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Leader Bio: Arthur Shipkowski

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Why I am involved in ADF

I'd been curious about ADF for a while, ever since stumbling upon ADF via Isaac Bonewits' website. A number of things attracted me to ADF: the vision of public Neopaganism, the wide range of Indo-European religion, the amount of information available on the public website, and the tolerance and general joy of a number of ADF members I had observed online and in person. Once I joined, the additional information and resources available to me enhanced the resonance I already felt with ADF's cosmology.

What I do in ADF

Because I feel ADF has provided me with much, I wanted to give a gift for a gift in order to contribute to ADF's vision, and so I was the ADF Members' Advocate (MA) from November 2007 to May 2010. Beyond the defined duties of this position (essentially, a voice on the Mother Grove more directly representing the members), I felt the best way to be an MA is to actively seek out causes of member dissatisfaction and help people get the most out of ADF. Often the questions and concerns members have about ADF are those where they need someone willing to help them find the information, resources, and understanding they need -- rather than issues requiring a place on the MG agenda. I have had good success in getting information to members before they need it I am also the current Slavic Kin Chieftain, a position I took to help facilitate the Kin and develop other leaders within it. I find it personally important to provide the opportunity for public worship of the Kindreds to others, and at one time led a Protogrove in State College, PA.

My personal vision for ADF's future

Many others have already spoken eloquently of the vision of ADF as a larger mainstream religious community, in line with much of Isaac Bonewits' original vision. This is a vision I share; I'd love hundreds of Groves across the US offering public worship through our blend of inspiration and scholarship. Of course, an oak tree does not grow in a day. During my time as Members' Advocate, I learned that ADF does not grow from the Mother Grove, but through individual ADF members deciding a project is important enough to implement on their own. Great things, like the Core Order of Ritual Tutorial (note, this is a members-only link), have been accomplished by ADF members deciding "we need this" and doing it. Many people focus on the trunk of the tree -- but the tree only grows by increasing the breadth of its branches, and I think the greatest potential for growth in ADF is at the "twigs." We are all a part of the tree.

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