Update
“I thought the event was a great success for the SCA and the movement, and it was one of the greatest honors of my career to be part of making our case before these leaders and future leaders. I was also delighted that the SCA asked me to speak about the positive values of the secular and Humanist Community, and about our increasing efforts and successes in building community.
One funny story: I was the final speaker of the 3-person panel, and as soon as I finished, up jumped a young staffer for Rep. Michelle Bachman with the first question, which he directed to me. ‘What is the secular movement doing,’ he wanted to know, ‘to combat pseudoscience?’ Give that man a promotion!”
–Greg Epstein 10/2/12
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It’s been a special 8 years working with people like you to build the Humanist Community at Harvard. When I took over at HCH (a nonprofit organization never funded by Harvard University) in 2005, we had a handful of students, a $28,000 annual budget, and a concept few had heard of-nonreligious people gathering together based on positive Humanist values, to build local institutions that do good in the world.
We now have hundreds of students, a 1000+ member alumni network, a staff of six, and an overflowing Humanist Community Center hosting up to 10 events a week including regular service projects and a nascent children’s Learning Lab. We’ve also got a strategic plan calling for much more in the coming three years. Our next Project*: to step up beyond our current $300,000 budget and help other local groups grow, turning American Humanism into a powerfully interconnected movement of thriving local communities.
It’s a special honor, then, that in a week I’ll be on Capitol Hill, speaking about the future of American Secularism. I’ve been invited to join the Secular Coalition for America’s first-ever Congressional Briefing, a 3-person panel on “The State of Secular America”. Because of you, I’ll be able to tell Congress to expect huge growth from Humanists in the coming years, and I’ll be able to help explain why that change is great news for all Americans.
But first the SCA and I need your help. Please click here to tell your Representative and their staff to attend our briefing. Please forward this message to friends asking them to do the same– and also to join our mailing list at HarvardHumanist.org. (Harvard Alumni should join here.) And please keep in mind that, even in a year where you’ve been asked for more political contributions than ever before, we’ll need financial support to keep growing. If you believe in the value and power of positive Humanist communities, please make a gift today or as part of our upcoming annual campaign.
*You may notice that we use different logos and names throughout this website: the Humanist Community at Harvard (HCH), and the Humanist Community Project (HCP). HCH refers to our local organization– the services we, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded 35 years ago, provide for Harvard students and affiliates and for those living nearby. The HCP refers to a growing list of programs and services we began developing in late 2011, in order to help local Humanist communities elsewhere grow and thrive. We’ve found a tremendous demand for the HCP, and we hope to secure the funding to expand it dramatically in 2013, while also growing the HCP– for example, by renting a larger and more accessible space for our Humanist Community Center. Meanwhile, we’ve heard your feedback that this website can at times be confusing as to which entity is which. We plan to fix that later in the year, as soon as we can find the funding and time to refresh the site’s design. Meanwhile, thanks again for your continued support!
