One of the things I most love about having served one congregation for over a decade is that the platform experience–the part that could be seen as just me talking at people–truly becomes a conversation, often one that lasts over months and that informs how I think and what we do as a community together. 

How does that happen? Well, there’s the obvious: each week, Community Sharing offers people who have been listening the opportunity to share their responses. I’ve been to some places where this time becomes a way to nitpick at the platform (“I didn’t like paragraph three, five minutes in, where you said…”), but at WES I find that it has more of the flavor of reflection and enhancement. Sometimes I will be so moved by something shared in the 9:30 Community Sharing that I will incorporate it into the platform (with proper credit, of course!) at 11:30! 

People also continue the conversation with me later, sending emails or talking with me after they’ve watched the platform on line. Occasionally I’ll hear from a member who has had time to “catch up” on old platforms…once someone wanted to reflect on a platform from three years earlier, that she’d just had the chance to listen to! Luckily I still sort of remembered what I said. And of course people also send me emails or talk with me about what they *wish* I would do a platform on, and frequently those ideas inspire me for my own work, or lead me to invite a special guest to speak. We have one of those coming up in November: a question during the August “Ask Me Anything” platform had to do with compassion fatigue, and I’ll be addressing that idea as we explore the theme of Attention. 

I also love exploring new ways to keep the platform conversation going, and to make it accessible to more people. Of course there’s the livestream and videos of platforms–and now we have added, thanks to Cynna Janus’ idea and leadership, a program called “Just the Talk.” On the last Friday of every month, at 1pm, I offer, well, just the talk. I give a recent platform that elicited good conversation, or I preview an upcoming platform, or sometimes we dig out a platform from the archives. After the platform, the group gathered has discussion–more of a give-and-take than we can do during Sunday’s Community Sharing. Our next Just the Talk is on Friday, October 27, and I hope you’ll join us! For this one, we’re looking back at a platform I gave a while ago, exploring the serious and the playful sides of Ethical Culture. 

Whether you’re an every-Sunday-attender, an online platform watcher (we love it when you comment so we know you’re there!), or a Just the Talk devotee, I hope you will continue participating in the conversation that is our platform. It’s a conversation that I, our clergy intern Laura, and all of our guest speakers love to have with you. 

~Amanda