March 4, 2007 1 FIC Events This Month 2 Community Bookshelf Titles At Sale Prices 3 Communities Magazine Issues 4 More Guests At Our Fellowship's Potluck Table ________________________________________________________________ 1 FIC EVENTS THIS MONTH FIC Semi-Annual Organizational Meeting, Afton VA ________________________________________________________________ FELLOWSHIP FOR INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY SPRING ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING Open to the public, as are all of our organization meetings. Friday-Sunday, March 23-25, 2007 Hosted by Shannon Farm Community, Afton, VA Join us for our 20th anniversary organizational meeting! Help us raise a glass in celebration of what we've accomplished in our first two decades, and then turning around and mapping out what's ahead. During the business portion of our three days together we'll be talking about 5-year plans for our family of Websites, Regional Networking, and Creating Community Where You Are. We'll also be considering a community event in Austin, TX next fall, selecting new board members, reviewing the final numbers for 2006, and taking a good look at all the exciting changes with Communities magazine. It'll be a chance to meet the folks behind the scene who are helping shape and describe the Communities Movement today, as well as defining its relevance in a world rife with tension and alienation. There's always room for one more at the table, and who knows--maybe you'll find a program or committee where your energy or talents are an irresistible match ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING SCHEDULE: Friday, March 23 FIC Organizational Meeting begins at 9am Sunday, March 25 Closing Circle around 5pm LOCATION, FEE, AND REGISTRATION: We will be meeting and sharing meals in Shannon Farm's community center. Sleeping will be dispersed among community member's homes. The total space available in homes is about 25 people with floor space in the community center and a few camping spots around the building. The fee is $25 per day per person. Meals start with breakfast on Friday and go through dinner on Sunday. Folks who choose to stay off-site are welcome to participate in meals, snacks, meetings, and evening events for the $25 per day mentioned above. REGISTRATION DEADLINE is March 9, 2007. TO REGISTER for the meeting and more information, contact Jenny Upton of Shannon Farm Community in central Virginia 434-361-1417 (after 5pm eastern time zone) jenny at ic dot org Please include arrival and departure dates as well as any food allergies. http://fic.ic.org/org_mtgs.php ________________________________________________________________ 2 COMMUNITY BOOKSHELF TITLES AT SALE PRICES Featured by Catherine Nicosia, Community Bookshelf Manager ________________________________________________________________ FEATURED BOOKSHELF TITLE AT SALE PRICE Reviewed by Catherine Nicosia, Community Bookshelf Manager HOW TO MAKE COLLABORATION WORK: Powerful Ways to Build Consensus, Solve Problems and Make Decisions by David Strauss 2002; 250 pages; 8.5" x 5.5"; paperback; ISBN:1-57675-128-7 Doing projects or working out agreements with others can sometimes be a frustrating and draining experience. How to Make Collaboration Work provides the antidote. The author offers principles that can help any size group make better decisions and really function in an effective way. Each principle outlined in the text really helps to address the challenges faced by those wanting to collaborate on a meaningful level and each of the principles can also be applied to any situation that calls for problem-solving. David Straus' fine book is useful for anyone involved in groups, whether in small ones made up of individuals, in organizations or in communities He covers it all, from the most basic details of how to arrange your meeting space to how to facilitate the most fruitful interchanges between participants. Throughout the book, his warm personality, absolute candor, and wealth of anecdotes make his principles easy to understand and absorb. I highly recommend this title as an essential learning tool and reference. Price $16.00 Special Price $12.00 ---------- http://store.ic.org/catalog/specials.php Shipping/handling 3.00 S/H for first item (combo counts as one item) 1.00 S/H for each additional item Shop online for lower shipping rates, more shipping options, and more sale items. http://store.ic.org/catalog/specials.php S/H prices are for Standard Mail postal delivery within US. Information, catalog, ordering http://store.ic.org/bookshelf Community Bookshelf RR 1 Box 156 Rutledge MO 63563 800-995-8342 bookshelf at ic dot org ________________________________________________________________ 3 COMMUNITIES MAGAZINE ISSUES Current Winter & Upcoming Issues ________________________________________________________________ THE CURRENT WINTER ISSUE #133 was mailed to subscribers in the third week of December. The theme for that issue was Helping Your Local Economy Thrive. THE SPRING ISSUE #134. Communities magazine editor Diana Leafe Christian reports that the upcoming Spring issue is packed with good ideas for communities and people who visit them, as the issue is devoted to exploring the experiences communities have with interns, work exchangers, and residential course participants -- and the experiences these folks have in communities. Here's the Spring issue Table of Contents: SPECIAL FEATURE: Temporary Communitarians Short-Term Communitarians Community Interns and Work Exchangers Interns and Work Exchangers in Community Sustainable Learning Opportunities in Community WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD. . . Diana Leafe Christian WHAT INTERNS & WORK EXCHANGERS SAY . . . About Us Communities magazine asks interns, work exchangers, and residential course participants what they think of us. Do our programs deliver what our websites promise? Are they comfortably housed and fed? Do we treat them well? Darin Fenger. * What's in a Name? * Advice for Community Hosts * Planning Your Own Community Adventure? IS HOSTING WORK EXCHANGERS WORTH IT? After learning what works and what doesn't work in hosting a labor-trade program, La'akea community in Hawai'i concludes the rewards far outweigh the challenges. Dona Willoughby. HELLO, GOODBYE Jules Pelican of OAEC in northern California examines the mutual influence of interns and community members. Is it painful to invest emotional energy in people who will soon leave? Does living in community, even temporarily, nevertheless benefit people? NATURAL BUILDING BLUES: LESSONS FROM A COMMUNITY INTERNSHIP Natural building teacher Mark Mazziotti looks at how what could have been a stellar intern program went awry. HOW I LEARNED TO HUG A WINDMILL College senior Sarah Steinberg offers an inside look at 14 unforgettable weeks of the Findhorn Community Semester. GOOD MEETINGS When Some of Us Don't Support an Existing Agreement Expert advice from five different community process and communication consultants-- Bea Briggs, Laird Schaub, Tree Bressen, Caroline Estes, and Karl Steyaert. SEEKING COMMUNITY "A Community that Cherishes You" Community visitor Chris McClellan arrived in time to witness kindly support for a member in need that underscores why so many of us seek this more caring way of life. FOUNDING COMMUNITY "I Slept and Dreamt that Life Was Joy" After 20 years of offering free hospice care and other kinds of local service programs, members of the award-winning Center for Purposeful Living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, began their own residential intentional community. Joseph Kilpatrick COMMUNITY WHERE YOU ARE: WISE Circles: Nonresidential Communities of Support for Women A small group of women friends in northern California created an informal community of support for their later years--and so can you. WISE Circles founder Doreen Blumenfeld explains how. ---------- COMING in the summer issue #135: Are We Growing Most of Our Own Food Yet? ---------- Get a sample issue, renew or subscribe here http://store.ic.org//communities/sample.php http://store.ic.org/cmag Sample issues $4 plus $3 S/H by US standard mail. Shop online for lower shipping rates and more shipping options. Subscriptions one year 4 issues $20 US :: $24 Canada :: $26 Other Order by phone fax or mail FIC * 138 Twin Oaks Rd * Louisa VA 23093 800-462-8240 fax 540-894-4112 ________________________________________________________________ 4 MORE GUESTS AT OUR FELLOWSHIP'S POTLUCK TABLE ________________________________________________________________ Do you have the sense that more and more people are seeking and finding community in their lives? You're right! This year the FIC served up fresh and tasty community fare to more people than ever before. In the past we could offer only our print directory to those looking for a community home, or to communities hoping to attract new members. Now, the number of communities listed in our searchable online database continues to grow, meaning better information that's accessible to more of our audience. Even the media seems to be noticing our communities more lately. We've been offering a more appealing menu by adding interactive maps to our online database, streamlining our print Communities Directory, and upgrading the relevance and appearance of Communities magazine. You, our friends and supporters, have responded by purchasing our products and joining our nonprofit. This in turn helps cover the costs of providing our products and services. What are you bringing to the table now? Please consider making a donation to FIC today--or joining us as a member. The more the merrier! For more info on member benefits and to join online using our secure server go to http://store.ic.org/membership To request a membership form by mail, or to email, or to talk with a human, contact us at RR 1 Box 156 Rutledge MO 63563 800-995-8342 fic at ic dot org To learn more about the mission of the organization visit http://fic.ic.org/index.html Many thanks from all of us in the Fellowship.