EXMORMON FOUNDATION 2017 CONFERENCE: THE...VERY...LAST...ONE!
"JOINING THE DANCE OF LIFE" October 20-22, 2017 The Doubletree Suites, Salt Lake City, Utah
Join us for two days of fun socializing, interesting speakers, and some very fond goodbyes! Here is the roster as it stands now:
Kathleen Melonakos -- author of "Secret Combinations: Evidence of Early Mormon Counterfeiting 1800-1847"
Wise Words as always from Richard Packham, although he won't be able to join us in person.
Eric Kettunen, the "father" in the beginning of the internet dialogue between former and questioning Mormons. Eric, owner of the Recovery from Mormonism web site was the first to encourage exmormons to "talk" to each other via the now infamous Recovery Board.
Mary and Peter Danzig, of Otter Creek Duo fame, giving us a music interlude during the day on Saturday.
Simon Southerton, author of "Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA and the Mormon Church" It's been 10 years since we've heard from Simon, and "younger folks" may not even be aware of their origins!
And "one who cannot be named" at this time -- with some very interesting new research about the Book of Mormon!
Check our web site in about a week for the information you will need to register for the Conference and book a hotel room if needed. Be sure to call this number: 801.359.7800 at the hotel, and ask for the reservation person, then the Exmormon Foundation block when you get her. Do NOT call the national 800 number.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2017 01:59PM by sue.
The Exmormon Foundation will continue in existence, with focus on other kinds of projects that we can assist, implement, or support. This will require an occasional campaign for contributions in order to do these things. We would also like to finally get the website to the quality and content we've always wanted.
Bottom line is that after 16 years of doing the Conferences, I'm wrung out, as are those on the Board who have been there for many years. We have had SO FEW people ever offer to help, either on the Board or with the Conference, although we HAVE had some wonderful people step up when we found ourselves just in overload. We will continue to be a legal 501(3)(c), so that appropriate accounting for the money will always be done, so no one can accuse us of misappropriating funds -- which is how/why the Foundation was created in the first place many years ago. Let me know if you have any other questions. I did post an announcement here a few weeks ago that this would be the last Conference. We hope all the oldtimers will show up for one last hullabaloo! :-)
We have been seeing the explosion of content in blogs, podcasts, conferences, workshops, websites, far beyond what we could have imagined only a few short years ago.
In many ways we feel like this is a bit of a "mission accomplished" conference, since we have always hoped that there WOULD be an amazing plethora of content ubiquitously, and now it is hard to argue that the horse isn't entirely out of the barn, and it is not possible to stop the increasing volume of content.
Hence, we are choosing to go out on a high note and electing to sit back for a bit and see how the Foundation can play a role in the future where it can best occupy the right niche. The organization will remain and we will maintain a BOD and begin to think about what comes next.
It is not entirely impossible that down the line a future one-off Conference could be hosted if the BOD felt that there was important content or other disclosures that justified holding one, but at present we do not foresee this.
As always we welcome ANY INPUT and suggestions and ideas as we move ahead. Note that Exmormon Foundation compensates no one and uses all its funding for its charitable purposes exclusively.
I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2017 05:21PM by rodolfo.