Administrative Update
by Bud Hayes, 5-25-2013

I have been meaning to give an update on the status of our Saturday morning InnerPeace/WorldPeace group, but one thing or another has gotten in the way.  On May 25th, with enough in attendance to constitute a quorum, I called an impromptu administrative meeting.  When we had 501C3 status, an administrative structure was required, including elected officers.  Now whatever administrative structure we have is simply “for the good of the order.”  We no longer need a president and Jeff Olson, who has served in that capacity since our group began, no longer wants to be president. 

What I proposed at the meeting was to make “official” a role I have been in for at least the last several years, which I would designate as “convener.”  I maintain the sign-up sheet for those offering to lead sessions and send out occasional notices like this one.  Those  in attendance on May 25, being David Kelm, Tom Ard, Dudley Fillmore, Wayne Vanek, Emory Mead, Barry Koren, Sue Donahue, Cindy Palombi and me, endorsed me by consensus in this role.  Included in that endorsement is that Emory Mead will continue to serve as treasurer     (Yes, we do have a bank account and draw on it to cover expenses for the Journal) and Barry Koren will serve as co-treasurer with Emory.  The group also voted unanimously to send a check in the amount of $200 to First United Church.  Periodically it has been our practice to send a donation to the church in appreciation for the use of the conference room and the church lounge.    

We are in the process of updating our email list with the intention of making more frequent use of it as a way of keeping our far-flung constituency (well, a bit of an exaggeration, but there are a lot  of people around who have been in our group at one point or another) informed about what’s going on at our Saturday morning meetings and what is planned.  In the last two years our attendance has been down from what it has been for quite a few years .  Some have wondered whether it is time to bring the group to an end.  The fear is that it might dwindle down to nothing which would be an ignominious way to end what has been a glorious history.  This group has been meeting regularly since April of 2002 and over 125 people have sat in it at one point or another.

On the other hand we do have a solid core of people who continue to come on a more or less regular basis.  Some still feel a connection with the group and come on an occasional basis.  We also have some new people who have read about us in the posting which David Kelm put in the Wednesday Journal or heard about us.  We are currently discussing other ways of reaching out and making people aware of our existence and our work.  I believe there has been a gradual rise in sophistication about what constitutes “inner peace,”  I believe we continue to learn from each other and from the sources to which we expose ourselves like NVC, the Sedona Method, the “Heart Circle” experience, book discussion groups including books that we work through, a chapter a month, in our Saturday morning meetings.

So for now we will continue to meet and would welcome input from you about the status of the group and whether or not you have an investment in our continuing to meet.