Reflecting on the past three months, I am grateful for new connections that have been made between men in our chapter—by taking time away to retreat with each other, and by taking time to connect personally with one another in the business of our daily lives. We know that it is through taking time to learn each other’s stories, hearing one another’s pain, and reflecting on the blessings we have received that we continue to grow spiritually.
•    We offered an overnight retreat on the King Archetype in May. This completed a series of retreats on the four common archetypes that we started in 2009. Eighteen men engaged in exploring the King and the Shadow King.
•    In late April we transitioned our chapter liability insurance coverage to a carrier that is supportive of our Mission/Vision for radical inclusion and will provide insurance for us as we are welcoming to men of the LGBTQ community.
•    Two of our ten elders, both under age 40, attended the Illuman Leadership Retreat in Arizona this past April and are excited about bringing back their learnings regarding the Way of Council to us.
In Indiana-Michigan M.A.L.E.s we continually seek to find ways to help bring the men of Indiana & Michigan into a deeper spirituality.
•    We are in the process of developing new ways to keep men in our region connected with each other through mutual support in keeping with the Journey of Illumination touchstone, “Connecting.” We would welcome input from any of you with suggestions on how to do this better.
•    We are planning an overnight retreat for our Council of Elders in July.
•    Our next retreat, coming up October 9-10, 2015 is on ‘Male Spirituality, a Buddhist Perspective.’
•    We are considering holding our first Men’s Rite of Passage in 2019 and will be discussing this possibility with the help of Bob Colaresi, the Convener for Illinois M.A.L.E.s, in our Council of Elders meeting following our October retreat.
Peace & Grace,
Jamey Bontrager-Singer