[Oe List ...] ? More changes or more of the same?

Sat Jun 23 13:40:55 EDT 2007

The very idea of a Living Legacy event staged managed by a dying cadre (or is it cabal) in charge of the ICA/EI is beyond ironic. 

The current morass on North Sheridan Drive in Chicago has its roots in the  paralysis brought on by a financial crisis. Which is very interesting given ICA/EI/CE history of one financial crisis another. The tragic decision last fall to fire the entire program staff while retaining the accounting and janitorial staff is indicative of this paralysis. 

Loss of Common Memory. Marshall's posting of the error on the ICA website re: the Living legacy event is indicative of the loss of common memory by the ICA/EI board members. Margaret's comments reflect a deep sense of pain and anger of this loss. 

Lack of Methodological Prowess. There is proof positive that the members of the board have walked away from all of their methodological training. They decided to employ an outside consultant to help find away out of he financial situation that they themselves were responsible for. Their consultant it said to have been exposed somewhat to ICA methods. But if you read her resume' you learn that her background is in child welfare organizations. She had no experience with a revolutionary socio-economic-political change organization . Her assertion that, were it not for the real properties in Chicago and Phoenix, she would have recommended that ICA/EI be shut down completely.  In one sentence she reduced the mission down to the economic value of real property. 

Absence of Collegiality. The manner in which the Board decided to inform the staffed members being terminated demonstrated a total lack of collegiality. They adopted the practice common among human resource departments of Fortune 500 corporations.

What we are left is an organization with unique set of products and service unequaled in the marketplace led by an ineffective paralyzed board, managed by individuals who are clueless about its products and services and how to market them.

It is sad to read comments from Margaret. Her remarks about being a permeator are especially chilling. Permeators ( my spell checker does nor recognize this word, either Margaret) were ones who enabled the rest to all the fun.

I believe that the Living Legacy event will be  the appropriate time and place for someone or some-ones to standup and demand that

:

1.    That the ICA/EI board convene itself, before all those assembled, and allow those board members unwilling to act out of legacy of Joe Mathews and all those who laid down their lives with him for sake of the mission to resign on the 

2.    That among the colleagues present, who express a commitment to act out of our revolutionary principles and methodological precepts,  a new board  be elected to replace the departed.   

3.    That the board commit to employing staff trained in ICA/EI methods. 

4.    That the board create bands of colleagues to advise them in  carrying out the mission  similar the ones in our previous model. (Given the current financial situation, the first one I would want is a development band.) 

If this is done, we will all be able to see a real Living Legacy

David Walters

  The new sameness seems to be:  ELIMINATE IT.  And in my opinion it is with extreme prejudice.  Truth, whatever it may be, is much more often inconvenient that even Al Gore might think.

  I am astounded by the web site and the selectivity of memory it represents.  I went back to try and find the reference to JWM and no matter what spelling is used, the ERROR seems to have been eliminated from the website by eliminating the reference.  At least the search system won't bring it up.

  I was signed up for the previously scheduled "Living Legacy" event that was to have been at the Aragon Ballroom in Uptown.  I'm sorry I can't bring myself to sign up for this one.  I can't imagine a history that discusses only our international conferences and ToP programs and eliminates all references to ongoing community development work, the entire community revitalization network across the country, eliminated.  All of our periodical publications, eliminated.  All of our work with the poorest of the poor right here (the homeless, the drug addicted, the immigrants, the refugees, the abused and neglected), eliminated.  All of our work with churches (even as the ICA), eliminated.  All of our work with building sustainable urban environments, eliminated.

  We would appear to be an organization very good at sponsoring international conferences.  Whose passion is that going to arouse?

  I seem to remember in some lecture we used to give, talking about trying to patch over the intrusions of reality into our lives with bandaids.  I find myself ashamed of and then sorry for those who could no longer tolerate the continuous intrusion and the uncertainty it always represents and felt compelled to eliminate it.  I find the actions of colleagues who have related to this as just one more intrusion (some strange attempt to prevent them, stop them, deter them from declaring the word with all they do in their lives) courageous.

  Personally, I find it offensive and desperately sad that some few people are putting so much effort into denigrating, denying, prevaricating and even eliminating so much of my personal history of care.  It happens.  I also worked as a permeator enough to have been resigned, reassigned, downsized, outsourced, redundanted (I know it's not a word), merged, bought out, closed down and even outwitted in the workplace.  My engagement with the ICA was never just a workplace.  I am ashamed to have to try and explain how what shows up on the website seems to have nothing to do with the stories I tell of what I gave my life to for 32 years.  Not to worry, I'll keep telling my stories.  They have to do with faith and persistence and care and are worthy of being told because they inspire.

  I have no spell-check, just a passion for the word.

  Margaret

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: John Cock 
    To: 'Order Ecumenical Community' 
    Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 2:26 PM
    Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] More changes at ICA-USA!

    Thanks, Judie, Ellen, and Janice. 

    Also, in the brief history of ICA, please exclude "ICA" from pre-1973 entries. I noticed one in quick r3ead.

    John

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Norm and Judy Lindblad
    Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 1:44 PM
    To: Order Ecumenical Community; Colleague Dialogue
    Subject: [Oe List ...] More changes at ICA-USA!

    Dear Friends and Colleagues,

    It's great to know you are logging in to the ICA-USA website...it is embarrassing to know we made some errors.  We are changing those misspellings ASAP.  If you find more in the Living Legacy information, let us know and we will treat you to a glass of cider at the LL Event in October! 

    Under the rubric of confession being good for the soul,  it was 40 year veterans who somehow let this slip, not our new staff who have been wonderfully diligent in putting together an interactive webpage.  

    We ask your forgiveness and hope to see some of you in October at the 2007 Living Legacy Event.

    Judy Lindblad, Ellen Howie and Janice Ulangca, the Planning Conveners Team

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

    _______________________________________________
    OE mailing list
    OE at wedgeblade.net
    http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/oe_wedgeblade.net

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

  _______________________________________________
  OE mailing list
  OE at wedgeblade.net
  http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/oe_wedgeblade.net
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://wedgeblade.net/pipermail/oe_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20070623/ca1751e0/attachment-0001.html 