Telemachus Fall 2015

By Rick Woolworth in Newsletter on November 30, 2015

FALL 2015

Telemachus is celebrating five years of bringing experienced and emerging leaders together in intergenerational friendships. We are grateful for and encouraged by this engaged community and your commitment to each other. We look forward to seeing these relationships strengthen as lives continue to transform, flourish and impact those around you.

Reflections

As I reflect on our first five years together, I am more aware than ever of the mentoring gap in our culture. Today’s complexities present a unique challenge and opportunity. We know the challenges all too well: the 24/7 pace, lack of connection and support between the generations, technology, and more.Looking forward, I am excited by how well-positioned Telemachus is to meet this need for our emerging leaders. We have been connecting emerging and senior leaders – women, men, singles, couples – at our Annual Gathering, workshops, local meetings and ad hoc events. We are seeing lives transformed and the generative impact on individuals, families, organizations and broader communities. By encouraging our emerging leaders to become mentors themselves, we aspire to create a multiplier effect where mentoring becomes a cultural norm. I invite you to become active participants in this community by:

continuing the conversations that have already begun with those in both generations,
connecting with others in your area and considering ways to more regularly get together as a regional group,
seeking opportunities to begin mentoring if you haven’t already,
considering people you know who could benefit from and contribute to the Telemachus community. Questions and suggestions may be submitted to [email protected].

Thank you for your friendship and partnership. I wish you and your families a blessed Thanksgiving.

Rick Woolworth

2015 ANNUAL GATHERING

We returned to The Gasparilla Inn October 8 to 11 in Boca Grande, FL for T5. Over 120 gathered for inspired teaching by Matt Russell, Amy Julia Becker, Jena Lee Nardella, Suzanne Stabile and Ian Cron, powerful worship and music led by Marcus Hummon and Cindy Morgan, and authentic sharing from a number of members from both generations of the Telemachus family. Meaningful connections were made, renewed and strengthened during the time together.

We heard messages that challenged our ideas about identity, perfection, failure, the cultural impact of a network of leaders, and how God can transform our pain and suffering as an offering to the world around us.

SAVE THE DATE: 2016 Annual Gathering

We will be back at Gasparilla in 2016. Mark your calendars for October 13-16!

FOCUS ON COMMUNITY: Houston, Texas!

Telemachus continues to grow in depth and breadth. There are several local communities where people are gathering together on a regular basis. Houston is one amazing example of how a senior mentor couple, Doug and Suzi Pitts, generously open their home each month to gather Telemachi singles, couples and their young families. They are doing life together – sharing hopes, questions, challenges, sorrows and joys.

DOUBLE CLICK ABOVE TO OPEN LINK FOR A SHORT VIDEO
with Suzi Pitts and Trevor Hightower

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS

Organic, non-programatic relationships
Authenticity and sharing stories
Asking questions
Connecting to personal network
Sharing content
Identifying giftedness
Encouraging
Challenging mentees to become mentors

SUPPORTING TELEMACHUS: Jane and Josh Grizzle

We are grateful for the ongoing partnership of so many in the Telemachus community. As you consider your year-end giving, know that your participation is making a difference in the lives of many. We would like to share the perspective that Jane and Josh Grizzle gave at the Annual Gathering:

Josh: When Rick asked us to share why we give to Telemachus, I thought, “Because you ask us to.” But we also know that were Telemachus to charge the full cost of the conference to each participant, it would only be full of people like us and not accessible to those in creative fields, non-profits or education. The Annual Gathering would not maintain its unique mix of people and topics.

Jane: When I first came to Telemachus, I thought it would be great for Josh. I was about to leave my job and stay home with our son, Forest. I figured these conferences are all about networking and Type-A personalities and then they showed Brene Brown’s TED Talk about vulnerability. There was not a dry eye in the house and I thought, “OK, I might get something out of this.” We’ve really benefited from the relationships we’ve made at Telemachus Annual Gatherings and from the teaching we’ve received.

Josh: As a family, we give to evangelism and outreach and to people who cannot help themselves. We see Telemachus as evangelistic. There is as much brokenness in the spheres we live in as anywhere else. It might not be as obvious or visual but it is real and Telemachus is addressing that need through relationships and teaching.

Jane: Telemachus is heavily supported by the mentors who come to the Annual Gathering and our giving is a way to partner with them and honor them for the ways they sacrifice not only their time, but their gifts to Telemachus as well.

“When spiritual friends share their stories, the others listen without working. They rest. There’s nothing to fix, nothing to improve. A spiritual community feels undisturbed quiet as they listen, certainly burdened . . . but still resting in the knowledge that the life within, the passion for holiness, is indestructible. It needs only to be nourished and released.” – Larry Crabb

Day: November 30, 2015