The Subud Pacific Northwest Regional Congress was conducted at the Subud USA National Congress, May 25, 2018, at the Vancouver Hilton. The 2018 SPNW Regional Congress agenda can be viewed here. It was Chaired by Nirel Jackson Wardwell.
Subud Pacific Northwest (SPNW) Regional Congress Minutes
Total attendance was 44.
There are some new arrivals in SPNW, including Philip Lindstrom, Alexandra Boyer and Stefan Ligelyn. Philip and Alexandra have relocated to Vancouver, Washington, and will be active in the Portland group and Stefan moved from Santa Fe (where he was an isolated member) to Bellingham. Elisa Sunflower has moved back to the Northwest, in Centrailia, and there is an active group forming there. Elisa is also active in Subud Olympia.
Reynold Orchard is the Interim Chair of Subud Portland. Michael Clem is set to take over in the fall.
Benedict Herrman is retiring July 31 and is considering a return to the Portland area. He attended the SPNW Regional Congress in his capacity as National Helper.
Sofia Nicoletti of Flagstaff, Arizona, attended the SPNW Regional Congress as a National Helper.
Aaron Mann was Chair of Subud PNW for twenty-six months and says the experience was “transformative” while also being “difficult.” He reported that Lydia Tedrow and Renata Robb were extremely supportive. In the afternoon, Oswald Norton pointed out for the record that Aaron Mann’s tenure as Chair featured many successes, including:
- A new website was put online with the assistance of Paul Nelson;
- A new arts camp was created and was a revenue-positive and creative weekend;
- A new policy at the Menucha gift shop now pays participants before they leave Menucha;
- The Subud PNW tax status and the ramifications of centerprises on that issue were clarified mainly due to his determination.
Reports were provided by Subud centers in Portland, Seattle and Bellingham/Skagit Valley via email.
Subud Portland Report
Subud Greater Seattle Report
Subud Bellingham/Skagit Valley Report
Regional Helper Report
The Regional Helper Report was provided by Oswald Norton. Regional Helpers are finishing their terms. New Regional Helpers include David Lynch and Rosalyn Neal. The outgoing helpers visited all over the region, including isolated members in Eugene and Boise.
Subud Portland Report
In his report as Interim Chair of Subud Portland, Reynold Orchard said that the group has 90 members, with about 50 percent active. The group is looking for a Treasurer. Sixteen members are attending the World Congress in Germany and Nirel Jackson is capably handling rentals of the hall. Portland gets two-thirds of its income from rentals and one-third from member donations. They also send a $750 monthly donation to the region. Roof and deck repairs will be necessary before too long. Subud Portland is transitioning between banks and raised $5,000 for Susila Dharma as well as $2,000 for Subud Cuba youth.
Subud Bellingham/Skagit Valley Report
Michael DuBois reported that their group is getting smaller, with seven active women and four active men. House repairs are being done. The annual Birdwalk fundraiser did not happen in 2018 due to lack of registrations.
Subud Olympic Neighborhood Report
Melanie Branchflower reports the group on the Olympic Peninsula have nine active members. Latihan happens Thursdays at 1pm. Men manage well in Latihan in separate Latihan spaces and have a pot roast gathering once a month. The group feels a little islolated.
Treasurer’s Report
Sherwin O’Bar provided the Treasurer’s report. As of May 2018, the SPNW bank balance was $11,408. Sherwin was given high marks for his work as Treasurer.
Leadership Training Proposal
Oswald Norton suggested that the region needs leadership training. See this proposal. A list of duties for each Dewan member would be helpful. Julia Hurd reported that there is a center manual and it was created in 2001. Serena DuBois moved to advance the idea. Michael DuBois seconded. The motion passes and volunteers for this effort included: Hosanna Heartsong, Hadijah O’Bar, Honora Drew, Frederick and Melanie Branchflower, and Oswald Norton. Related to this issue, Marston Gregory suggested that we may need to move to a paid Executive Director position, like Subud California. He suggested this could be a part-time or full-time position.
Other proposals discussed were a committee for family-friendly events and one for community outreach.
New Dewan
After much testing and many nominations, the new Dewan was elected:
Chair – Hadijah O’Bar
Vice-Chair – Nirel Jackson Wardwell
Treasurer – Sherwin O’Bar
And a Chair for the 2020 Regional Congress was named: Oswald Norton.
Other Business
Reynold Orchard suggests we name a signing officer based in Portland. He also discussed the regional housing committee, which has not been active. Oswald suggests we reactivate that committee. Paul Nelson was one volunteer for that.
These minutes were provided by Paul Nelson after the event from private notes he took for website reporting efforts, as no official secretary was installed for the regional congress. Please send him corrections.