Voices of the Abode: Living the Vision
Greetings beloved friends,
As the summer ends here in New Lebanon, we are experiencing cool nights and mornings. The afternoons, still warm with sunny blue skies, are filled with crisp and breezy bursts of fresh air indicating a change of seasons. As the Abode’s first independent summer fundraising campaign is also nearing its end, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank you for your open-hearted donations.
Our Abode Board continues to meet weekly with additional committee meetings addressing various aspects, such as finance, revenue generation, and property management. I never thought that while serving on the Abode Board in retirement I would continue to draw so much upon what I learned in my career. My primary objective is to provide as much information as possible to all of the stakeholders who want to see the Abode thrive.
The Board has accomplished a lot since last January when we volunteered to help move the Abode toward an organization independent of but still connected to the Inayati Order. Very significantly, we brought in Al Bellenchia, a seasoned leader and manager with the expertise necessary to effectively guide and direct day-to-day operations. We expect his strong marketing background will help us to bring the Sufi message to a wider audience, bringing more people to visit the Abode and attend programs. Al and a small but talented staff are tangibly moving us forward towards a number of goals addressed in his letter of last week.
The Abode founders and Pir Vilayat placed in our collective custody a beautiful, mystical and magical place. It is a weighty and important responsibility to maintain the heritage of 350 acres of sacred land and historic Shaker buildings. We are extremely thankful for the many donations that continue to help to care for this Sufi treasure.
Speaking to the stewardship of this special place, we recently asked current residents, staff, volunteers, and lovers of the Abode about the experience of living and embodying the Abode’s vision, and captured their thoughts in the attached video: “Visions of the Abode.”
We hope that the beautiful and inspiring words and images will move you to give generously during these last days of our Summer Appeal. Please see the video at the bottom of this email or by visiting the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Please know that we welcome your thoughts and ideas about these important and ongoing efforts.
With many blessings and much appreciation,
Nasreen Linda Moayedi
Chair
Board of Trustees