[Oe List ...] trying hard to get real

[Bill Schlesinger]

I, too, join Clare in not being afraid to offer opinions. I appreciate her
thoughts and find myself in accord. 

 

We left about 79-80, so we've been 'out' a bit longer. It would be fun to
swap stories and compare notes - not sure we're ready to take as long a
block of time to do it ourselves (but not violently opposed either).  

 

When we left after 13 years, we were clear that we were leaving all claims
to resources behind.  

 

I offered off-line, and offer now, what assistance we might be able to share
with those whose careers were altered by circumstances beyond their control,
and would respond to any individual situations.  

 

Bill Schlesinger
Project Vida
3607 Rivera Ave
El Paso, TX 79905
(915) 533-7057 x 207
(915) 490-6148 mobile
(915) 533-7158 fax
bschlesinger.pv at tachc.org

  _____  

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of Clare Whitney
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 2:40 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: [Oe List ...] trying hard to get real

 

Dear Order Members,

Joe began each session with "In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Ghost". (And we all said 'amen'.)

I have read all the responses to David's document #2. I am concerned that
there are not more responses, but perhaps there are a number of people
processing what their response will be. Or perhaps it is an indication that
we really are not interested any more, for a variety of reasons, including
age, alienation, or just better things to do than worry about ICA's
immediate past or long-range future.

In the interest of full disclosure, Ken and I left the ICA in 1989, and have
pursued a life since then which we hope has been consistent with the values
and beliefs of the Order Ecumenical. We have participated economically in
ICA from time to time, but not on a regular basis. We have been aware of the
struggles of our colleagues in Denver to establish an ICA presence here, and
have supported their efforts by our prayers and (very) limited
participation. So perhaps you could say we don't have a dog in this hunt.

However, I have never been unwilling to express opinions. 

The first is that I do not think that as the Order Ecumenical in dispersion
(the Movemental Order), we are under any obligation to support or assist the
ICA in any way. The Order created ICA and without the Order, ICA has no
reason to continue in existence. (I'll get to EI further on.) I am aware
that ICA has been an umbrella 501(C)3 for many of the continuing
programmatic ventures that "old" Order colleagues have launched, and for
that we are grateful and some have lived through it. I also remember well
that the ICA USA Board barred a number of us from using the name ICA
Associates a number of years ago. I got clear then that the separation of
ICA and OE had widened into a gulf that could not be bridged. The rest just
took time.

I would suggest to the ICA Board of Directors or Betty Pesek as the
Archivist, approach Boston University, in Boston, Mass, whose president
emeritus is John Silber, an old colleague and teacher with Joe Mathews at
Perkins, about the possibility of housing of Joe's archives at Boston
University. Bishop Mathews might be of assistance if he is able. The other
possibility would be to see if Perkins School of Theology might be
interested in these archives. That would relieve all of us of an immense
burden of caring for these materials. 

The ICA Board needs to make a decision about the Kemper Building if indeed
it is their decision to make. A scenario (without knowing anything about the
legal structures surrounding ICA/EI) would be to sell the building, thus
relieving the Order of a white elephant. The agreement would be that ICA
would not make any money directly from this sale, but the proceeds would be
split between the Ecumenical Institute and the pension funds of Order
Ecumenical retirees. This would replenish the funds that ICA borrowed from
EI/OE to launch hdps. This would result in the ICA Board no longer having a
reason for existence and could/should declare itself out of business; but
Ecumenical Institute would be able to elect its own board of directors and
redefine a mission. Their funds might be designated to grants for programs
that would be compatible with a mission statement. I can't imagine that
there would not be several million dollars to invest and spread around in
this fashion. I can't imagine another reason for ICA Board of Directors to
continue to operate as they have little grassroots base amd most of it is
now beyond reclamation.

This leaves us with the Order in dispersion. When I receive the directory
each year I sit down and read it cover to cover looking at what people are
doing. I am always astounded at how much social change is represented by the
work each of us does. This work goes on every day and involves more people
than we could ever count, in offices, seminars, churches, casual encounters.
Much of it never has carried the name ICA. What a gift we have been to this
world through our theological understanding, our use of the social process
methods, the spirit methods, the corporate methods that we bring to every
situation we are in. I appreciated Bill Alerding's comment that "we are no
longer united to a corporate mission. I wonder if there is a corporate
mission that has been out there but unnamed. 

I was on the team that organized the 2000 Reunion in Vail. I hesitate to
bring this up, but it would be an amazing gift to gather as many of us as
will to write a document that describes the differences we have made as the
Movemental Order on this continent and how our experiences have sustained us
over the past twenty or thirty years. It should be in the Midwest, easy for
everyone to get to, (Minneapolis or Chicago suburbs) several days long, and
those who come should be prepared to share what they have been doing to
further the work of the Order in their own place. This, if you recall, was
the task of permeators in religious houses across the world, and it has not
changed. The focus might be on Movemental Order, and outcomes might include
rituals, prayers, songs, and a document that we could use in any way we
found appropriate. Or we might even decide it was good enough to publish.

Grace and peace to all of us.  (And our response is?)  Clare Whitney, Order
member since 1970. 

 

 

 

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