[Oe List ...] Questions about the "Turn to the World"

[R Williams]

So, John, I gather from this that by doing an "end run" around the church we were turning to the world, but that doesn't necessarily mean we were turning from the church.  We were still trying to demonstrate to the church how to serve the world.  Is that correct?  Isn't that also what we were doing with Fifth City, long before 1972?
 
Randy

From: "jlepps at pc.jaring.my" <jlepps at pc.jaring.my>
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2011 7:37 AM
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Questions about the "Turn to the World"


Hi Randy.

Thanks for the questions. A more complete answer than this will be forthcoming in Volume 2 of Bending History, scheduled to be out this Fall. Jim Wiegel has done a good job of answering it. A very simple response is: We set out to renew the Church. We discovered, in the process, that the Church did not know how to serve the world, which is its primary mission. So we decided to do an "end run" to get out front and invent ways to serve the world authentically, i.e., to create primal community which involved profound awakenment, significant engagement, and human fulfillment. Our work was meant to show the Church how it can be done.

I hope this helps to further the discussion.

John

At 04:23 AM 8/4/2011, you wrote:

Dear Colleagues,
> 
>In 1972 the Kemper Insurance Co. gave the Ecumenical Institute its 8-story office building at 4750 N. Sheridan Rd. in Chicago.  In and around that year the Institute of Cultural Affairs was incorporated and EI/ICA moved its headquarters from its "seminary campus" on the west side to its "insurance building" on north side.  Subsequently we drew a circle around the wedge blade and announced we were making a "turn to the world."
> 
>Here are some questions regarding "the turn:" 
>	1. What was going on in the world and internally with EI/O:E that precipitated the "Turn to the World?" 
>	2. How did "the turn" affect our story about who we were and what we were doing? (For example, what did we understand we were turning to and what were we turning from?) 
>	3. What were the strategic and practical implications at that time? 
>	4. What are the implications today for ICAs around the world? The primary reason for asking these questions is, the Board of Directors of ICA-USA, when it meets in Chicago each November, dialogues on the issue of the long-term strategic direction and approach of the organization.  This piece of our history could have relevance for that dialogue this November.
> 
>Please don't be restricted by the questions.  Any remembrances and insights that you are willing to share will be useful and most appreciated.
> 
>Thank you,
>Randy Williams
>Acting Chair, ICA-USA Board of Directors
>_______________________________________________
>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/20110804/c3fe7b22/attachment-0001.html>