[Springboard] Prayer of Gratitude

Tue Oct 9 15:02:45 EDT 2007

Granted our approach has always been inclusive and multifaceted, we nonetheless built a tactical system for the local church.  We didn't limit ourselves to that, but it was our focal point.  We never had a local SDS or local SNCC experiment.  I'm simply asking the practical question of where, through Springboard or whatever manifestation, our focal point would/will be today.  The local Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc. establishment is probably not the soft underbelly.  Hawken's book with an Appendix that includes over 100 pages of global organizations filled with TWC may be a start, just because of its diversity and geographical spread.  Which structures we target to call people out of is a strategic question.  Each of Hawken's overall categories of mini-movements could be the basis for a guild--categories such as Agriculture and Farming or Peace, War & Security, Community Development, Poverty Eradication, just to randomly pick a few.

  Randy

"W. J." <synergi at yahoo.com> wrote:
    I think our genius was in not limiting ourselves to doing awakenment within the institutional residue of historical Christianity.

  I got a whole new take on Niebuhr in the context of Doug Rossinow's book about the Christian existentialist [CF&LC] influence on the secular civil rights movement. George and I were involved with the Student Interracial Ministry in the 1960's. And Martin Luther King Jr. was calling for the moral conscience of America to protest racial discrimination and the war in Viet Nam. But in every case I can think of, these manifestations of TWC were being called out of historical structures and forged alliances with people of every background imaginable.

  Niebuhr was writing within a context of trying to transpose theological jargon ("God-in-Christ and Christ-in-God") into a description of responsiveness through new sociological forms (such as the O:E, not to mention SDS, SNCC, SIM, and SCLC). I'm not sure he quite got the universality of "church" beyond the institutional and doctrinal residue of religious belief systems.

  Marshall

"M. George Walters" <m.george.walters at verizon.net> wrote:
        v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}        st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }                It is probably like what we did in India, Kenya, and elsewhere in creating the band of 24 – we looked for the sensitive and responsive ones in Nava Gram Prayas in India, for instance.

  Holcombe’s paper is probably a very good take off point. Where you find anyone concerned with innocent human suffering, denial of participation, and downright oppression, is good. Wanda Holcombe, Jean Watts and Terry Bergdahl are working with conflict resolution among Muslim, Christian and Jewish factions in the Middle East and old Eastern Block countries right now and probably could talk to us about how they find and identify good people to work with. The Patterson’s work in Somalia and Kenya should be another source of insight.

  Vinode and Kamale Parekh and Kevin Balm have gone deep into the Indian culture and John and Ann Epps, the Malaysian culture and will also have insights about “those who care” who are their strong colleagues. Others in China, Japan, etc. who have gone into those cultures rooted in Buddhism, Shintoism, etc. should also speak. Of course Jack’s work has uncovered those who care for decades now.

  The local church in any country (synagogue, mosque, congregations, etc) is still a place to look.

    George

  4240 Sandy Shores Dr
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  From: springboard-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:springboard-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of R Williams
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 10:41
To: Springboard Dialogue
Subject: Re: [Springboard] Prayer of Gratitude

    George,

    What you say is true.  Thanks to Niebuhr, et al, we know them when we see them.  But from a practical perspective, where we usually went back then to find them was the local congregation.  Where do we go now?  What comes to mind for me is Paul Hawken's mini-movements as described in the paper Holcombe sent to us some time ago, which Hawken expounded on in his recent book Blessed Unrest.

    Randy

"M. George Walters" <m.george.walters at verizon.net> wrote:

      Randy

    Good question.

    I think we said those who care we named the church, and localis us gave us a focal point to care for them.

    Much as we named that final reality – GOD - that which gives and takes all.

    We also said that care might be awakened in anyone.

    The Niebuhr Paper may still give us our best clues – “thinking, organization and action” aimed at caring for others.

      George

    4240 Sandy Shores Dr

    Lutz, FL 33558

    USA

    Tel: 813-948-7267

    Mob: 913-505-9041

    Fax: 813-948-4167

    Em: m.george.walters at verizon.net

---------------------------------

    From: springboard-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:springboard-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of R Williams
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 10:02
To: Springboard Dialogue
Subject: Re: [Springboard] Prayer of Gratitude

      Jack,

      I was just reflecting, 30 years ago when we became aware that our mission was to be "those who care for those who care" we identified those who care as the local church.  Our curriculum and initial HDPs were created to awaken and engage them.  How and who do we identify today as being "those who care" whom we are called to serve?

      Randy

Jack Gilles <icabombay at igc.org> wrote:

      Dear Colleagues,

Last week I did the first module of our modified TLL for a group of 
young managers who are responsible for an Aluminum plant near 
Mumbai. This module was focused on Individual Transformation. 
Since the first day (October 2nd) was Gandhi's birthday (and mine) I 
decided to pull the issue of transformation through his life. I used 
the image many of you know of Michaelangelo's David in which he said 
that David was already in the stone and all he did was to chip away 
the pieces that revealed it. (I've heard the same story about the 
Chinese woodcarver). The point being that the difference between 
transformation and change is that transformation is about revealing 
what is to be in the midst of what is now. I then did an extensive 
spin on the understanding of the implicate order (the OW in the midst 
of TW). I asked them what would it take to release the Gandhi within 
each of them? There was a lot of RS-I like awe in the room. I 
spoke of transparency and of living the brokenness of life. There 
was much more, but you get the drift. The second day I did a spin on 
the Three Great Awakenings of life. In our language they are about 
Justification, Sanctification and Vocation (decision to be the 
Church). The first is the awakening to your humanness, the 
indicative freedom at the core of your being, In the second 
awakening I talked about the eternal YES that is at the heart of 
everything, every event and every person. The third awakening comes 
more slowly, but if you stay awake in the reality of the first two 
awakenings then the Mystery of Life will open the doors and reveal 
the vocation for your life.

Now the point of all this description (there was much, much more) is 
to state the context for my gratitude. I was in rare form, I was ten 
feet tall these three days. But if I was ten feet tall it is because 
I was standing on the shoulders of you and so many other of our 
colleagues. I was deeply aware that anything I had to say was 
because of the life I received and lived in the Order. And the fact 
that so many are still standing in these eternal realities gave me 
courage to declare the possibility to those who were in the 
program. I may have added some of my style to the work, but the 
content credit belongs to you. And I hope you will continue to hold 
me accountable to be the Presence of what I know to be true. In the 
beginning was the Word, and at the end there is the Word and because 
of that reality we can live our life in abundance and fulfillment.

Grace & Peace,

Jack

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