A great morning for all of us!
The next Michigan Communicators gathering is Friday October 7, 2016, from 9 a.m. until Noon, at the First United Methodist Church of Royal Oak, 320 West Seventh Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067.
Our co-hosts are the ground-breaking Michigan Interfaith Power & Light (and you’ll get to meet the new MiIPL director), plus the leaders of this Royal Oak church who are newsmakers in various ways. Among other things, this church is a model of trying to turn a historic house of worship into an eco-friendly part of the community.
WHY OCTOBER 7? Veterans of our network know that, for most of the past decade, we tried to hold these gatherings on “the last Friday of the odd-numbered months.” However, we discovered a couple of challenges in the last couple of years. One is the perennial problem of conflict with Memorial Day at the end of May and Thanksgiving at the end of November. The more significant issue was: Our regular attendees challenged us to plan future gatherings around sites, hosts and issues that were sure to interest most of us.
This summer, we gathered at Faith Fowler’s center in Detroit and had one of our biggest gatherings in a long time. Earlier this year, we structured our morning around a visit with Michigan public television’s Rich Homberg (set at a major Jewish center) and again we had a big turnout.
Now, at your urging, we are planning our “Friday morning” gatherings to intentionally gather at sites (and with hosts) you’ll be excited to meet.
HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?
Veterans in our network know that our gatherings begin with a walk-and-talk time with our hosts. Then, we settle in for a true “roundtable” in which everyone around the circle has an opportunity to share news about current projects, to ask for help, or to promote an idea that will interest others in our group. We also know that, on a practical level, not everyone gets to take the floor before we hit 12-Noon and our time runs out. Already, a couple of people have asked me to make time for them at this October 7 gathering. I’m happy to do so when I know, in advance, of significant news our participants want to share. So, make use of email—let me know if you are coming with some special news to share.
If something important arises that morning, just let me know that day. But, yes, you can email in advance to prompt my planning.
Have a colleague or friend you want to bring along? We always welcome newcomers.
Email me at [email protected] with any questions. Look forward to seeing you!
David Crumm
