Subud PNW Regional Congress - Indianola, WA
Meeting Minutes
September 2, 2006
Meeting Minutes
September 2, 2006
Meeting Minutes were written by Kate Berube.
Meeting Opens
Congress Chair Ryan Hubbard opened meeting and established that quorum was met. Minutes were approved from the last Regional Congress.
Center/Group Reports, September 2006
Alaska
Anchorage Group
Ryan Hubbard read written report submitted by Honora Drew:
Subud Anchorage continues to have 5 active women members. We do not have any active men at this time, and we have 3 inactive members. We have made some attempts to find a different place for latihan, but each promising lead falls through, so we remain at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church on Pembroke Street for now. We meet for latihan on Monday at 5:30pm, Thursday at 5:30pm and Saturday morning at 9:00am. Visitors are encouraged to call our contact number for directions.
There is an isolated member from Reno, LA and Portland, living and working in the Fairbanks area right now. She is Ellen Wesley Vale. She is an emergency room physician working at the Wainwright military base near Fairbanks. Ellen can be reached with at least a message at work at 907-353-5107.
Alaska has had an unusual amount of rain this August and there is serious flooding in some areas and the road between Anchorage and Fairbanks was closed for a while this week due to washed out bridges. We have had the most amazing torrential downpours. Even so it is beautiful here, and still quite light at 9pm only fading around 10:30pm now.
Anchorage says hello to everyone at family camp and the SPNW congress!
Washington
Bellingham/Skagit Valley Center
Reported by Michael DuBois:
The group currently has 16 (mostly active) members, eight men and eight women, with several members working currently on Regional, National and International positions.
We have been working recently to find a better place for the group using testing, visioning and are beginning to do physical searches. Several meetings held this spring have made the needs of the group more concrete. We will continue to work on finding a location that is more central and allows for growth. We have noticed a worship center, the Wanda Chapel in the Alger area, which is the most central location for our spread our membership. It has been boarded p and apparently not in use for some time now. Lorraine Tedrow did a title search on the Internet and was able to locate the owners. The Chapel sits on a 3/4 acre lot on the corner of Parson's Creek Road and Humphrey Hill Road. Michael plans to write the owner, the American Missionary Fellowship regarding any interest they may have in selling.
Financially, we have had our ups and downs. We are running about $100 a month less coming in than is going out. We were happy to realized at our last meeting that the $10,000 loan from Subud USA that we are repaying at $100 a month is 3/4 paid off. Traditionally we have found that letting the members know that donations are falling behind expenses causes the problem to be solved in short order by increased donations. This last year we have had several major expenses having to do with refrigeration and plumbing, which have lowered our balance. We are anticipating the possibility of paying a lawyer to provide clear easement information regarding our sewer hookup.
We have met socially several times in 2006startng with latihan an a New Years party at Marius house and combining a kedjiwaan/house visioning day at the Tedrows' with a pot luck meal. We hope to have more of these as the year goes on.
Our Susila Dharma project the Bellingham Community Meals Program is still going strong after being in operation more than 20 years. We are still splitting the 10 meals a year with the Assumption Catholic Church and other civic groups. Sebastian is coordinating five meals a year and Icsan Reynold five meals a year. The BCM program serves between 500 and 600 meals per meal.
Greater Seattle Center
Reported by Marston Gregory:
Subud PNW at Greater Seattle has about 92 members which are spread over a wide area of King County. We have 5 active women helpers and 5 men helpers (one is a candidate helper).
There are two latihan locations. One at the main center in Capitol Hill (now owned by the region) and one rented at the Discover Yoga Studio space in Redmond WA, which is used on Fridays.
The Committee consists of Marston Gregory, Chairman, Larisa Pleshe, Vice-Chair and Hadidjah Gregory, Secretary. Marston has been doing the Treasurer Job in lieu of finding a permanent Treasurer. Lewis Olds helps with financial reports. We have two committee members at large who are Raphael Tedrow and Hadiyah Carlyle.
The group started the year 2006 closing down the old corporation that the group operated under in the past and moved to being called Subud PNW at Greater Seattle We now operate under the Regional bylaws.
The group has been focusing primarily on remodeling the Subud Center on Capitol Hill which has needed extensive renovation. The exterior of the building now has a new roof, new energy efficient windows and repaired wood work, siding and new paint. This all cost over $40,000. The center borrowed the funds from Subud USA and is paying it back at $400 per month. We have a very active House Remodeling Committee made up of Evan Padilla, Ron Holdridge, Insiah Caspers and Marston Gregory.
The next phase of renovation is to rewire the building and a grant for $10,000 has been set aside from the Subud PNW Regional House Fund to help pay this cost. An additional loan may be needed either from the Regional House Fund or National House Fund to complete renovations of the interior including repainting, re-plumbing and new flooring. We are just getting bids on the electrical and so not know yet how much this will cost.
The center just completed a "Sponsor a Chair" campaign and now has 100 very nice new stack chairs to use for any Subud or non-Subud meetings.
Since the building is now owned by everyone in the region, we hope both financial and volunteer support for the building will continue. The building could be worth more than $750,000 and therefore is the largest asset the Region Owns. All improvement only makes the center more usable and valuable.
With a safer and refurbished building a goal is to maximize rental income from overnights stays of guests (a night stay is only $40) for bed bath and kitchen privileges... Once the remodeling is completed we will do a major marketing push to increase revenue from meeting rentals. We had a small wedding in June for about 65 people and we got rave reviews.
We are now supporting a Susila Dharma project, The Q Fund, as SD project. We have pledged $25.00 per month to support the project and will do a fund-raising Dinner/Event later in the year to help support this work in Africa with Aids Orphans.
A major goal of the committee has been improved communications and we have worked on these areas with a weekly list-server and a bi-monthly newsletter "The New Voice" which is edited by Abigail Blethen. We also have a new website that is still being revised at www.SubudGreaterSeattle.org
Local activities have been:
- Kejiwaan days with members
- One Musicafe (mainly a writer's night)
- A committee/helper retreat.
- A Yard Sale (to raise funds for building renovation).
- A family picnic in August.
- Monday night reading of Bapak Talks before latihan (every other Monday).
Overall, I would report that the group seems to be doing well. A very significant feeling of quiet and harmony now is felt in the group.
Spokane Center
Reported by Lucas Van Der Walde:
The group does not currently have a chair, but they do have a treasurer. They have sold their house and are renting a yoga center to do latihan at. There are currently about 12 active members. The group meets on Wednesday and Sunday for latihan and sometimes at other times for social events. There have been some problems with personality conflicts but the group is working to resolve them.
Oregon
Portland Center
Leonard Dixon read report written by Virginia Bowers, chair:
It has been a busy summer. The group pitched in to help with the National Congress. Akhri helped find people places to stay, Leonard Dixon assisted with transportation, Latham Stack helped with the on-site office, Reynold and Josephina Orchard organized registration. Akhri, Maria Baker and several others helped organize a raffle to raise funds for Melinda's retirement. No doubt I'm forgetting some others who volunteered. All in all it seemed like the hotel and the location created an inviting environment and made for a very successful congress.
On the home front, the men's latihan hall got a new carpet thanks to the diligent efforts of Benedict Herrman. A new roof over the entry way hopefully has fixed the leak problem. The house needs a lot of additional work that the committee and others will need to address in the coming year.
Social events took a back seat due to the Congress, but we did have a wonderful picnic in August. We brought food to a park in Lake Oswego where we also enjoyed an outdoor play put on by two of our local Subud members, Benedict and Fayra Teeters. A good time was had by all.
The group continues to support Project Quest by helping out with dinners on a quarterly basis. Several people also hope to continue the Enterprise Support Group that was started this spring.
Six women have been opened this year and one man. In addition, Subud members have moved here from other areas, including Lillian Shulman from Boston and Liliana Penaherrera from Ecuador, Hanafi and Olivia Weinstein from California. And we have had the good fortune of welcoming Liliana and Mathias Dussan's new baby Hana this spring.
Recently Raphael Baker felt moved to become more active in creating social activities and creating community within the Portland Group. He is now the official vice chair of the group. He is already planning a potluck to welcome new members.
Raphael Baker added on that he has begun to work on some in-reach. He felt after the National Congress that Subud groups need to support and welcome new members more. He will put together a dinner every 3 months to welcome new members and anyone in the group who has recently moved to Portland. He feels that it is important to find ways to include these members. He is hoping to talk to more people and work on including fringe members.
Idaho
Boise Group
Reported by Halimah Brugger:
The group seems to always have members moving away. Recently different members have moved away to California, Arizona, Washington and New Zealand. Halimah believes there are only 4 member left now. They do have a great treasurer though.
Montana
Flathead Valley Group
Ryan Hubbard read written report submitted by Sonya Conrad:
Here in Montana it's been a busy last few months. We've started discussion about buying or building our own Subud house (!), and have formed a housing committee as of last week to start researching all there is to learn about this process. We have also just formed a fundraising committee and are looking to put something together this fall, a first for us. This is very exciting as it's involving more of our "younger" members, and their involvement is new for our group and there is starting to be a vision for our group beyond just making it to latihan. Helen Harold in particular is moving us forward towards awareness on a more global level, and drawing attention to our greater community for some Susila Dharma projects.
We have about 25 active and semi-active members, and have three quarters of a committee (we need a vice-chair). We are implementing a monthly dewan latihan with men and women testing questions with discussion- we've had one and it was very positive. As I am also co-chair for SYA I'm filling two roles, but testing showed that my capacity is still full as long as I really have a committee to support me. Interestingly, as soon as I tested that we had a lot of people come forward to fill important roles. Hmmm....
We have two latihans a week now, at one location, and attendance over the summer has been sporadic- sometimes 10 people, sometimes 1. But there is definitely energy moving around, and it feels steady and strong. Our group has people very far away and spread out, and I have felt more participation from those members recently. As always, the helpers are very supportive and active. We have very few men in our group, so there's a bit of loneliness I think. We had planned to have a kejiwaan day this month, but scheduling difficulties made it not come together. Hopefully this fall...
I'm sorry to miss the Regional congress, but I'll be on vacation in Nevada. We are, as a group, continuing to become a solid entity, and are having good communication. We've managed to have at least one group meeting a month since May (also very new for our group) and it has helped the energy to continue. It's exciting for me to be a part of this, and to have recent movement towards housing and fundraising.
SMALLER REGIONAL GROUPS
Kitsap, WAReported by Melanie Branchflower:
The women do latihan once a week at the Branchflower's. The men travel to various locations for latihan. The group is hoping to draw in more members from around the area who don't currently join them for latihan.
Winthrop, WA
Reported by Nadia Woodcock:
There are seven women who meet regularly once a week for latihan. This is a very active group even though it is small.
TESTING FOR NEW COMMITTEE, CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR:
Chair:
Ryan asked for nominees for the position of Chair of the PNW region for the next 2 years.
The nominees who accepted were:
Ryan Hubbard; Emmanuel Pleshe; Raphael Tedrow; Michael Dubois
Rachman Cantrell and Bachrun Waite tested with each nominee in front of the members present. Ryan Hubbard was voted in as new Chair. All present agreed to support Ryan in his duties.
Vice Chair:
Ryan asked for nominees for the position of Vice Chair of the PNW region for the next 2 years.
The nominees who accepted were:
Raphael Tedrow; Emanuel Pleshe; Seth Gordon
In order to find more nominees this topic was tabled until after dinner.
REPORTS
Regional Helpers Report: Halimah Brugger reported that herself and Camille Hovfendahl traveled to Roseburg Oregon and met up with Harmony Harrison and 12 women members from the area. It was a very successful trip but the men from the area wished for some male helpers to visit as well.
Nadia Woodcock reported that Flathead Valley had a very successful Kejiwaan day recently. This was also a women only event.
REPORT FROM SYA:
Emanuel Pleshe read report submitted by Sonya Conrad:
Hello everybody! I wanted to share with you all something really amazing that's happening, right now. SYA, our Subud youth wing, is doing an overhaul, a regrouping effort, a hugely ambitious leap towards greater youth awareness, involvement, purpose, and love. It sounds like a lot, and it is. Myself, Sulfiati Harris and Lucinda Nelson are the new SYA committee and we need help. We need as many people as possible to be active and participate in the future of our youth. We al feel very strongly that our purpose is to truly make a space for Subud youth in our organization. Not just a place for kids to play while their parents are doing latihan, or a place for teenagers to hang out with no purpose. Lord knows, there 's been enough of that. We are aiming to integrate, to blend, to include the youth and give them a place to be heard and seen. And we want to have fun!
Our first step and goal is to create a youth team in every region, with one member of that team being a liaison between their region and us chair people. The team would ideally create at least four youth events each year in their region. The team can be as small as two people or infinitely huge. Anything! And the events can be anything! We want to create what a lot of us second generation-ers grew up with. The sense and knowing that some of the greatest times of our life were at Subud events, and that those kids we grew up with are part of our family. No small thing.
So here's the plea.... I'll pay everyone who volunteers to be on the team. A LOT of currency. Don't undermine that the currency is my gratitude, my kids gratitude, your kids and grandkids gratitude. Really, it's the gratefulness that we will have the future members of Subud - the FUTURE of Subud - raised and cared for with great intention for their livelihood and spiritual selves. No kidding people, they are what Subud will become, and they need some attention, especially in today's crazy world.
I think you all in advance, and urge you all to feel what your individual gift to our youth is and can be, and let me know. We're gonna have some good fun, I'll tell you what!
VOTE ON PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGE FROM SPOKANE:
Ryan read from the bylaws 5.3 section 3e
"If a regional property is sold, the proceeds shall be distributed in the following manner...
e. The residual shall be held in reserve for a period of two years in the Regional Housing Fund for the use of that center in obtaining another regional house. After two years the money will become part of the general regional housing fund unless that center requests and the board approves an extension of the deadline."
The proposed change is:
"If a regional property is sold, the proceeds shall be distributed in the following manner...
e. The residual shall be held in reserve for a period of five years in the Regional Housing Fund for the use of that center in obtaining another regional house. After five years the money will become part of the general regional housing fund unless that center requests and the board approves an extension of the deadline."
Changing two years to five years is the only proposed change at this time.
Much discussion followed with some questions brought up about the possible length of extension allowed by the bylaws and whether the bylaws allow for only one extension to be granted or any amount. These points will need to be discussed and clarified by future committees as the only change possible today is changing two to five years.
Bylaw change was passed. The vote was 35 in favor, 2 against, and 2 abstentions.
TREASURERS REPORT:
Mark Czuba reported that we are in the black on the general checking account. This is the account that donations go into and Subud USA donations come out of and all other costs except for events. This year the account is up $260. We have raised our pledge to Subud USA since the last regional congress.
In the event account we are down $12,000 but that is only because we have money tied up as a deposit for Menucha but we haven't taken in any money for it yet. This is confusing but it does not mean we are in financial trouble. The housing account is up $5000 because of the Spokane Bellingham house loan. Subud Events Assistance Fund has been used to help people attend this Congress/ Family camp.
Mark was asked if there is a comparison available on the web for members to see how we were doing financially in previous years compared to this year. He said that there is not currently, but that he will put one up as soon as he can get to it.
REGIONAL CONGRESS CHAIR FOR 2008:
Raphael Baker was nominated and then unanimously voted in.
REPORT FROM NEW NATIONAL COMMITTEE:
Reported by Deliana Fuddy and Aliman Sears:
Deliana was pleased to see so many young members taking part in the meeting. Aliman thanked the region for inviting them to the congress. Their committee work is just starting. One thing they are working on is the Melinda Wallis retirement fund. Also they are putting together a strategic plan for their work. They are looking into having a National Center in the USA, also hoping to raise funds to have a permanent Executive Director position. Their other goals are to work on outreach and combined wings. They will be going to Subud south congress soon and in October to the Rocky Mountain Regional Gathering.
REPORT ON TEEN MOMS:
Sebastian Tedrow read report submitted by Melinda Wallis and Halima Moyen:
Poor schools - not a politically correct term, is it? But it's a reality that exists in our own back yard. We don't need hurricanes to crate desperate situations. The needs are already there.
Our Subud sisters Elizabeth Flanders and Michaela Estes are both special Ed teachers in schools in southwestern Washington State, in poverty area schools.
Elizabeth, a seasoned long time special Ed teacher is located at a new developmental preschool serving the Ocean Beach School District. They have a temporary building, (we hear it's the ugliest building in the county!) some furniture - and have hopes for their future from those in the district giving support. But right now, the week before school starts, they have practically no supplies.
Elizabeth is delighted to be serving I the friendly community of the Long Beach Peninsula where she and Vincent now live. Caring staff work with her at this special new preschool which is serving autistic kids who are going to school for the first time! And we're scrambling to make that a great experience for them. They need practically everything, from the very basic playground equipment, trikes and kid wagons, to pencils and all classroom equipment.
Michaela Estes, Elizabeth's daughter, is a new special Ed teacher in the Bethel School District in Spanaway, WA. Her junior high school students in this ghetto school are all wheelchair bound and extremely handicapped. (Michaela's goals are humble - she hopes to enable each student to be able to feed himself . . . to get his hand to his mouth.) The teachers are asked by the school to buy basic supplies such as paper, hygiene supplies, cleaning supplies and more. Yes, it is outrageous that the teachers are being asked to buy these things themselves! Let's turn our outrage into positive action!
Your donations for these needy situations will be well spent: super shoppers and scroungers Melinda and Halima will stretch every penny as far as it will go, getting freebies and deals to fill the specific wish lists from our two Subud sister teachers. Please donate by writing a check to Susila Dharma USA, and earmarking it to Teen Moms & More (TM&M).
REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL SUBUD COMMITTEE:
Reported by Julia Hurd, International Subud Committee secretary:
The current committee has been together for one year now, they were tested in at the World Congress at Innsbruck. They have been spending time putting things in order. They just met in Bangalore India and had World Subud Council meeting. Their agenda is the recommendations made at Innsbruck.
The experience of choosing a location for the next World Congress was amazing. The ISC spent a year considering the options and recommended New Zealand. The zone representatives agreed on that location. The International Helpers then tested without knowledge of what location was recommended. The male and female helpers unanimously came up with New Zealand. The World Subud Council then voted on the date of January 2010. The proposals from each country are posted at www.subud.net under WSC diary.
MEETING RECCESSED FOR DINNER AT 5:10PM AND BEGUN AGAIN AT 7PM
CONTINUATION OF VOTE/TESTING FOR REGIONAL VICE CHAIR:
Additional people nominated and accepted:
Greg Sweeting; Miriam Gordon
Regional helpers tested a number of questions with all nominees. Greg Sweeting was voted in as new regional Vice Chair.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:45 PM.
Home
"Subud"® and the seven circle symbol are registered marks of the World Subud Association.