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ABCUSA: 'Seek It' Task Force Reviews Data, Prepares for Summit in June


From "SCHRAMM, Richard" <Richard.Schramm@abc-usa.org>
Date Thu, 29 Apr 2004 14:28:24 -0400

American Baptist News Service (Valley Forge, Pa. 4/29/04)--The "Seek It" Task
Force met here April 15-16 for the purpose of reviewing data collected thus
far in the project and to give input to plans for the "Seek It" Summit
scheduled for June 18-22 in Green Lake, Wis.  

The "Seek It" project, subtitled "Finding God's Way for a New Day," has
embraced the Appreciative Inquiry organizational change tool that focuses on
encouraging as many constituents in an organization as possible to tell their
best stories and reveal their highest hopes for the organization's future. 
To date over 1,200 interviews have been conducted throughout the American
Baptist Churches USA, with all 35 regions represented in the interviews.

Approximately 120 people will gather in Green Lake for the "Seek It" Summit
in order to review the collected interview data and build a new vision
statement for the denomination that encompasses the grassroots ideas of
American Baptists.  The "Seek It" Task Force, however, has made it clear that
this project is not only about hearing from the grassroots, but also about
discerning a new future from God.  To that end the members of the Task Force
have committed to practicing four different spiritual disciplines on the four
Fridays leading up to the Summit.  

During a recent presentation to the General Executive Council, the Rev.
Jeffrey Savage suggested that the purpose of the spiritual disciplines is to
allow the accomplishment of something that cannot otherwise be accomplished
by direct effort.  Savage noted that such disciplines include both
disciplines of abstinence and disciplines of engagement.  

The "Seek It" Task Force will embrace two disciplines of abstinence (fasting
and silence) and two disciplines of engagement (celebration and confession)
according to the following schedule: May 21--Task Force members will embrace
the discipline of celebration in order praise God for the work of the "Seek
It" process thus far; May 28--Task Force members will embrace the discipline
of fasting in order to be reminded that God alone supplies our needs; June
4--Task Force members will embrace the discipline of confession in order to
confess and repent of any barriers that may hinder God's vision for the
future; and June 11--Task Force members will embrace the discipline of
silence in order to listen to God more closely. 
	
Task Force members encourage other persons who are interested in the goals of
the project and who are physically able to set aside a portion of the days
listed above to join them in practicing the disciplines.

K/2004ABNS/04ABN59

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (800)ABC-3USA x2077
/ (610)768-2077; fax: (610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org;
richard.schramm@abc-usa.org


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