July 30, 2022
Welcome!
A huge thank you to those who came to our community meeting last week, either in person or via Zoom. I also appreciate the efforts of everyone who personally helped the attendees enjoy a wonderful breakfast.
So we are now starting a new phase, something we at One World have done many times before! As those present know, I have decided to leave the post of spiritual director on December 31, 2022. It was a difficult decision, made after much consideration. I am very grateful and will always be grateful to this community and the many wonderful experiences we have shared.
My departure from the position of spiritual director is not the only change that awaits us. Covid continues to throw us new curveballs on a regular basis, and the last two years of remote meetings have opened up new opportunities for us. We’ve learned that being online can be a wonderful and liberating thing, but it can also be a challenge if we don’t have enough face-to-face contact. How do you want to work next? More online? More personal? Some kind of hybrid? What kind? Meet every week like before or do something different? As an independent spiritual community, you can make the changes that work best.
As we move into this transition phase, I am very grateful to those individuals who have volunteered to serve on our “Moving Forward Club” – those who will gain community insight on desired next steps and formulate recommendations for our board. (okay – we called it a club because we didn’t want another committee!) The board for this group is Michael Roussel, and I know you’ll be hearing more from Michael and the club soon – they’ve already met and are moving forward with shipping. We really appreciate their efforts.
As I said last week, each of you is an important stakeholder and member of this community, and we would love to hear from each of you. We have many options and your voice is important. Please feel free to let us know what you think and feel during this period – you will know more in the days and weeks to come. Let’s trust the process and know that everything will be fine.
Melanie
