the church we’re familiar with.” Wait, I thought this was about a car. Nope. It’s about my inability to let go of Jesus and to let go of my love for the Church, while simultaneously hoping the church I’m familiar with will change. Or that the church I’m familiar with will give me a reason to stay. Or a reason to believe it won’t die too. Did you get that? Let me say it differently.In two previous articles I’ve shared why the church must die, and why I believe it is or has been dying. Some of my fellow readers (People of Color, LGBTQ, differently-abled) have seen what I’ve seen, felt what I’ve felt. Others have been offended or triggered, mostly well-meaning folks of privilege who don’t want things to change. That’s just it - don’t confuse the Church with the church you’re familiar with. The familiarity of the leather, the wheels, the pews, or the committee meetings are not the vehicle ordained by the Divine to cultivate sacred community. They are just parts. Parts break, rust, fade, become outdated (or were never really equitable).In a conversation this week with The Reverend Dr. Randi Walker[1], recently retired church historian and pastor, I was struck by the quote above. I asked her what she sees for the church in the next 10-20 years, based on her historical understanding and life experience within a progressive Christian denomination. I often ask this question of more mature folk, partly because I’m trying to understand my journey and partly because I don’t want my formation rooted in fear. So, I choose to ask for help from those who have been around the block, since it turns out I don’t know everything.Dr. Walker was quick to respond and her surety assured me. “The Church will go on. The Church has been around for a while (she chuckled). Sometimes we confuse the Church with the church we’re familiar with…” We went on to marvel at all the ways the ‘Church’ is showing up for each other and larger community during this pandemic. Who knew that the Church could adapt so quickly? Who could have guessed that Easter services would be larger than usual because accessibility has changed. Who knew that we could have virtual small groups, that telephone trees would make a comeback, and that pastoral care could be done while a millennial is installing wifi for a 90 year old who hasn’t been to church in years (thanks also Randi for this!).[2]Part of what died in my spiritual journey was the ‘church I was familiar with’. The theology, the liturgy, the denomination were never the sacred community (shocking I know). They were agreed upon points, and honestly, there were still factions within that sect (spoiler alert… there are factions everywhere). When I left the church I was familiar with, I thought I was leaving it all. Jesus. God. But I couldn’t. Because, for me, Jesus wasn’t the church. And it wasn’t the church that had changed, it was me. I was becoming more of me and there wasn’t room in that iteration of the church. So are all churches bad? Close minded? No. Is a church a church a church a church? No.Like Randi’s words though, I had confused the Church with the church I was familiar with. I wonder if that happens for you too? Perhaps with the church, or with family, or with your own life.We are designed to thrive in community, that is what makes us Sacred. We already exist in community though. And when we acknowledge our connection to every living being and relative on this planet, we move into Communion. Nothing like a pandemic to pull the curtain back on this truth: that we have been connected all along. Our food sources. Our water source. Our transportation. Our employment. Our ways of life.So, how do we experience this type of Sacred Community? That celebrates the newness of life and growth. That comforts us when we weep through loss and death. That is present in our fear, our anxiety, our unknown. This is what Jesus does, this is Church. It is full of wonder and mess. How do we experience it? Most often, I’ve experienced this sacred community when I offered it freely.I’ve said previously we must midwife the death of the church. Let me clarify: the church we’re familiar with. The challenge is that most of us (progressives and ex-evangelicals) aren’t ready to let go of that church. And yet… it will die.What is familiar right now in terms of the church you’re familiar with? How are you more or less welcoming because of Covid? Are you identifying the gaps in accessibility? What needs to die in the church you’re familiar with? How will you honor that cherished familiar part?Welcome to midwifery.~ Rev. Jessica ShineRead online here About the Author Rev. Jessica Shine earned degrees in theology and divinity, but still hasn’t figured out how to walk on water. Despite this, she was ordained to ministry by the Seventh-day Adventist church and continues offering spiritual care as a clergy member of The CHI Interfaith Community (based in Berkeley, CA). With two decades of experience serving church communities, police officers, hospital staff, and teenagers, Shine has a passion for people and a skill for communicating in transformative ways. She is a descendant of Mexican, Indian, and Western European immigrants. Her spirituality began in childhood, was influenced by Jimmy Swaggart and Mother Theresa, and continues in the Pacific Northwest. She dwells on lands where Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other tribes made their homes. Shine also co-hosts a podcast on death and dying called “Done For” (available on iTunes, Google, and at doneforpodcast.com) [1] Walker, Randi Jones The Evolution of a UCC Style (United Church Press: Cleveland, 2005) though she has written several books and is currently working on another, this was my first introduction to Dr Walker’s work.[2] https://www.abqjournal.com/1448769/virtual-church-offerings-bring-forth-rea… | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Jeanne After reading near death experience reports, and the all-encompassing love that seems to accompany folks in a near death experience, I am wondering why we need a savior. I've been a Christian all my life but John Spong has raised some questions for me. I think Jesus was an excellent teacher and a good role model but do we really need a savior? A: By Rev. Lauren Van Ham Dear Jeanne,Thank you for this deep and fundamental question. Spong and others have worked thoughtfully, tirelessly to unpack a story, questioning at each layer its science, believability, and historical context. Many Christians and non-Christians look to Jesus, as you suggest, as a teacher and role model. Therefore, if we back away from the understanding that there is a savior (a being), I believe the question still worth asking might be, “do we really need saving?” Responding for myself, the answer is an absolute YES. Life on Earth is hard! It comes with suffering. I need to be saved from all the ways I intentionally and unintentionally do harm to others and to myself simply by doing my best to live an engaged, good and loving existence. A few examples include: - Reacting thoughtlessly and impulsively instead of responding with curiosity and compassion - Failing to speak up for [insert name] when they were marginalized or attacked for being who they are - Judging, and judging (and judging some more) the ones who live their lives differently from the way I think they should (Ha!) - Withholding my gifts for fear of failure, fear of success, or just the self-defeating spiral of perfectionism - Falling repeatedly for the insatiable demands and ridiculous timelines of the marketplace even though they create hunger in psyche, soul and spirit Perhaps you relate to some of these, or wish to add your own? In my work as a Spiritual Director, I talk with many individuals who do not practice a particular Faith tradition, nor do they ascribe to a “savior;” but nearly all of them are on a search for experiencing the “all-encompassing love” you reference in your question. “Saving” is the act of protecting from harm or destruction, and in theological terms, saving (salvation) redeems us from the ways we have missed the mark. Redemption is active; it implies that one can find a way through one’s mistakes, patterns, or dark nights to experience forgiveness, new behaviors, and healing for oneself and others. Religious teachings and spiritual practices offer “tools” to help us find guidance amidst the confusion, community in the isolation, and some form of comfort in the pain and grief. In Sanskrit and Pali, the ancient sacred languages of India, the word for salvation is jivanmukti. Jivanmukti translates to mean, “spiritual release or salvation achieved while still alive.” I find this to be an encouraging and active invitation for us all. Jesus joins spiritual teachers from all the world’s religions by affirming that Love is the destination – here and now, as well as wherever we may or may not travel after taking our last breath. When we undertake the practice of redemption, life offers more meaning, added dimension. We can do this in many ways -- through prayer, meditation, dreamwork and music, as well as volunteering, taking classes, standing for justice, and stretching ourselves to the spaces that feel a little uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Practicing salvation happens when we work to reduce the harm and suffering in this life, when we engage in acts of redemption for ourselves and with others. With salvation, it is possible to know, experience and even embody (for moments) all-encompassing love. And who doesn’t want that? ~ Rev. Lauren Van Ham Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Lauren Van Ham, MA was born and raised beneath the big sky of the Midwest, Lauren holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, Naropa University and The Chaplaincy Institute. Following her ordination in 1999, Lauren served as an interfaith chaplain in both healthcare (adolescent psychiatry and palliative care), and corporate settings (organizational development and employee wellness). Lauren’s passion for spirituality, art and Earth's teachings have supported her specialization in eco-ministry, grief & loss, and sacred activism. Her essay, "Way of the Eco-Chaplain," appears in the collection, Ways of the Spirit: Voices of Women; and her work with Green Sangha is featured in Renewal, a documentary celebrating the efforts of religious environmental activists from diverse faith traditions across America. Her ideas can be heard on Vennly, an app that shares perspectives from spiritual and community leaders across different backgrounds and traditions. Currently, Lauren tends her private spiritual direction and eco-chaplaincy consulting practice; and serves as Climate Action Coordinator for the United Religions Initiative (URI), and as guest faculty for several schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Origins of the Bible, Part XXVI: The Wisdom Literature Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong July 8, 2009Four books of the Old Testament are generally regarded as being the constituent parts of what has been called “Wisdom Literature.” They are Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. We have treated the book of Job earlier in this series (see Origins of the Bible XXIII) and will not repeat that. Job is also listed along with Jonah and Ruth as “protest literature” and it wrestles with the eternal human question of the meaning of justice and the nature of God. Today, I will focus on the other three of the “Wisdom” books, all of which are attributed in the mythology of the Jews to King Solomon, who was regarded as the wisest of the kings of the Jews. That reputation is based primarily on a story found in the first book of Kings, chapter 3, which portrays Solomon as asking God not for wealth or long life, but for the gift of wisdom to enable him to be a good king. When one reads what the rest of the Bible says about Solomon, however, the idea that his life was marked by wisdom is a very strange claim. He had a harem of 1000 wives. He quite literally dissipated the goodwill of his father, King David. Finally his unwise policies resulted in a rebellion at the time of his death which resulted in the secession of ten tribes from his kingdom to form the nation of Israel, also called the Northern Kingdom. For rebellious Jews to be willing to give up their ties with Jerusalem and the Temple and to break forever the sense of Jewish unity, which contributed over the centuries to Jewish weakness and a history of persecution, strikes me as anything but wise. Mythology, however, has strange power and the image of wise King Solomon has hung on despite the witness of history. The Wisdom Literature claims King Solomon in the same way that we noted earlier that the Book of Psalms claimed King David as its author. In neither affirmation is history well served.Turning first to the book of Proverbs, one discovers quickly that this book is in reality a compendium of four separate works augmented by several poems and a few appendices. Book I runs from Proverbs 1:1-9:18 and consists of ten extended discourses containing admonitions and warnings, plus two poems in which wisdom is personified. One of them (8:1-36) appears to have influenced the prologue to the Fourth Gospel in which the logos is personified in quite similar language. This first book appears to have been composed in the late 4th or early 3rd century BCE, some 600 years at least after Solomon’s death.Book II, which includes Proverbs 10:1-22:16 and Book IV, which includes 25:1-29:27 makes the overt claim that these words are “the Proverbs of Solomon.” That claim is strange on many levels, but it should be noted that even the book of I Kings claims that Solomon’s wisdom covered only the phenomenon of nature, not human behavior.Book III is composed of Chapters 22:17-24:42 and appears to have been based on a much earlier Egyptian book of Wisdom, which is dated about 1000 BCE. and is entitled the “Instruction of Amenenope.” To this book is attached the first of five appendages 24:23-34. The others, which were attached to Book IV, constitute (1) a dialogue between a skeptic and a believer (30:1-9); (2) proverbs of a numerical type (30: 10-33); (3) the counsel of a Queen Mother to a young monarch (31:1-9); and (4) a portrait of an ideal wife of a prominent man (31:10-31). I have taken these divisions from the New Oxford Annotated Bible, but one can get them from almost any study of the book of Proverbs.The content of the book of Proverbs has insinuated itself into the common wisdom of our society far more deeply than most people imagine. One only has to recall such familiar sayings as, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” “He who troubles the household will inherit the wind,” “A soft answer turns away wrath,” “A good name is to be chosen above great riches,” “Spare the rod and spoil the child” (not exactly the quote from Proverbs, but close and it is most often repeated in this form) and “Train up a child in the way he(or she) should go and when he (or she) is old he (or she) will not depart from it!” Many people, including prominent politicians, repeat these phrases with little knowledge that they derive from the book of Proverbs.Wisdom literature became popular among the Jews in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, following the return from exile that began around 540. The cultural assumption was that the time of the prophets had passed. Divine revelation could no longer be anticipated and the voice of God was no longer heard, so people searched for guidance in life, in the accumulated experience of human wisdom. The wisdom message, cited time after time, was that good living would be rewarded, not in some afterlife, which at this time hardly existed as a concept in Judaism, but in the quality and integrity of their present life. When that did not seem to work out, as was the case in the story of Job, there was a sense of religious disillusionment. It was that feeling of disillusionment that became particularly apparent in the second major work in the Wisdom section of the Jewish Bible to which I now turn.The book of Ecclesiastes, or “Qoheloth the Preacher,” a title by which this book is also known, is far more a philosophical treatise on the meaning of life than it is a testimony to belief. It even expresses despair about the reality of God and questions the primary beliefs of the Hebrew religion. Portraying God as the “inscrutable” originator of the world and the “determiner” of human fate, Ecclesiastes is skeptical of the human ability to make change and finally declares that no human accomplishments make any difference in determining one’s ultimate fate. Thus, for this author, there is no clear meaning in life and no ultimate purpose for life. This means, says this book in its recurring theme, “All is vanity.” There is also no hope for life beyond this life in this book, for it asserts that death brings only oblivion.One wonders how a fourth century BCE work of this nature managed to get accepted into the Hebrew canon of Scripture, since it appears to be at odds with most of the Jewish understanding of God. Two reasons are traditionally cited. First, in the first two verses, the book is attributed to the son of King David, a verse that was interpreted to imply authorship by King Solomon. The second is that an orthodox postscript was added in 12:9-14 that concludes with the admonition that “we are to fear God and keep God’s commandments knowing that God will bring every deed into judgment.” That is a strange ending for a very different book with a very different message and undoubtedly comes from the pen of a later editor, but this ending probably allowed the book to gain entrance into the sacred text.I have always liked the honesty of Ecclesiastes and the fact that this almost nihilistic writing could find a place in the scriptures of my faith tradition. I suspect, however, that those who claim a magical revelationary source for the Bible always skipped this faithless, despairing work.The final book in the Wisdom section is entitled The Song of Solomon. This is a book of lyric poems or fragments of poems about courtship and human love. One commentator suggested that these poems were really bawdy songs sung in a Jewish pub by males lusting after the body of a female. Others have said that they are courtship songs written to be sung at weddings. Still others have suggested that these narratives portray a god and goddess in love. Whatever the explanation, the fact remains that The Song of Solomon is erotic and it does extol the beauty and wonder of physical love and sexual attraction. It is quite obvious when reading this book that Israel never produced a Queen Victoria or a Victorian period of sexual repression.This writing also made it into the Canon of Scripture first by claiming, as it does in the first verse, that it was the work of wise King Solomon and, second, by being allegorized. Hosea, the eighth century BCE prophet, had understood God as the husband of Israel (Hos.7:16-19) and so these love songs were said to have been between God and God’s bride, the Jewish people. In the Christian era, they continued to find allegorical interpretations by playing on the metaphor of the Church as the bride of Christ, a theme stated most overtly in the book of Revelation (21:2, 9). The Song of Solomon has also been interpreted through the ages as describing “the intimate experience of divine love in the individual soul.”The Wisdom Literature formed another movement in the unfolding life of the biblical narrative. One other note of some historic interest is that the concept of “wisdom” was thought of as feminine and was indeed feminine in the Greek language into which these Hebrew Scriptures were destined to be translated. So it was that appeals to the “divine Sophia” (the Greek word for wisdom) helped to temper the heavily patriarchal character of biblical thinking about God. Many people would in time see “wisdom” as an aspect of the Holy Spirit and thus advocates for the feminine in the definition of God for the first time found in the “wisdom literature” a scriptural basis to support their claims. That concept, once so foreign in our faith story, has now moved to the place where more and more of us are willing to see God first as both mother and father, and second to recognize that whoever God ultimately is, God is finally beyond the limited language of human gender divisions. In time with our sexist preconceptions opened up scholars began to discover in the biblical text ideas that moved us beyond seeing God as an enlarged and unlimited being like ourselves. Then we found other divine images that were transpersonal, viewing God after the analogy of the wind, or the power of love or even after the analogy of a “rock.” In each of these metaphors we began to see how it is that most of our God-talk is not really about who or what God is, but about making sense of the human experience of the “holy.” There is a difference. So embrace the truth found in the biblical “Wisdom Literature,” savor it and transform it into the symbols of your own experience. That is finally the only way to read this ancient, sacred and mythological book we call the Bible.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements It's not too late to make a difference even though Giving Tuesday Now was 2 days ago. We need your help. We expect a shortfall of approximately $30,000. ProgressiveChristianity.org who manages and publishes this Progressing Spirit Newsletter is doing its best to continue the important work of being a leading outlet for an intelligent, inclusive, and pioneering exploration of today’s theological, spiritual, and social advancements. We can do this together. Will you join us and make a contribution today? Donate Now ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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Global Buzz
by ICA International 05 May '20

05 May '20

Enjoy catching up with what is happening in ICAs across the globe.... Global Buzz Report: May 2020 Click above or copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar http://globalbuzz.icai-archives.org/7dayreport-20/2020-05-01.php And: read the latest ICAI Winds & Waves Magazine brought to you now on Medium.com See here: https://medium.com/winds-and-waves ICAI Communications

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the Completed Life of Bain Davis
by Lynda C 04 May '20

04 May '20

https://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com/obituary/bainbridge-davis With fond memories of one of my RS-I pedagogy teachers, I share with you this obituary I found on line after an e-mail I was sending him kept coming back. Marge and Bain and son Henry lived on our floor in 1969 in the main building of the old seminary on the West Side. I can’t remember what we called it. I think Marge was teaching in the preschool then. They were very helpful in our settling into that strange new atmosphere with our 18 month old son. Bain joins the many others whose lives were completed during this past year. Journey on, dear colleague! With care and thanksgiving for his life and significant service, Lynda Cock

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Re: [Oe List ...] The Last Chapter- John Singleton
by Zoe Barley 03 May '20

03 May '20

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Update of ICA Social Research Virtual Gathering
by Karen Snyder 03 May '20

03 May '20

In one week - Sunday, May 10 - we gather virtually. Celebrate with us: * a new name (ICA Social Research Center), * a new website, and * an organization of the files into nine collections giving form to the wisdom and constructs of our 60-year heritage. A new name. Do you remember when you were first involved in Institute research? Was it in 5th City when research was focused on taking 5th City to the world? Or was it in a Global Research Assembly where we shared our learnings? Wherever it was, what you learned about being a researcher has probably followed you ever since. Now as you hear the news you may find yourself analyzing what is going on and asking such questions as, “What does the world need now? What are positive trends I can act on to help them become a reality?” The reality of continuing to be researchers and engaging others is behind our new name. A new website: https://icaglobalarchives.org <https://icaglobalarchives.org/>. The website feels a bit like the tip of an iceberg. Although we have spent years organizing files and now have put many of them on the website to share with the world, we wonder: · What is happening to the world in 2020 and what clues do we have of what is needed? · What have we learned from our past experiences that could be a resource to the trends and challenges we are facing today? · How can the website better serve to highlight people and projects of like-mind today and be a dialogue with our own learnings past and present? These questions point to the intents we have for our virtual gathering. First we intend to dialogue together articulating life experiences and encounters with challenges like climate change and the virus. Finally we seek to identify any clues of how our past could be a resource to the future. That is it. Two things: analyzing the present reality and bringing past wisdom into the conversation. The collections. We plan to do this thru focused conversations related to each collection. Each collection will be taped and have recorded notes to share with further working groups. The dialogues will result in touching our hearts, creating new perspectives and identifying possible action steps. The documentation will be shared with colleagues in Asia who will participate in a follow-up conference this summer. We look forward to seeing you virtually for one or more of these conversations. Join us Sunday for a context on the next three days - or for any one (or more) of the conversations in the next three days. We are all aware of the power of the corporate mind to tackle the seemingly impossible to make it possible. If this intrigues you, read the attachment for steps to register. These are the times. We are among the sensitive and responsive people of 2020. Peace, The Social Research Center Team Lynda Cock, Doug Druckenmiller, Steve Ediger, Jack Gilles, Beret Griffith, Mary Laura Jones, Frank Knutson, Paul Noah, Wendell Refior, Oliveann Slotta, Karen Snyder, Jeanette Stanfield, Nelson Stover, Tim Wegner, Jim Wiegel

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Re: [Oe List ...] The Last Chapter- John Singleton
by Zoe Barley 30 Apr '20

30 Apr '20

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The Last Chapter
by Richard Alton 30 Apr '20

30 Apr '20

Dear Colleagues, below is the ICA Appreciation given by ICA's staff person Seva Gandhi at Sally Stovall Memorial Service on May 25, 2019. As part of the Last Chapter work we will be celebrating the lives of our late colleagues over the next month. Dick The Institute of Cultural Affairs exists today because of dedicated people who decided to live their lives on behalf of something bigger than themselves. Individuals who decided to operate out of a different value system than the world was accustomed to, and to demonstrate with their lives that that which seemed impossible, was in fact, possible. Today we celebrate Sally Stovall, a dedicated and fierce leader who helped ICA realize its mission to ‘create a just and equitable society.’ Throughout the 70’s and 80’s, Sally worked in a variety of roles and places for ICA - from Development Staff to Project Manager and Director, sharing her gifts and talents on behalf of the organization in Louisiana, South Dakota, Washington, New York and Taiwan. In the past decade, as ICA’s mission was amended to include ‘in harmony with planet earth,’ something Sally was already so clearly devoted to, she became a key supporter in our initiative toward Solar energy, and a trusted partner on all things sustainability-related. ICA recently went through an exercise to distill the core values of our organization. I share these, because organizational values do not live on a shelf somewhere but rather in the actions and souls of those who have shaped the institution and continue to live out its mission every day. Sally exemplified these values ICA holds up in a way few others are able. The value of Continuous Learning – Sally was never afraid to challenge herself, learn something new, or be honest about what she did not know. She was curious without being skeptical, and always willing to learn something new from anyone who was willing to share. The value of Facilitative Leadership – This value is extremely difficult to embody - but Sally seemed to do it with such ease and grace. Sally’s leadership looked so different from being front and center that it might have been unrecognized to those who weren’t paying close attention. She was great about being a ‘guide on the side’ instead of a ‘sage on the stage’. She worked tirelessly to support others to take action on the change they were seeking as many of you who worked with her have likely experienced. The value of Equity as a way to create a more just world. Sally had a deep commitment to inclusion and accessibility, and was on a journey of doing the hard work of internal inquiry and exploration to understand her unique role and place in creating a more just system. The value of Collaboration. Sally seemed to defy the adage If you want to go quickly, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together-- She was somehow clever enough to get everyone to go far, quickly, together. And lastly, the value of Spirit. Of being present and connected to those around you and giving of everything you have on behalf of something greater than yourself. Sally shared her spirit, her laugh and her being generously, and we are forever different because of it. We will always be grateful for Sally, and her spirit will be with us as we continue her legacy. The question the ICA posed to Sally over 50 years ago, was ‘What will you DO with your unique and unrepeatable life’, and we can see Sally’s answer clearly through her mission and work. And I bet, Sally would like nothing more than for us all to ponder, what will we do with our unique and unrepeatable life, and how are we willing to actively, not passively -make the change we know the world so desperately needs. -- Richard H. T. Alton One Earth Film Fest ( OEFF) Green Community Connections Interfaith Green Network T: 773.344.7172 richard.alton(a)gmail.com **Save the Date! One Earth Film Festival 2021, March * http:www.oneearthfilmfestival.org Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 Won't you be my neighbor?

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Last Chapter- Norm Lindblad
by Richard Alton 30 Apr '20

30 Apr '20

In the face of great loss, no words convey the sadness we feel for those who loved Norm Lindblad. Yet we dare to say Death is neither a curse nor a blessing, an end or a beginning, but only that it is a wondrous, frightening and redemptive reality. It is a step into the Unknown Unknown. It is sacred, and it is good. Even though Death is universal, it is also unique---because every life is unrepeatable. It arrives in its own time and is always shocking, even when it is anticipated. It can be painful or peaceful, timely or not, tragic or strangely welcome, or all of the above at once. We don’t choose the manner or the moment and can only respond by acknowledging its finality and trusting what was, is and will be. We go on. Whether you celebrate death as a Home Going or as a finality that prevents you from being with your loved one physically, acknowledging death is important. We accompany you in your grief. We pray for you in your journey. We hope for your experience of being accompanied by the Divine Spirit. May it sustain you in your sorrow. Our hearts are with you. We are grateful for what we learned and how our lives were enriched because of the unique life of Norm Lindblad. We offer here our appreciation for the contributions he made. Norm Lindblad was a hard worker, proud Swede, Global Citizen, and lifelong learner with a great sense of humor. He was born on the Southside of Chicago in 1936 the only child of Swedish immigrants. Attended Ruggles Grade School, represented his school on the WLS Quiz Down show and led the Safety Patrol. At Hirsch High he enjoyed Science and played basketball and softball with a Church League while making a little money as a soda jerk and stock boy at Kirschenbaum Drug Store. The family were active in the Evangelical Covenant Church and he enjoyed Summer Church Camps at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. At the University of Illinois Norm majored in Metallurgy and helped pay his college bills by delivering milk during the summer. Upon graduation in 1958 he worked briefly at Inland Steel before he was drafted, joined the Navy, and was sent to Officer Candidate School in Newport Rhode Island. During his his three years in the Navy Norm served as Nuclear Weapons Officer for his Squadron on USS Ranger Aircraft Carrier in the Far East, taught at the Naval Air Intelligence School in Washington, DC, and met his wife Judy O’Neill, aide to Representative Morris Udall of Arizona, at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church during coffee hour. They married in 1962 and had 3 children and 6 grandchildren. Norm worked for the General Electric Company in Schenectady, NY and Cincinnati, OH developing high temperature alloys for gas turbines and jet engines. He has 5 patents and found the work challenging and interesting. His final assignment was on a collaborative development team tasked to create a “High Speed Civil Transport” that could fly to Asia from the US in six hours. Norm’s management skills helped competitor Pratt Whitney, GE, and NASA work together and make progress...but money was shifted to the Space Station in 1997 and Norm decided to retire in 1998 at 62. This allowed time for trips with each of the six grandchildren, Winters in Tucson and Summers in Long Beach Indiana (corn hole anyone?), while taking senior interest classes and volunteering in community service with churches wherever he was. His thoughtfulness and caring for the least of these was noted and appreciated. In 2005 Norm summarized a bit of his life journey in this way: “From 108 degrees in Tucson to -22 degrees F in Schenectady we survived - ballgames and skiing and great kids. Ran into Ecumenical Institute in “67 which changed our thinking and life directions for the last 38 years. Took a Global Odyssey in 1974 and between the 2 of us, we’ve been in over 30 countries and will hit our 50th State (Alaska) in 2 weeks with our oldest grandchild.” Another note I found recently while going through his files... “I led an engineering group at GE. I used our ICA methods and enabled staff to come up with their own decisions, not just management. They bought into engagement and using their own ideas and plans for new engine developments for the future. It was great to see people creating the future and not waiting for management to tell them what to do.” I received a sympathy card this week from one of Norm’s team who commented on how effective and enjoyable Norm was to work with and called him a “Butterfly Effect “ manager...quiet, soft wings flapping and big results. Norman R. Lindblad passed April 10, 2020 in Cincinnati, OH after almost 10 years of Alzheimer’s disease challenges, during which he took up painting and drawing, hiking, and attending grandchildren’s soccer matches, musical programs, and plays. Norm used to describe giving to the ICA as getting more bang for your buck! We have felt we are supporting Approaches that Work and collaborative action as ICA thinks ahead comprehensively and risks pioneering the new that is needed...good reasons for giving. -- Richard H. T. Alton One Earth Film Fest ( OEFF) Green Community Connections Interfaith Green Network T: 773.344.7172 richard.alton(a)gmail.com **Save the Date! One Earth Film Festival 2021, March * http:www.oneearthfilmfestival.org Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 Won't you be my neighbor?

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