Church Elections, Work Efforts, RPG News

[tcpip]

Alas, I failed in my bid to be elected chairperson of the Unitarian Church. Like any person who can count heads, I knew the result before the ballot papers had entered the box (as those sitting near me would testify). The system was of course, rather stacked in favour of the incumbent; only the secretary has access to the membership list, there were several people in attendance who I did not have the opportunity to contact as a result, and the service was given by the current chairperson and the address by the current secretary. Despite all this, if three people had voted differently I would have been successful. In any case, it is patently obvious where the future of the Church is heading and despite the result I am going to make every effort to ensure that the promises I made are implemented. Because it is not about me (despite the obsessions of some), it's about the organisation.

Apart from this I've been pushing myself a little hard at work of late. Today was mostly spent at Ballarat University where I presented for a short-time with a live demonstration of how to use a clustered computing system using with some pretty graphics (ubiquitin proteins). I am also working through an intermediate Linux and HPC coursebook which, when combined with some other courses that VPAC offers, will become part of a professional certificate offered by Swinburne which is a plan that has been sitting in the pipeline for a couple of years now. Current battles involve getting some performance enhancements out of VASP, the weird licensing for CGAL, the submit functions for an install of Matlab 2010B DCS, and multi-threading with R. Seriously, I love my job....

Michael finished his session of Krononauts last Sunday, including having to resolve the difficult question of what happens when you operate a time machine within a time machine. Looking forward to the Britannia-Pendragon campaign planned by the same which starts next Monday. [K,C]arl is putting the finishing touches as guest editor on the next edition of RPG Review, a special aliens and animals issue which will also include an interview with Steffan O'Sullivan; I am yet to complete my articles on Environmental Quirks and MouseGuard Warhammer..

Comments

[recumbenteer.livejournal.com]

Commiserations on not getting elected.
Still your platform had elements that can be progressed without needing office bearer authority. Your desire to attract new younger members, for example does not necessarily require sanction from the executive.

Proselytize - Find people who 'nondescript theists' - people who see some sense of agency in creation but don't identify with the judeo-christian understanding of God.
Then encourage them to express this ambivalence with fellow fence sitters on a Sunday.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I'll be doing the best I can to implement the platform, even something as trivial as introducing new members requires (of course) approval from the CoM. Fortunately there is sufficient people of good sense on that body that realise that new members are absolutely necessary if the organisation is to survive.

The potential net that could be cast is large; not only does the Unitarian philosophy accept 'nondescript theists', it also is very open to 'spiritual atheists'. Given that the Atheist Society and the Existentialist Society both use the premises for their monthly meetings it should be an absolute no-brainer to get new people involved.

The effort required really isn't that great. What may be a problem is just a dash of paranoia that some may have the concept of new faces being present among the congregation. It is sufficiently small that even a half-dozen new people would be perceived as a potential take-over bid.

There are two alternatives being offered; either have no new members and face gradual decline (which is the current situation) or recruit so many new people that the concerns become irrelevant.

I think I'll go for the second option...

[recumbenteer.livejournal.com]

Well at least they aren't shakers - they had a restrictive membership and very strict celibacy rules. In many places shaker communities died out for want of offspring.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Now there's an example of a community that aren't holy rock-n-rollers...

I wonder whatever has happened to all their real estate? Are there six celibate aging multimillionaires in some backwater village in New England?

[sebastianne.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about the election, their loss really, but hopefully your campaigning will raise awareness of the issues which will ultimately benefit the organsiation ~ And it raises the opportunity for many amusing occaisons where you can hold the elected person 'ferociously accountable' for their decisions ;)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Decisions?! Perish the thought... :)

But seriously my greatest concerns is that the organisation will trundle along in the coming year without any sense or desire for expansion or even an attempt to do things differently. Habit, the greatest social inertia, is the cause of many organisations stagnating and this one is no different.

The challenge for the current executive is whether they will stand in the way of progress, and for how much longer they intend to do so. A great line I picked up on another forum:

"You can’t prevaricate on important things. Say what you think. Lead, follow, or get out of the way."

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Despair not. The fight for your ideas doesnt end with losing an election.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

No despair here. Indeed it is just the beginning. So many people have commented "well, you came so close maybe they'll start paying attention"..

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

That, too. Look at it from the other side: you got the 2nd place! :)