[Oe List ...] Our Legacy: Next Steps?

[Kenneth]

Thanks, Len. I had not seen this original version. Fred published a slightly
edited version to his blog last October, leaving off the final line for a
public audience ("The legacy of creating and sustaining community is the
purpose for making Order spirit methods accessible to all."), although
retaining explicit references to membership in the Order Ecumenical.
 
http://elderfred.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/community-legacy/
 
Early on when I started visiting Fred, and intermittently throughout our
conversations, we reflected on the challenge of talking about the Order, in
all its aspirations as well as its stumblings. (I suspect he engaged in this
conversation with a whole lot of old Order colleagues, particularly in his
reflections on community). The Order, in its brief moment of history (that
is, the Symbolic Order as a cohesive, visible, self-conscious entity; what
of the Movemental and Extended Orders?), was onto something, in the midst of
some fascinating historical tangents (Fred owned up to being among the folks
who picked up smoking during the early days as part of the "offence" during
RS-I courses - not to speak of the struggles with the Emerging Generation, a
subject around which Fred, along with Nancy, Stan, and very few others
possessed uniquely powerful witnesses, which alas, may never be fully
captured.)
 
Here's just one spark that flew during one conversation. Even given the
attempts to provide at least minimal structural support, such as health
insurance, the "urgency of the Now" embodied by the Symbolic Order was
almost apocalyptical, as if living "at the End of Days." Even now, as I
write that, I can build a story about why that was, and can be, necessary.
But when your life then extends beyond "the End of Days" you have to own the
woundings in the wake of doing what was then perceived to be necessary (the
ultimate accountability of the ever-Emerging Generation). 
 
See how easy this is: Every moment, this moment, as our only moment that
extends as far as we can see, is "the End of Days" in all its accountability
and fulfillment. "Doing your best" or "doing what is possible" won't do at
all. Your "doing," given and yet apart from all considerations of values,
principles, laws, becomes "necessary" in retrospect, as what we all now have
to build on or repair. The bleeding edge is how you raise children at "the
End of Days."
 
Without that self-conscious pulse of free responsibillity at the core,
community can collapse into refuge.
 
Or something like that.

Ken Gillgren
Gillgren Communication Services, Inc.
Cultivating Civic Imagination and Engagement
1140 N. 192nd St., B226, Shoreline, WA 98133
(206) 755-9578
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Skype: ken.gillgren
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http://patterns.gillgrencommunication.com/
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  _____  

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of Len Hockley
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 12:19 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Our Legacy: Next Steps?


Nancy and All

I ran across the following in the Repository which I found relevant to our
discussion.



Community: An Order Legacy 


Fred Lanphear 

Our family interned in the Indianapolis House in 1971. We were committed to
the mission of the Ecumenical Institute and in the process, we discovered
community. The communal style of living we experienced was not imaged as an
end in itself, but rather a vehicle to more effectively enable the mission
to be actualized. It became increasingly evident, as the mission unfolded,
that sustaining the integrity of the community was foundational to
accomplishing the mission. In retrospect, a primary legacy of the Order
Ecumenical is the experience of living together in intentional community. It
was a community of individuals whose lives were transformed and who continue
to catalyze social change across the world.

Leaving the home we had built for us in a suburban development in West
Lafayette, Indiana to move into a communal setting in the inner city of
Indianapolis was not an easy transition. Our three children, ages 4, 8, and
10, would tell you it was very difficult. They were the only Caucasian
children in their class. The teacher of our blonde-haired son Bruce called
him her "little dandelion". As the minority kids, they experienced some
understandable reluctance and fear of going to school.

One of the difficult transitions for us as adults was leaving our secure
lifestyles and being faced with the daunting task of finding jobs to help
support the community. As we were often re-assigned from one city to
another, the task of finding new jobs and re-locating the children in new
schools was a re-occurring dilemma. When our assignments took us into
third-world countries and the children reached an age when they were not
with us, the difficulties intensified. What sustained us in these settings
were the intentional community patterns that established a strong cultural
context and practices that gave meaning to everything we did. Nancy and I
have carried these patterns with us as we participate in creating community
in the work place and in our residential community.

The community patterns were designed to provide a sense of balance to our
lives. There was time set aside for family and discontinuity as well as time
for study and work. Rituals, or rehearsing the context, the why of what we
were doing, was foundational to the community patterns that sustained us.
Singing was another daily activity that nurtured us as a community. There
were occasions to honor the individuals in the community as on their
birthdays and at other times of transition or rites of passage.

At the core of our life together was a willingness to trust. We relied on
each other, whether that was in taking responsibility for our various tasks
in mission or in taking care of each other's children. Nancy and I had the
honor and challenge of being legal guardians and directors of the youth
program with 30-35 adolescents. We were very clear of the trust that had
been placed in us by the parents of the youth, just as we had entrusted
others to care for our own children. This was not a "blind" or naive trust.
It recognized our human propensities, our vulnerabilities, and then acted in
ways that took this into account, such as assigning individuals with
compensating strengths to balance the weaknesses of others.

As important as trust was the willingness to forgive. We were confronted
daily with the reality that our community consisted of individuals with many
imperfections. No matter how well intended we were, each of us contributed
our dysfunctional patterns into the daily life of the community. Some were
subtle, others stretched our capacity to forgive.

There was a bit of fear and trepidation whenever we took on a new assignment
and found ourselves living together with individuals and families with
different lifestyles and perspectives. In India, we were often the only
Westerners living with 15 to 20 young Indian village staff. Yet what we
discovered was, that not only did we have the ability to flex and adapt, but
we came to trust and deeply appreciate our colleagues and their children.
They became our extended family. We ate together, sang and celebrated
together, shared stories about our lives with each other, as we engaged in
our common mission of caring for the villages of India.

After 17 years of being with the Order Ecumenical we re-entered the
mainstream and began forging our own life patterns and sense of mission. In
returning to the states in 1989 we wanted to continue living in community. I
began to realize that creating community had become my life's work. This
calling is in response to the sense of disconnectedness that has emerged out
of the individualism of the latter part of the 20th Century. Community is
about establishing meaningful relationships and authentic connections of
self, family, friends and colleagues.

Community in the Work Place: Creating community in the work place has been a
challenging and meaningful task. In 1989, we left our last Order assignment
in India and came to Seattle where we began searching for jobs. I was
fortunate to secure a position as the CEO in an acupuncture school. When the
clinic receptionist position opened two weeks after I started work, Nancy
took it and became an integral part of a 10-year journey of creating
community where we both worked.

The central purpose of the school was the academic training it provided, but
the heart of the institution was the community clinic and the caring service
it offered to anyone regardless of their ability to pay. As the school grew
and was able to expand its clinical services it established clinics to serve
refugees, addicts, homeless youth, elderly, low-income groups, and inmates
of a minimum-security jail. There was a clear sense of mission and
significant opportunities for all of us to act out our care.

Maintaining a sense of community was not easy. We established a
participatory style of management with a consensual form of decision-making
as a core dynamic. In the initial years, financial constraints and
individualistic patterns were major challenges. As the institute began to
flourish, the stress of rapid growth and development became the central
challenge. In addition to the strong sense of mission, there were other
dynamics put in place that were crucial to sustaining the community.

Developing a culture that enhanced relationships was crucial. Even as our
student body tripled and our patients were over a thousand at any one time,
we worked at greeting each person by name. We incorporated rituals and
practices that honored the significance of each individual, not only in the
work place, but in their personal lives. Birthday celebrations included
asking "Order" questions of significant events of the past year and
challenges for the coming year, followed by affirmations. Graduation also
incorporated affirmations of each graduate, initially done by Nancy, but in
later years the students did it themselves.

Establishing a culture that balanced the needs of the individual with the
needs of the larger community was the fundamental challenge. Core values
centered around trust, expecting the best of each employee and doing
whatever was necessary to empower personal responsibility. These
expectations were informed by participatory strategic planning resulting in
clear objectives for each of us. Accountability, accompanied by appropriate
affirmation and practical forgiveness when necessary, helped keep us on
course.

Undergirding all of this was a focus on spirit. Creating and telling the
story of who we were and what we were about as a healing and learning
community was key. Creating meaningful symbols and surrounding ourselves
with art reminded us of our Asian cultural connections. Publications
conveyed an image consistent with our uniqueness. All of this was about
building a sustainable community culture.

Residential Community: Creating intentional community in our home place has
been equally meaningful. When we were looking for a place to live after
India, the one requirement we would not compromise was living in community.
We would only locate where there was an intentional community of which we
could become members. The opportunity to be a part of the Residential
Learning Center (RLC) in Bothell, WA was accepted with delight. The mission
of the RLC was a continuation of the youth program known as the Student
House we had been affiliated with in 1980. However, it became clear after
about one year that this was no longer a viable program and a new vision for
the community was required.

The following year was a time for study, exploration of other models and
lots of planning. The vision that grew out of this was a multi-generational
cohousing community with a biocentric focus, which in practice looks like
"living lightly on the land". We wrote our values, which became our mission
statement, and then began inviting others to join us. The cohousing model of
community was different than we had experienced in the Order. It offered a
helpful balance between the need for privacy and community as each family
has its own private dwelling and the common house becomes the place for all
to gather.

Creating a sustainable community culture has been the primary consideration.
We spent six months deciding a name that would capture the spirit of who we
are. It was one of those "aha" occasions when the name "Songaia" was
suggested. It captures our relation to the earth through the Greek goddess
Gaia and the fact that we are a community that sings. Songaia, "song of the
living earth", has been a very sustaining symbol for us. Singing itself is
an ongoing healing dynamic. It signifies our sense of connection and
willingness to engage in common activities, while symbolizing our collective
harmony.

Giving form to our values is a continuing challenge. Gardening, bulk
purchasing of food, and sharing of resources, e.g. laundry, mower, tools,
are practical ways we embody our values. Sharing Circles, planning meetings,
workdays, child-care, and community celebrations are a few of the ways we
organize and order our lives. Establishing structures and individually
working at building relationships that instill trust and cooperation are the
"glue" that sustains us. It is not unlike the dynamics of family life. In
fact, we consider our community to be like an extended family of choice.

Recovering community is not just a dream, it is a necessary context for
life. The legacy of creating and sustaining community is the purpose for
making Order spirit methods accessible to all.

-- 09 Mar 2010 




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