20160622 – Strategy Team Meeting June 22-23, 2016

Present: Kirit Macwan, Mary Beth Stein, Clyde Christofferson, and Rene Reid

Here is the summary of our Strategy Team meeting today:

1. Opening prayer (Mary Beth)
2. Following our newsletter of last week, it was agreed to send a personalized group email to organizational contacts this week. Recognizing the importance of this email going out to 315 representatives of reform groups, those on the call offered further edits. Advisors were asked to read the e-mail and offer any amendments Our goal is to tap into what other groups are doing or may be encouraged to do to hold local gatherings promoting the topics that are significant to their group and to make it a collaborative effort.  The CCRI role is to support what they are doing under their own banners and share all these good grass roots activities so that their common Spirit is amplified and heard around the world.
   1. We’ve agreed to have the full ST sign the email. Christina and Scilla, please check your signature and indicate if you want anything changed describing your affiliation with a group. If there are Advisors who would like to be included as signers of this email, your added voice from various parts of the world would add credibility. Please include the group, if any, with which you are affiliated. Any further editorial changes to the email before it goes out?
   2. As you host a meeting, be sure to post the outcome under report gathering form on our website.
   3. Rene will send out an advanced email to a small number of key heads of groups prior to this email going out to all group reps.
3. Proposal to support a petition promoting an Ecumenical Council to Pope Francis
1. It was agreed to support our advisor, Vincenzo Maria Rosario Chianese from Italy, in this effort by sending out a press release and tying it to the pope’s current visit to Armenia.
4. Suggestion that we move forward and, along with CTA, support Sr. Jeannine Gramick and the Sisters of Notre Dame by posting the Groundswell petition on our website.
5. Support newly appointed Bishop in Australia via a press release. It was agreed to issue a press release supporting Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM as the newly appointed Bishop of Parramatta. He represents the kind of bishop of which we need more appointed. David Timbs had sent information by e-mail
6. Effort to move meaningful discussions among the advisors over to the blog.
   1. JanStephen and Carol Harris are working to move discussions of global interest – such as we have had over the past couple of weeks – over to the blog: http://catholicchurchreform.com/blog/. At first, until everyone becomes accustomed to using the blog, it will require that the Advisors be notified by clicking “reply all” that there is an ongoing discussion on the blog and clicking the appropriate link. Would Advisors be willing to sign up on the blog to be notified when there is a comment posted so that meaningful discussions will have a broader audience?