Dear friends,
There are moments in the life of a community when it becomes important to pause—not to look back with nostalgia, nor to rush ahead with solutions—but to listen more deeply for what is already alive among us.
This is one of those moments.
On Saturday, May 16, we will gather for a Community Summit: Celebrating @ The ’House: Sharing Community Wisdom Across the Generations from 9am-4pm—a day shaped not around problems to solve, but around the wisdom, relationships, and possibilities already present in this place we share.
From the “bees knees” to “bussin’,” from “groovy” to “lit,” each generation carries its own language for joy, meaning, and connection. Beneath those words is something enduring: a desire to belong, to contribute, and to help shape a future worth inhabiting—together.
This summit is an invitation to bring that wisdom into the room.
Our time will follow the 5D cycle of Appreciative Inquiry—Define, Discover, Dream, Design, and Deliver—a process grounded in a simple but powerful conviction: what we choose to pay attention to grows.
Rather than beginning with what is broken, Appreciative Inquiry begins with what gives life. It invites us to:
- Discover the moments when this community has been most alive
- Dream what might be possible if those moments became more the norm
- Design together the pathways that could carry us there
- And Deliver—not as a plan imposed, but as a future co-created
We are choosing this approach because we believe something essential: that when we gather from a place of gratitude, curiosity, and shared possibility, new futures become imaginable—and therefore, possible.
This is not a spectator event. It is a shared act of creation.
Whether you have been part of the community for years, or are newly finding your way here… whether you come with stories, questions, or simply a willingness to listen—you are part of the whole we are becoming.
All are welcome. Ages 12 and up are especially encouraged to join us, as we intentionally weave together the voices and perspectives of multiple generations.
More details will follow shortly. For now, we invite you to register on our website, mark your calendar—and begin to listen for the moments, memories, and hopes you might bring.
Because the future of this community is not something we will decide for you. It is something we will discover—together.
With anticipation,
Deborah Rundlett
Founding Director, The Meetinghouse
