Kelly,
I want to respond and update you. I shared your ideas with the Publicity and Promotion committee and the Board. They like a number of your ideas and want to try to move ahead with them. I am sending a copy to Ron Johnson to get his thoughts. Ron is much more integral to this that Rising Sun.
We are considering how we can centralize communications during the week. There are some other factors to consider, but the idea of one place to give information is appealing to everyone. Doing that electronically and getting the information back out to all the venues is more difficult.
There is enthusiasm about the back page of the chatter being specific to different groups. We
will talk to the different program coordinators to get their ideas. We can't afford to enlarge the staff by more than one person, and the extra staff time needed to make this work may be more than that. Maybe we will move forward with a back page for one or two groups, or on a couple of days.
It looks like your idea of a conference program is going to be implemented. The office will try to work ahead on this.
Finally, regarding whether you are going to be the Chatter Coordinator... As I have sought discernment on this I decided to ask a person who recently express some interest in this area to me to pray about the position. I shared your e-mail with him and asked him to consider.
I will contact him the week after Easter. I decided that if there is someone to take the Chatter forward, then I should allow you to return to
young adults.
Keep praying yourself. I will be in touch after Easter.
Don
Obviously I came back. Here's the next e-mail from Don.
Kelly,
I am going to need your help as Chatter coordinator. The person who had some interest in doing the Chatter has considered and doesn't feel he is the one to implement your vision. You are the one who can best develop the idea of a different
back page for different groups. So, I hope that you will return to the Chatter for another year.
Thanks.
Don
Next letter is from me. I couldn't remember the name of my fabulous friend, Phyllis. More on her next week. You'll see me go for it at the end with a big request. I figured it never hurt to ask...
Don,
Sorry for the tardy response My access to this email account has been
spotty. Of course I will be glad to return to run the chatter. I know
that the secret to success will be in what I get accomplished before I
ever arrive in New Wilmington. My hope is to pull this off with minimal
staff. I was thrilled with the help I got last year from Emily. She
brought a friend that simply volunteered her time. I have a suspicion
that we can get the whole job done without creating more staff
positions. I believe that every area of conference will have a staff
member that can be given the duty of chatter liason. This doesn't even
have to be a staff member, it could be a delegate. Emily's friend
brought all of the information regarding the choir, for example.
The key will be providing a
space for people to drop in, gather their
thoughts, and submit ideas, articles, or interviews. I don't think I
can ask a volunteer to keep regular office hours. I do think that I can
split them with one other person, however, and have a more enjoyable,
relaxed conference experience.
Lastly, let me say that I respond to this call with great joy.
Running with Grace,
Kelly
PS Do you think I could live with the YAs again? More importantly, I
need to live on the floor with the summer service group. I have had
this privilege for the past three years and I'm not ready to let go.
Next week I'll show you how Phyllis wrote her great piece for Friday's chatter on inviting adults to conference.
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