From Robert Mays – President.
At this time of St. John’s Festival, I want to expand on my earlier comments about the Board’s role in the Branch and in the cultural and spiritual sphere.
The first point is to recognize that every part of our Branch lies within the cultural sphere of the Threefold Social Order. The Branch’s activities range very broadly, for example:
- Providing charitable assistance to individuals (e.g. the Heart Fund)
- Promoting anthroposophical ideas to the public (e.g. support for Foundation Studies programs; sponsoring and organizing lectures, workshops and artistic presentations for the public as well as the members; encouraging and supporting independent workshops and presentations)
- Supporting the life of anthroposophical study (e.g. support for study groups, maintaining the Phoenix Library, sponsoring lectures and presentations primarily for members)
- Supporting our community life together (e.g. sponsoring and organizing celebrations of the festivals, encouraging parties and other social gatherings during the year, developing a Branch home)
- Supporting community life in harmony with the greater communities that we connect with (e.g. coordination of calendars among the First Class, the Waldorf School, the Christian Community, etc.)
- Supporting the development of broader anthroposophical initiatives (e.g. Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophical healing arts)
The Board of the Branch has a central role in all of these activities and so has a central role in the cultural life of the Branch.
Responsibility to the members and the larger society
As the elected body of our Branch, the Board members are each individually and collectively responsible to the members of the Branch and to the larger society for all that happens within the Branch.
When an event is “sponsored” by the Branch, the Board bears the legal responsibility and the liability for that activity. For example, a festival such as St. John’s Festival, with the gathering of members and friends from the broader communities with their families, the sharing of food, and the activities and the bonfire next to the pond – these present potential for accidents and therefore liability.
The Board is also answerable and accountable to the membership, so that our events are not only safe but enjoyable and meaningful.
Moreover, the Board must exercise fiduciary care in managing the funds of the Branch, particularly in undertaking sponsorship of large events – such as a series of eurythmy performances – to insure that the activities will not lose money but actually strengthen the Branch financially.
Finally, it is not possible for the Board – as the body elected by the members and the legal governing body of the Branch – to delegate these responsibilities to another group existing independent of the Board.
Insuring Freedom in the Cultural Sphere
One of the basic principles of the Threefold Social Order is that of freedom as applied to cultural activities. Here, too, the Board has a role to insure that all initiatives, whether sponsored by the Branch or brought by an individual or group, may be undertaken in freedom.
This means that the Board needs to be open to, support and encourage all initiatives that members and friends of the Branch wish to pursue. When there are questions or concerns, the Board, as the elected representatives of the membership, becomes the final arbiter of what initiatives receive support and sponsorship.
The Board is also charged with coordinating Branch activities and managing the Branch Calendar. We will designate a Board member to coordinate and manage the many activities in the Branch and the wider communities (the Waldorf School, the Christian Community, etc.) so that date conflicts can be identified and resolved or minimized.
Sponsored Festivals and Events for the Branch and other Cultural Initiatives
The Festivals Committee of the Board has for many years organized the Branch-sponsored festival celebrations. Similarly the Events Committee of the Board has organized Branch-sponsored events such as lectures, workshops, artistic performances and conferences. We recognize the good work of the Cultural Initiatives Circle (CIC) and look forward to having them continue to organize many festivals and other events. We have appointed Board member Judy Frey to act as liaison from the Board to this Circle.
From Lynn Jericho’s email to the asnc-members listserv on May 30, we see the CIC seeking to take sole responsibility for a number of Branch initiatives. In addition, Edward Schuldt has presented a proposal for an entirely different structure for cultural initiatives.
The Board needs to consider these ideas and to have discussions with the CIC and with Edward. If we are to adopt a new form for the management and coordination of Branch cultural activities, then all Branch members will need to have a say in those changes. And the members should continue to have a say – directly or indirectly – in who is entrusted to manage and coordinate the cultural activities.
Regardless of what changes are made, as the body with ultimate responsibility for the activities of the Branch, the Board needs to maintain its oversight of all officially sponsored or recognized activities.
