Our conferences don’t just happen one day in October or April. They are the result of several months’ planning and the work of about 10 or more people who construct a mediated conference twice a year. So: a round of applause for the planning team: Sonya Sukalski, co-convener, Susan Smith, scribe, Wayne Walder, MiniStorys, Terry Ellen, Odysseys, David McFarland, Evaluation, Anita Farber-Robertson, Connecting Rooms, Linda Wright, Connecting Rooms & Accessibility, Jef Gamblee, Quality Assurance, and Jeff Briere, co-convener, Slide Show and Publicity.
The worship team is led by Joan VanBecelaere, and includes David Bumbaugh, Jan Carlsson-Bull, Jef Gamblee, Ruth Gnagey, Lynda Sutherland, Sylvia Howe, and Marion Visel.
We have a wonderful new Zoom Master, Cynthia Becker, who arranges our offerings and organizes the technical side of things, so that we have as smooth a conference as possible when attendees are in many disparate locations.
And we rely on our members and others for the creation of the content: Those who share their Odysseys, those who visit connecting rooms, those who present our theme, those who offer worship services, those who tell us stories, and those who entertain us make our conferences possible.
We are grateful for all, but the planning team is unanimous in their praise for Barbro Hansson, who always manages to get her rowdy ducklings in a row. For five years now, our mediated conferences have benefitted from her gentle guiding hands. Her service to the Board has been exemplary, and she is rather torn about stepping back after the spring conference. She said, “We’ve come a long way since 2020, when the pandemic forced us to offer virtual conferences.”
She is pleased with the progress of our conferences. “We began with only three people to plan a conference. It’s a miracle we pulled it off. Of course, we had support, individuals who provided guidance. Today, there are more than ten individuals on the planning team with specific portfolios who ensure excellent programming and good quality. For the past three years, I’ve served the Board as the Member-at-Large for Conferences and this is my last year on the Board. I’ve seen the planning team grow not only in numbers but also in excellence. It’s been a real treat to work with and get to know so many new colleagues and partners. I feel truly blessed.”
Sonya Sukalski is a long-time veteran of the conference planning team, and she now serves as a co-convener. She said, “After hearing Margaret Meade’s quote about how to change the world for the better, for much of my adult life, I dreamed about working with a small group of motivated people to do good things. This team, and the team we recreate each conference, always feels powerful, connected, and infused with good will. It feels like we make a difference in our organization—a dream come true!”
Terry Ellen has contributed his talents to the planning team more than once. This fall, he shepherded the Odysseans through the process to record their stories. He said, “Working with the presenters of our two Odysseys and their introducers has been a joy, since all four are not only very competent but also wonderfully easy and responsive people to work with, bringing respect and pleasure together for me. It’s been a foretaste of the outstanding kinds of people we gather together in our conference.”
Despite being hit by a car this summer, Anita Farber-Robertson worked with Linda Wright to set up connecting rooms, and recruit facilitators. She said, “I enjoyed the connecting rooms last conference so much, that I eagerly signed up to coordinate them again this fall. Inviting people to facilitate the connecting rooms provides me with an excuse to reconnect with colleagues, some of whom I have not seen or spoken with in years. The planning team is a group of skilled and committed colleagues, and I hadn’t met most of them. I now consider them trusted friends. What a joy!”
Wayne Walder came up with a concept that allows us to share our stories with our colleagues, and his session last spring was very popular, so we asked him back for more story-telling. He said, “Asking colleagues for stories has been a wonderful blessing. They tell stories about connection and inspiration as well as doubt and sadness. Regardless of the emotional tone, the stories reveal the profound, surprising, and sometimes unknown connections we have with each other and the world around us.”
To register for the conference follow this link:
https://uurmapa.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2767109
We hope to see you at the fall conference. Information about the Odysseys, the service of remembrance and our theme development can be found HERE.
See you at the conference!