Community Engagement Newsletter August 13, 2019
Conversation Sabbath
Join the hundreds of congregations taking part in Conversation Sabbath, sharing each faith’s teachings on this critical topic and supporting congregants in having the conversation in familiar settings, and not during a medical crisis in the ICU.

Whether you are new to the idea of talking in your congregation about what matters most about living and dying, or have been organizing Conversation Sabbath for years, we hope you will join us for the next  Community Call on Wednesday, August 21, 3:00-4:00 PM ET . Rev. Rosemary Lloyd will be joined by the inspiring team from  Larimer Advance Care Planning , Mindy Rickard and Eva Ireland, to share lessons learned in working with faith communities on advance care planning conversations. There will be ample time to share your experience and questions during this webinar. If you can't be on the call and have questions you want to be sure we address, please send us an email.  Click here to register for the call!
TCP Quarterly Community Activity Survey Results
Our team recently asked for your participation in our Quarterly Community Activity Survey. A huge THANK YOU to all who participated! Special recognition to our two winners of $50 Amazon gift cards: our champions Micki Jackson from Bellingham, WA and Katherine from EOL Journeys in Ontario, Canada!
 
We are excited to share results from the second quarter of 2019! 127 community groups or individuals responded, reporting over 1,500 events/activities from April through June 2019. Over 28,000 people were reached by these in-person events. These face-to-face activities combined with sharing materials, tools and messages on the importance of conversations through newsletters, email messages, social media, and traditional media outlets, totaled to over 205,000 engagements! While 50% of these organizations/individuals hosted 5 or fewer events between April and June (median was 5), we had 6 groups hosting over 50 events and one group hosting more than 200 events. Great job to all! 60% of these events had fewer than 25 people (median was 12). We love hearing how deep and wide your support is spanning, especially during NHDD. A special shout out to our amazing champions, the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care , whose incredible reach extends beyond US borders, reaching over 1,900 in China in less than two weeks! 
 
The breakdown of total number of engagements is listed below:
We continue to see a rich variety of individuals and organizations deeply involved in this work, with a growing group of estate, legal and financial representatives getting involved. Check out the mix of respondents to our survey. 

We are so proud of these incredible champions! And, if you haven’t yet added your pin to our Conversation Champions map on our Get Involved page – or if you haven’t yet explored our map - please click here ! Scroll down to the bottom of the page and add your pin to showcase what you are doing and connect with others!
 
Last but certainly not least, we are so grateful for all you are doing to bring conversations to your community. THANK YOU and please continue to share your activities/learning with us across 2019 in our next survey!
 
Additional lessons learned from these amazing champions will be shared in our next newsletter. Stay tuned for more !
Upcoming Community Calls
August 21st 3:00-4:00 PM ET: Conversation Sabbath
This webinar will discuss the annual, national invitation to clergy to preach or teach on the vital importance of having The Conversation. Hear from groups as they describe how they are planning for this event and learn from their experience and lessons to date. Visit our  Faith Resources page  to learn more about Conversation Sabbath and how you can get involved.

September 18th 3:00-4:30 PM ET: Virtual Speaker Training
This call will provide TCP community leaders with the knowledge and resources needed to host an event, give an informative presentation, and facilitate group discussion. You’ll be given an example of a standard presentation, tips on all phases of event-planning including setting an aim, organization, facilitation, establishing measures, and evaluating your event.

Video: Lessons on Engaging Youth and Faith Settings as Conversation Catalysts

St. Charles Health System, a rural health system with four sites in Central Oregon, is a Pioneer Sponsor with The Conversation Project’s Conversation Ready initiative. Their interdisciplinary palliative care team has been heavily involved in efforts to spread the work about the importance of having “the conversation” to people of all ages and all faiths. Click here to watch this video.
6 Resources for Financial and Other Professional Service Organizations
Need motivation and a reason to consider integrating values-based, end-of-life conversations into your organizational workflow? Or perhaps you are ready, and just need some simple steps to help you get started? Check out these resources , which we hope will ignite your thinking, tug at your heart, and spring you into action.
July 2019 Recap
During the month of July, The Conversation Project produced and compiled a host of resources to meet the needs of community members asking for additional ideas. We also had an incredible conversation with a New York Times bestselling writer who spoke to our theme of the importance of having end-of-life conversations. The month of July brought opportunities for reflection and critical thinking all about how to encourage ourselves and others to have the conversation. Check out this compilation of resources and materials and let us know what else you'd like to see from us in the coming months.
Planning Ahead: One Church’s Journey to Normalizing Conversations about What Matters Most in Life, Death, and Dying

Over the past years,  Bethel AME Church  has dedicated their energy, time and efforts to launching a ministry called Planning Ahead. This program not only prompts congregants to think critically about what matters most to them, it also encourages them to think about how their faith speaks to the values they would like to have honored towards the end of their lives.  Click here to read Bethel's case study  where they share their successes, challenges and insight around what it was like to meaningfully engage their congregation in having the conversation in a faith-based setting.

"What does this work mean to them spiritually? Pastor Gloria White-Hammond notes, 'There is an extended, eternal goal in this work: it helps [congregants] spiritually to connect with God, build stronger relations with family, get rid of fear about death and talk about it. It is their healing balm.'"
Conversation Champion Highlight: Caccavaro Fitzpatrick + Seifart
Temple Israel is a Conservative synagogue located in Springfield, the state capitol of Illinois. They are a warm, sociable congregation with members from diverse professional and religious backgrounds. They have had sermons, small workshops using the Starter Kits, group reads of Extreme Measures , and more.
Their congregation has participated in a small group called Kavod Conversation which has worked with TCP in the past. Click here to learn more about them.

Click here  to put your organization on The Conversation Project's Conversation Champion Map and possibly be featured in our next newsletter!

News Roundup: What We're Reading
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE KITS!
The Conversation Starter Kit is a useful tool to help you have the conversation with a family member, friend, or other loved one about your – or their – wishes regarding end-of-life care. It is available in several languages.  All of the Starter Kits are available to download and print for free.

To purchase printed copies of the Starter Kits, print in bulk or add your logo and contact information,  visit our Mimeo Marketplace

If you know someone who would benefit from receiving this newsletter, have them register here .