Subud Midwest Co-Chairs’ Regional Report

Subud USA Board Meeting | October 17, 2026

Rosina Newton and Mary Wold, Regional Co-Chairs, Subud Midwest

Subud Midwest held its Fall Regional Gathering October 9–11 at Epworth Forest Conference Center in North Webster, Indiana, with 25 members in attendance. It was a joyful and meaningful opportunity to reconnect, share latihan, enjoy fellowship, and strengthen our sense of regional community. We were also delighted to welcome a visiting Subud member from Tanzania.

We were blessed to have three national helpers in attendance, along with Sonya Shooshan, committee councilor, who joined us as a representative of the executive committee. The weekend included daily latihan, ample opportunities for group and personal testing, shared meals, and informal conversation. The national helpers also described more fully the value of awareness testing in groups of three to five: one person receives the question, another receives the particular awareness testing, and the remaining participants serve as witnesses. We were especially pleased that the opening of a Subud applicant from Subud Chicago took place during the Gathering.

The Subud Midwest council met at Epworth Forest prior to the gathering, with meetings, latihans, and testing on Thursday, October 8, and Friday morning and afternoon, October 9. The Council also meets regularly on the first Monday of each month, preceded by latihan. Phone-in member latihans are supported on Tuesday evenings, providing an additional opportunity for members to connect in latihan across the region. Regional helpers meet for latihan and consultation on the first and third Sunday evenings of each month. We have also recently initiated monthly latihans bringing together the regional co-chairs and regional helpers.

During Friday afternoon’s council meeting, Mary presented Growing Together in detail. This proposed vision and strategic stewardship initiative focuses on cultivating a more connected, participatory, and sustainable regional community. This initiative explores the creation of a member-based Regional Initiatives Fund to encourage ongoing connection, engagement, and member-generated projects throughout the year. The broader vision emphasizes strengthening relationships between gatherings, supporting creative initiatives, creating a digital presence to improve communication across the region, and developing the resources needed to sustain a vibrant regional life. The initiative was also introduced to members in general terms during Saturday’s program.

The gathering included several informative presentations. Anna Schroeder updated us on SICA-USA activities and walked us through features of its website. Lucian Parshall shared information about preparations for the World Congress in Fatima, Portugal, and discussed proposed revisions to the WSA bylaws. David McCormack presented information about Elderberry opportunities for members over 75 years of age.

Planning is already underway for our Spring 2027 Regional Congress, tentatively anticipated for Memorial Day weekend. Venues under consideration include Lindenwood Retreat & Conference Center in Plymouth, Indiana, and a return to Colombiere Retreat and Conference Center in Clarkston, Michigan.

A post-event evaluation was prepared and has been circulated to attendees to gather feedback and support continued learning from the gathering.

A central theme of our time together was the importance of nurturing personal connections among members, with the latihan at the heart of our shared Subud life.

We are grateful to our council, regional and national helpers, presenters, and everyone whose participation and contributions made this Gathering possible. We look forward to carrying this renewed spirit of connection into the coming year.

In addition to Subud Midwest regional work, Rosina initiated a Meeting of the Chairs, an opportunity for all Subud USA regional chairs to share policies, procedures, ideas, and support to strengthen each of us in our role. The initial virtual meeting was June 20, 2026, with a second meeting in person at the national gathering July 2. Several helpful resources were shared among the seven regional representatives, including purchasing and managing Subud houses; benefits and drawbacks of various regional organizational structures, such as committee vs. council; and innovative ways to increase member engagement. Now that a new cohort of chairs has been elected in several regions, this project can continue to develop.

SICA IN THE MIDWEST

by Anna Schroeder

The Midwest Regional gathering was held recently at the beautiful Epworth Forest Conference center in northern Illinois. There were powerful Latihans, testing sessions, and time on Saturday to hear updates from people in the group about the work they are doing locally, regionally, nationally, and worldwide. Because I am on the SICA board, I was privileged to talk about what we are doing. I spoke about our fund raiser and showed the gifts we are giving when someone donates $50 and up as well as explaining how to donate. The mugs and calendars were very well received! People were impressed with how nicely they turned out. I talked about how the money was used. I used the recent grant SICA gave to Benedict Herrman as an example and talked about the audio book which was the result of the grant.

I also talked about our website. Mary, one of our co-chairs, was kind enough to have it up on the screen so people could see how to navigate the site. They saw some of the galleries and our weekly posts. Everyone seemed very excited about all the things SICA is doing.