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In this issue ...
1. FFF Trustees meet online
2. Membership: Becoming a FFF Circle
3. STUDY GUIDE: A New Christianity for a New World
4. New Niagara Conference
5. JESUS database update
6. Charter Membership
7. Financial Information
8. Credit card payments
9. Directory of Education Resources
10. What's happening?
1. FFF TRUSTEES meet on line for first time
Over ten days in late January and early February the Trustees of FaithFutures Foundation from Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States met on line "for the first time."
It was the first time many of them had been in touch with each other. It was the first time that the Foundation had gathered its Trustees together for consultation. And it was the first time that many of them had been involved in a meeting held in cyber space.
Presiding Trustee, Jane Wolfe from Little Rock, Arkansas, was in the chair and capably held the participants to the issues before us. Executive Trustee, Gregory Jenks from Brisbane, Australia, had prepared a report on the development of the Foundation during its first six months and gathered feedback from members of the Panel of Advisors.
Other Trustees are Eve James (Australia), Cecilie Lander (Australia), Peter Lawson (Northern California), Bob McElwain (Kansas), Pete Tannahill (France), Sherri Weinberg (New Zealand) as well as George and Nan Wolf (Kansas).
Like any initial meeting there was a need for the Trustees to get to know one another a little better, and the process used allowed that happen. Before long there was a clear sense of excitement in working together on this project, and a growing sense of shared vision.
The following are some of the highlights from the session ...
Trustees agree to allocate 10% of all membership contributions and general donations to outside activities to help create an endowment fund for project grants. This means that the Foundation will be tithing its own income and putting those funds aside to support creative projects proposed by our members and affiliates. (Funds given for a designated purpose will, of course, go to that purpose without any deduction.)
A promotional brochure has been prepared to help promote the Foundation and enlist additional support. Copies can be downloaded from the FFF site as PDF files to serve as master sets for photocopying: <http://www.faithfutures.org/Admin/membership.html>. These are available in both A4 and US Letter formats.
With the FFF website now established, the next major phase of the Foundation's development is expected to involve the recognition of our first Cooperation Circles (CCs). We anticipate a number of Circles will be recognized over the next six months, and look forward to that with great pleasure as it will mark an important stage in the realization of the vision that underlies FFF. The next item in this newsletter will provide additional information about becoming a FFF Circle.
2. MEMBERSHIP: Becoming a FFF Circle
One of the distinctive features of FFF is that our membership is built around local groups with an interest in supporting the Foundation, rather than individual memberships or affiliation by other organizations.
If early inquiries are any indication, in most cases FFF Circles will be groups that already exist, rather than new groups especially formed as Cooperation Circles. Since membership of FFF does not exclude other affiliations, some CCs will also have connections with religious communities, local networks, Sea of Faith, SnowStar Institute, The Center for Progressive Christianity, etc.
Groups considering registering as a FFF Circle naturally wonder what is involved as a Circle rather than as individual members. They may also be uncertain how membership of FFF differs from, say, affiliation with Sea of Faith or TCPC. The answer has two parts.
(1) In the first place, membership as a Cooperation Circle gives the group a stake in the ownership and control of the Foundation. The critical difference between a CC and an affiliated individual or organization is one of active engagement in the ownership and direction of the Foundation. That is the issue that groups contemplating registering as a FFF Circle need to clarify for themselves. Do they wish to have a stake in the Foundation, or simply to be supportive of it?
(2) The second part of the answer is that encouraging local collaborative activity is the ultimate goal of the Foundation. While it may be easier to collect funds and other resources for FFF as a discrete project in its own right, we have set ourselves the objective of identifying, encouraging and supporting local grassroots activities. One of the key performance indicators for the Foundation will be the number of local circles that are registered.
For some groups that have begun as discussion or study groups, membership as a FFF Circle can provide a focus on outside concerns to complement the internal agenda.
As the network of FFF Circles gets established, it will provide a valuable link with very diverse groups from around the world with a common interest in re-visioning their religious traditions. Part of that diversity will be reflected in the names of the local Circles, since there is no expectation that FFF Circles will use "FaithFutures" as part of their own name. A kaleidoscope of names and labels can be predicted as part of the rich diversity of the FFF network.
We also look forward to having Circles with a multifaith character, so that the network moves beyond its natural beginnings in the Christian tradition.
Cooperative Circles accept the responsibility to contribute the resources needed for the Foundation's work at local, regional and global levels. In some cases these will be contributions in service rather than cash gifts. In most cases, Circles will make cash contributions at what ever level and at what ever intervals they consider appropriate. Since several people are involved in any Circle membership, this can make participation in the Foundation's work very in expensive.
If you would like to know more about forming a FFF Circle, please contact the Foundation directly at members@faithfutures.org
3. STUDY GUIDE: A New Christianity for a New World
This study guide for John Shelby Spong, A New Christianity for a New World, was published in January and is available for order through the FFF web site. It is already being used in various places around the world.
NCNW GATEWAY: http://www.faithfutures.org/ncnw.html
The study guide has been prepared by Gregory Jenks, Executive Trustee of FaithFutures Foundation, and draws on his experience preparing adult education materials in a variety of settings. The guide is designed to support a group working through the text of NCNW over a six week period, but can be adapted to a longer time frame as well as being used by people reading the book on their own.
The materials are integrated with online resources available through the FFF site:
· Supplementary materials for participants and leaders
· Discussion of common concerns and insights through FFForum
· Resources for discussion group leaders
Over time, these additional materials are expected to include supplementary information relevant to issues canvassed in A New Christianity for a New World, liturgical resources, information about audiotapes and videos, and contact information for organizations with similar interests.
This is the second study guide to be published by FFF, and follows the study guide to John Dominic Crossan, The Birth of Christianity, that was prepared by Susan B. Curtis.
Other study guides are planned, and potential contributors are encouraged to contact the Foundation with proposals. See http://www.faithfutures.org/guidelines.html for information on materials intended for publication.
4. The New Niagara: Celebrating Human Diversity & the Search for Meaning
SnowStar Institute of Religion in Canada is sponsoring the New Niagara Conference to be held at Niagara Falls, Ontario shortly.
Check the SnowStar Institutue web site <http://SnowStarInstitute.org/Events/events.html> for full details, including registration information.
The number of clusters within the database continues to increase. The notes are also being expanded to provide more information, including brief citations from major scholars on specific issues. In addition, surviving traditions about Jesus from Islamic sources are now to be incorporated into the collection.
Bookmark this site: http://faithfutures.org/Jesus/Jesus.htm
Our major need at this stage is to upgrade the software used for developing and managing the web-based collection.
We would also welcome further collaborators as the task expands and we seek to cross-reference the clusters to other materials on the FFF web site.
A reminder that individuals who join the Foundation by 30 June 2002 will be recognised as Charter Members.
Join Online at http://faithfutures.org/Admin/join.html
Following the publication of first of our regular public financial reports, for the period June/September, the report to December 2001 is now available on the FFF web site.
Full details at http://faithfutures.org/Admin/FRdec01.html
Income so far has been sufficient to cover the essential overheads involved with an organization whose major activities are web-based, but we need additional funding to achieve our goals.
Priorities for the future include:
Donation Form: http://faithfutures.org/Admin/give.html
Your continued support is greatly appreciated. Gifts to FFF are tax-deductibe within the US.
After many inquiries about credit card payment options for resources purchased through the FFF site, we are pleased to announce that we can now accept payment by Mastercard and Visa Card.
At the present time, we cannot process membership contributions or other donations by credit card, but we anticipate adding this service shortly.
9. Directory of Education Resources
Following the success of the directory of video resources, we have created a directory of materials for study and discussion groups. The directory will collect links to material on other sites, as well as highlighting resources are available on the FFF site:
Study Materials
Tell us about study group materials you like, and check what is already listed at
http://www.faithfutures.org/Education/studies.htmlOverhead Projector Masters
Keep an eye on the growing collection at
http://www.faithfutures.org/Education/oht.htmlVideo Resources
Check out the materials already listed at
http://www.faithfutures.org/Education/video.html
Check the FFF web site for information on coming events, including the public schedules for Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan and John Shelby Spong.
The public schedule for FFF Executive Trustee, Gregory Jenks, is also available from the FFF Calendar page.
Tell us about other events that should be listed: events@faithfutures.org
12-15 March: SnowStar Institute of Religion:
http://SnowStarInstitute.org/Events/events.html16 March: Enrolling at the School of Honesty.
A half day workshop (1.30-4.30pm) with FFF Executive Trustee, Greg Jenks, on Saturday, March 16, at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 16th and Harvard Streets, NW, Washington DC.17 March: Little River United Church of Christ, VA
High School Sunday School class (9.30am) and Adult Class (11.00am)
Program details from John Moore: JTMoore20112@aol.com13-14 June: San Francisco Workshop with Marcus J. Borg.
More details of this event, jointly sponsored by St James Episcopal Church, San Francisco and FFF will be available shortly.
Email: office@faithfutures.org
Canada and United States
Robert
J. McElwain, FFF Treasurer
P.O. Box 6728
Shawnee Mission, KS 66206
USA
All other countries
FAITHFUTURES
P.O. Box 822
Kenmore, Qld 4069
Australia
Your interest and support is greatly valued.
Please help make FFF known among colleagues and friends.
Prepared
by Gregory C. Jenks
Executive Trustee, February 2002
© 2002 FaithFutures Foundation, Inc.