A summary of the third monthly NHC Organizational Meeting on Sunday, May 4: 16 people, mostly existing members with some new and visiting faces, gathered from 8-10 pm at Karyn Chabots SAMA studio on Long Wharf. Among other things, last months meeting generated a multi-faceted Mission Statement: to foster community, promote member businesses, offer educational and wellness-related events, and serve as a model for holistic groups at large. Clarifying our Mission Statement was more of a function-related process coming from the mental level. This months meeting focused on arriving at a shared Vision of the most essential role members want NHC to play in their lives. Clarifying our Vision was more of an essence-related process coming from the heart level. The focus of this months meeting shifted in response to input from org leaders and members who felt a need to assess where NHC is headed as we move into a busy summer season in Newport, with the many outside activities, responsibilities, and distractions that come with it. The question arose, What can and should we focus on as a group in the times to come? So we paired off and asked each other two basic questions to get to the heart of the matter, so to speak -- 1. What is that makes you most feel alive? And, 2. What is it that you most want to get out of NHC? Following this exercise, everyone turned back into the circle and shared their answers. From the first question, members personal passions ranged from dance, their healing work, connecting with nature, learning, wisdom, spiritual awareness, relationship, yoga, and beyond. From the second question, the most common theme that emerged was...Community. A fellowship of kindred spirits and like-minded people offering members support, friendship, fun, wisdom, creativity, social connection, and self-expression. There were different variations on this theme, but Community was a central part of virtually everyones feedback. Person-to-person, authentic, enjoyable contact between people who share a higher vision for themselves and the world and who walk a path outside of the mainstream in significant ways. An organization like ours can place its focus outward to the public at large in a variety of ways. We did just that with this past weekends Wellness Fair at Newport Congregational Church, which drew over 70 people and raised $500.00 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center of Newport. And we may stage another Wellness Fair this fall at the same location. But were also a fairly large community that is still getting to know itself. As of this writing, we have 185 members, yet many have yet to gather in larger numbers at one time. The consensus last night is that it would be good to continue to get to know each other at our monthly Social Gatherings, Organizational Meetings, and Intention Circles. So while our larger potentials havent disappeared or been abandoned, at this stage our focus seems to be moving more within the NHC community itself, as it grows, finds its rhythm and identity, and cultivates the essence of community of and for itself. Were not turning away from the larger community outside NHC, but strengthening the part of it that we are -- by spending more time with each other in settings that ideally will provide a welcome alternative to often noisy, less-than-conscious environments common to the culture at large. Finding and celebrating ways to have fun with intention, share our stories, co-create, build webs of personal and vocational relationship, and continue on our individual and shared journeys with people of good will and consciousness. In that vein, youll see upcoming events posted in the Events section of the menu atop this page. Intention Circles, Social Gatherings, and Org Meetings will be the three primary focal points for the months ahead. Theres room to be creative with these gatherings as we welcome a warmer season, gather outside, partake in nature, and so on. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Lets find out what that feels like as we explore the Newport Holistic Community from the inside out. Thank you for being part of this group, and feel free to share your thoughts on its direction and potentials here now and in times to come. Peace...
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 23:10:11 +0000
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