Things are crazy!
I am getting the last few details worked out for Hillside's Men's Retreat coming up this weekend. I am co-leading the planning committee and we have been working on this project since March. We have 140 people signed up to attend. The weekend event is being held at Mt. Hermon Conference Center in the Santa Cruz mountains. We have a speaker flying in from Kansas and numerous activities, seminars, and testimonies planned. I'm just trying to nail down the last few things this week. This event is something I look forward to every year, but this week has been stained by some unfortunate news.
My project for new coffee at Hillside has been shut down. This may not sound like a big deal, but this has been a passion of mine for a year now. The coffee organization we have been working with is called Dominion Trading Co. This company is redefining how consumer dollars are spent. They donate 60% of their profits back to the Rift Valley in Ethiopia (were their coffee is grown) in the form of profit sharing, infrastructure investment, and church planting.
After some struggle for funding, much miscommunication, and some other unfortunate decisions, the support for this organization has been cut off. I am very disappointed.
I won't go into detail about the decision and the process. But I will say that this is another notch on my bed post of disappointment and frustration. I feel defeated. Part of what makes me most frustrated is that I know it doesn't have to be this way. The decision process did not have to occur like it did. I know I'm being vague, but talk to me in person for a further explanation.
5 comments:
I'm with you, pal! It's been a discouraging process, I know. Never forget, the big church organization isn't the real church. To the extent any group is trying to become the "next big thing" (which I think may be part of Hillside's problem), they're missing the point. You and your partners-in-exploration are still infecting people with seeds of a new vision. . .and that can't be cut off just because somebody jerks funding.
But meanwhile, you oughtta link to Dominion's website while you are talking about this. . .http://www.dominiontrading.com/
Thanks Dan! I think we need to pursue this again from a different angle and use this as a learning experience to help shift the culture of Hillside.
I think we need to learn from this and really examine how we dropped the ball on this. Because when it comes down to it, we told them we could deliver the funds and we didn't. So as bitter as I want to be, the more I think about it, the more I think it is mostly our fault. But we're not out. Did you call Kathy?
No, not yet. I'm too busy with Men's Retreat to think about it.
Post a Comment