The Ecumenical Institute (Spirit Movement) Summer 1974, Chicago

The Eccumenical Institute was an existentialist christian organisation. They had a summer conference in Chicago each year called the Research Assembly. It must have been 1974 when I went. The 'assembly' lasted four weeks during which I had many invitations to stay longer. Unfortunately I needed to get back to Salford and so didn't see more of the States. I did have a few trips out into Chicago, but the programme was intensive, perhaps intentionally so if attracting new recruits.

All the cooking and cleaning was done by the attendees on a rota basis, including night shifts cleaning the loos called something like' the hit squad'. The programme started at 6.00am for everybody. There were people of all ages but with 1000 delegates there were several dormitories of people my age. If you spent any free time socialising (chatting) then you would get a maximum of six hours sleep. After four weeks you were pretty shell shocked.

The summer assembly was held in a multi-storey office block, an old insurance building, that had been given to the movement by a follower. There was plenty of space and a rooftop to sit on in the evenings. The block was in an area where you didn't go out at night alone. You had a high probability of being mugged. On a couple of occasions I went with local teens to the cinema. It was an old picture house with vast staircase and chandelier modelled on those found in the films themselves. The only part open was the lower balcony. The carpet was so clogged with gum and other stuff that you stuck to it as you walked. The proscenium arch was bigger than any I had seen - twice the size of Blackpool Odeon.

We learnt various skills in writing and summarising as well as deconstructing the work of mainly German existentialist writers that I had not heard of before. Some very dark work and some valuable insights into the human condition. It was academically challenging and enjoyable to work in groups. They also had a great way of telling storys and explaining the meaning in works of art. Top quality people are always a joy to listen to no matter what the subject.

To cap it all there was great singing. Mainly songs from the shows, but you felt part of a professional choir because they had amongst their number many top class singers and everybody joined in. At times the singing was very moving, a revelation after experiences singing hymns in a church setting.

http://www.worldcat.org/title/songs-of-the-spirit-movement/oclc/30137184?referer=list_view

THE SIXTIES (extract from an online document  http://www.ica-international.org/history_2.htm)

When the seven families moved from Texas to Chicago, their focus was primarily on developing curricula for church renewal. However, in 1963, they relocated from Evanston, Illinois to the west side of Chicago and gradually began an experiment in community development.

From the premise that local communities constitute the basic building blocks of society, the Institute began working in a ghetto neighborhood on Chicago's west side, which became known as Fifth City. Door-to-door interviews and neighborhood meetings provided a way for the local residents to review their many problems and to begin to design practical solutions (Stanfield, 2000).

The work of the Institute was a combination of training in religious and cultural studies. Half of the courses were theoretical and half were practical. In courses and communities, a frequently used method was Focused Conversation, a way of discussing a subject thoroughly so that factual, emotional, rational, and action-oriented considerations would all be covered in a natural sequence (see Figure 1 for a diagram of the structure of the Focused Conversation method). [figure 1 about here] The seven families, and others who joined the Ecumenical Institute residential staff, developed an educational program taught throughout the nation and around the world, beginning in 1965. They also built a community organization in Fifth City, where others had failed. This was done with extremely limited financial resources. In 1965, the first annual summer programs were begun. In 1971, these became Global Research Assemblies. These assemblies brought together ICA staff from around the world for several weeks to reflect on the year's experiences - what had worked and what had not worked. They then revised their methods and programs and made plans for the coming year. The new programs and methods were tried in practice and then subjected to analysis and revision at the next summer research assembly. Some of the later research assemblies drew 1000 people from around the world.

for more information see..  A Global Strategy For Human Development:
The Work of the Institute of Cultural Affairs