It's been a bit quiet on the blog lately--my apologies (this is Jeff writing). The Strategic Planning Committee have been busy beavers, but our work hasn't exactly been easy to summarize. We're in that soup of confusion that contains a few meaty chunks of insight--and we've been trying to sort it all out.
Our work has centered on trying to identify the major issues KCC needs to address in the next 3-5 years. It's a process of sifting and sorting and--painfully--choosing. Those of you who were at the SWOT meeting know that the Sangha identified dozens of potential opportunities for us to pursue, from securing a new urban center to setting up hospice care. The SPC has to take that huge pool of suggestions (plus even more we came up with), sort them into categories, and see what needs immediate attention. We've been meeting as a group on our regular Monday night sessions (see schedule in the left-hand column) and also in smaller groups to continue chewing on these issues.
Things are beginning to come ever so slowly into focus. At a smaller group meeting this Sunday, we dug into one issue very deeply--a new urban center. We tried a thought experiment where we looked forward 50 years to see what that facility looked like and how it complemented SCOL. Our idea was that this might help shed light on some of the other issues we've been considering, like the finances and fundraising, teacher support and succession, and the menu of programs. It worked!
By building SCOL, KCC has embraced an ambitious vision that will require quite a bit of financial and volunteer/staff support in coming years. How would an urban center help provide that? How would the urban center interact functionally with the retreat center at SCOL? Would it make sense to have an urban center that had residential space for people coming in and out of retreat or for people who want to have a quasi-monastic live/volunteer arrangement at an urban center? Could we keep the current house at 73 NE Monroe as residential space and get a small meeting hall with offices elsewhere?
The thought experiment led us in the direction of having a residential component. It also awakened our awareness of the sharp increase we'll have in expenses, as SCOL and a new urban center come with attached costs. Of course, it also opens the possibility of a much more integrated fabric of programs, which is the exciting part--and the reason we began this project in the first place.
I invite you to try out the thought experiment yourself. The year is 2062, and KCC is a wonderful, self-sustaining center with an urban and retreat site. What do those facilities look like to you? What programs and retreats are happening? How does the center pay for itself? How big is the community? Where do teachers come from? Allow yourself to think of all the possibilities--a monastery, hospice, school, whatever makes the vision sing to you. What's your vision?
Jeff, I really love the way San Francisco Zen Center integrates its urban center(s) along with its remote monastic centers. Has anyone from the board visited or talked to our southern relatives in the Zen community? Their model seems pretty amazing (and complex yet from an outside observer's perspective it hums along) and inspiring. They definitely find a way to invite in complete neophytes as well as service residents and practitioners who choose to spend their entire life in the monastic community.
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