Brothers. Fr. Richard reminded me that, in our men's work, the starting point is that "we are all brothers." Those of us who have experienced a Men's Rite of Passage understand that our starting point is that we are beloved sons of God. No man or category of men is excluded. We are all brothers-no exceptions or exclusions. As simple as it sounds, it is very difficult to live from this place of seeing every man as our brother. In a world where we are encouraged to see other men as our enemies or competitors in some way, thinking of another man as your brother is deeply transformative.

Elders. In a second part of our conversation, Fr. Richard spoke about men's work as having an opportunity to raise up "elders in an elder-less world." This struck a chord with me because, concurrently, I've been reading a book (Being Mortal) that speaks to how we've sidelined older people in our culture. In the process, we deprive older men of meaningful roles and lose so much of their wisdom and experience.

Illuman offers men a powerful invitation to make the journey in community with other men. For most men, this takes us out of our comfort zone. If you are looking for such a stretch, I have three different ways for you to deepen your relationship with us:

First, consider attending Soularize in November and learning with Fr. Richard and Illuman teachers. You will find further information at the end of this email. 

Second, we have volunteer openings for the following board committees:

Marketing & Communications: This new committee is led by the board President. We are looking for men with practical experience and available time to support the implementation of marketing plans and a communication strategy to generate interest in our work and enrollment in our programs. Applicants should have experience and expertise with designing and implementing a marketing plan that relies heavily on the use of social media.

We welcome applications from men who have both the skills and experience, as well as time to commit in support of these committees. Please respond by email to [email protected], indicating the committee you are interested in and qualified for, a resume or outline of your experience, and a summary of your availability. Thank you for considering this deeper commitment to Illuman.

Finally, sometimes we are just too busy to be able to participate in every one of our programs and events. We would ask that, if you cannot join us yourself, you consider making a donation to support our work or sponsor another man to attend. You can donate by clicking on the following link: http://www.illuman.org/give.