I hope that you had a great summer. With Fall officially here, I’m taking a minute to let you know what Subud-related matters have kept me busy.
Most important take-aways from my below note:
– PLEASE consider serving as the regional Treasurer. Dear Sherwin O’Bar has been in this role for over ten years, and really wishes to hand this duty to someone else. The time commitment is only ten hours per month. The financial activity of the region is pretty minimal.
– Menucha is happening and will be the fulfilling kedjiwaan retreat that you’re used to from previous years. See the below article and register soon, before it closes.
At the national level, as a regional chairperson I am on the Subud USA (SUSA) Board. The Board provides governance of SUSA, maintaining awareness of the risks facing SUSA and evaluating the National Committee’s plans and actions for mitigating these risks. A risk inherent to most volunteer boards and committees is a lack of the types of expertise found in the managers and boards of for-profit organizations. One consequence can be decision-making processes that are abbreviated and thereby omit careful consideration of pros and cons. A recent problem arose with SUSA’s Amani-Twin Oaks project in Maryland that was given the go-ahead by the Board in July. While this recent problem is unlikely to affect the overall success of the project, the abbreviated decision-process and lack of transparency from the SUSA Committee led me to voice concern.
For our region, Subud Pacific Northwest, the Board consists of me as Chair, the rest of the committee which at this time is Sherwin O’Bar, and the Center Chairs of Portland (Morris is the de facto leader of Subud PDX but is not the official Chair), Seattle, and Bellingham/Skaget Valley. As we go about our business we’re implementing best practices used by boards in non-profit organizations. Jim O’Halloran, Chair of Seattle, has been leading the effort to identify better/cheaper insurance coverage. Also, the Decision to go ahead with Menucha was made by the full Board.
Overall, the outer health of the region is struggling, with declining and aging membership, and difficulty filling committee positions in Portland and regionally. In coming months our regional Board is going to consider the region’s future: assessing strengths, weakness, and opportunities to develop long-term goals and plans. We will ask for your input and communicate transparently. There are no easy solutions to the region’s challenges, maybe no solutions, but we will do our best.
I hope to see you at Menucha.
Yours in Subud,
Latham