COVID-19 Changes
During the last 48 hours conditions in our region have been changed dramatically by the COVID-19 virus. ONE Wake is proposing the following initial actions to ensure that we can continue organizing our power while also protecting those who are most vulnerable to infection.
1) Hold all Group Meetings via Conference Call
For the next four weeks (and we will reassess along the way), ONE Wake will hold all small and large group meetings via Zoom or conference call instead of face to face. One on one meetings will be held only when we can comply with the recommendations of medical professionals about physical distance, staying away when sick, etc.
Meetings impacted by this change include:
- Monday, March 16 Affordable Housing Team Meeting (7:00 PM);
- Wednesday, March 18 Education Team Meeting (7:00 PM);
- Thursday, March 19 Clergy Team (Institutional Leaders) Meeting (10:00 AM);
- Thursday, March 26 Internal Assembly (7:30 PM).
2) Create Communications Team
The current need for social distancing is an opportunity to use technology in a relational and powerful manner through tapping into online training, face to face video conferences, Facetime, Facebook live, relational phone banking, and conference calls. To this end, ONE Wake is organizing a new Communications Team to help harness the creativity and skills of our leaders and members in this arena.
Please sign up via the link below if you are interested in participating in this new team and exploring how best to use technology within ONE Wake.
https://www.onewake.org/research_action_team_signup
3) Continue to Save the Dates for the April 30 Internal Assembly and our May 31 Founding Assembly.
How we proceed this spring will be determined by the current state of the COVID-19 virus in our area and the most up to date recommendations of public health professionals. For now, please continue to hold these important dates on your calendar.
Questions? Please contact us at wakeorganizing@gmail.com
New Priorities, New Name, Next Steps!
Report from 12.05 Internal Assembly
Over 200+ leaders from 32 institutions attended the Wake County Sponsors internal assembly last Thursday night at Common Thread Church (formerly North Raleigh Community Church).
Leaders reported the completion of listening sessions that engaged over 1,000 additional people since the October 29 Internal Assembly. In total, the listening session campaign has engaged 3,197 people from diverse communities to identify the top pressures facing families across the county. Those in attendance unanimously agreed to select one priority per every 1,000 people involved in listening sessions.
Leadership teams from all institutions present then voted to prioritize one additional concern for research and action: Living Wages / Access to Quality Jobs. Education and Affordable Housing were selected as organizing priorities at the previous internal assembly on October 29.
Finally, all institutions present voted for the permanent, legal name of the organization: ONE Wake!
Next Steps
Leaders pledged to take the following actions at the conclusion of the meeting:
1) Deliver 90 leaders to attend training on Saturday, January 18 to learn how to develop effective issue campaigns to address our priority concerns.
It was clarified that this training is aimed at equipping members of participating institutions with the roles they need to translate the three initial priorities into actionable, winnable grassroots issue campaigns.
2) Turn out 116 leaders to attend a Countywide Leaders meeting on Thursday, January 30.
During this meeting the Countywide Leader’s Caucus will be divided into three teams (one for each of the three priorities) and will work with the help of organizers to develop clear and shared next steps.
Please review your institution's pledges via the attached pledge form here.
Upcoming Events
How to Organize Effective Issue Campaigns
Saturday, January 18, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Common Thread Church (formerly North Raleigh Community Church)
1417 Clifton St, Raleigh
Confirm your attendance here
ONE Wake Countywide Leaders Meeting
Thursday, January 30, 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Common Thread Church (formerly North Raleigh Community Church)
1417 Clifton St, Raleigh
Confirm your attendance here
Questions?
Contact us at wakeorganizing@gmail.com
Listening Session Resources
In Progress: WCS Listening Session Campaign
All across Wake County institutional leaders are organizing house meetings as part of the Wake County Sponsors listening session campaign. This campaign is designed to engage 4,000 county residents in house meetings to identify new leaders and to surface the top pressures facing their families and communities. Since April, over 220 leaders have attended IAF University to learn the skills necessary to engage at least 100 members of their community in this process.
The listening session campaign will conclude at a WCS internal assembly on Tuesday, October 29, 7:30 - 9:30 PM. During our internal assembly, leaders will review the broad categories of concerns raised during the campaign and will vote to form our first grassroots agenda (download the Wake County Sponsors timeline here).
This campaign represents a crucial phase for our organizing initiative. Read more below to learn how you can organize a house meeting in your community and shape our future grassroots agenda.
Listening Session Resources
Below is a list of listening session resources and handouts from IAF University with brief explanations for each. Click on each title to download the corresponding .pdf file. This information will be permanently hosted on our website here:
Core Teams are the basic unit of power within every IAF organization. Core Teams are broad based. They are made up of the leaders who organize and regularly deliver the major constituencies that comprise your institution: ministries, committees, choir, hospitality, membership, etc. Core Teams will be the driving force behind organizing listening sessions in your community.
So, who should be on my Core Team? An Internal Power Analysis is your tool to identify the top leaders in your institution, and to understand how power works and how decisions are made. A good Internal Power Analysis is your map to start building relationships with potential Core Team leaders in your community.
House Meetings are at their core a tool to do two important things in your institution: to identify new, potential leaders for development; and to identify the top concerns that impact them, their family, or their community. House Meetings require 10 - 12 participants, a facilitator, and a note taker.
Please use the following report form to record the results of your house meeting. Completed forms should be sent to wakeorganizing@gmail.com.
Effective Organizing for Congregational Renewal
The above tools are central to our ability to organize power and win big victories on the top pressures facing our community. But they are also equally effective as tools for internal congregational and institutional development. In this small booklet available from ACTA publications, senior IAF organizers and leaders explain how these tools are used to develop leaders and grow our institutions. The booklet includes five case studies from participating institutions across the United States.
Questions?
Contact us at wakeorganizing@gmail.com.
Progress Report and Next Steps (Fall 2018)
Close to 150 leaders from 24 institutions across Wake County attended our leaders meeting on September 6 at Martin St Baptist Church in Raleigh.
Leaders reported that they held 790 relational meetings within their institutions over the course of the summer. These meetings are part of our shared goal to strengthen the bonds of trust, reciprocity and accountability among leaders participating in this effort (see here for more information about relational meetings).
To further this goal, Wake County leaders agreed to participate in a second phase of relational meetings across institutions. Leaders pledged to deliver 497 of their members to attend relational meeting events between their institutions by December 1. To this end diverse institutions have been clustered together across divides of race, faith, and geography.
The agreement is that leaders of the clustered institutions will create a plan to meet in fellowship, thinking creatively about ways in which a team of 20-50 leaders from each institution might relate to each other. For example, leaders of these clustered institutions can plan a shared meal, a worship service, or theological discussion. The structure is a two hour event, with enough time for participants to share two, thirty minute long relational meetings with members from different institutions.
In addition to the two meetings that will take place at the shared event, it was agreed that each participant would schedule at least two additional relational meetings to be held at a later date.
Please follow the link below to review your cluster, the contact person for your institution, and the pledged number of participants from your institution. This spreadsheet reflects the information that was given at the Sept. 6 meeting.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wqu-boymnQ-HzDoxkq7cHaOnxRhr1fnrpfubB2URV70/edit?usp=sharing
Please contact us at wakeorganizing@gmail.com if you have any questions. See pictures from the event here.