It's impossible for one person to raise a barn. It requires collaboration. Spero Forum, at its core, is about collaboration; where Baptists, Protestants, non-Catholics, and Catholics share their thoughts and debate about religion and many other issues. It certainly isn't about ecumenicism, though. Over time, Spero Forum has grown to include Spero News, weblogs, and this wiki. We've also had some other ideas come and go, and some still barely hanging on such as the Spero Reading Circle.

To raise a barn, it requires a community. People like alcovey, Robert Duncan, and everyone who provides input, is a part of the community. alcovey and I have discussed inviting others to help us raise a barn and discuss new ideas for Spero Forum, discuss what works and doesn't work. The analogy of building a barn is appropriate, because Spero Forum already has a solid foundation: its members. By giving them a place in the wiki to discuss ideas, everyone may post anonymously if you want, or you may add your name.

Initial Index

• Spero Reading Circle
• Why Post
• Why Post Not

Do you think a Barn Raising will help the Spero Forum community? Do you have any ideas? Click edit on the left and post your thoughts. Read Visitor Welcome and One Minute Wiki if you want to know more about how to post on a wiki.

Comments

alcovey here. I think it has lot's of potential, and a chance to everyone to experiment with wiki, if nothing else.

We love to hear other's input and are always looking for ways to make the Spero community more enjoyable for all.

I agree with Astralis that it is not about agreeing or warm fuzzies, necessarily. In fact, that is false ecumenism - true ecumenism is hard work - and it's about mutual understanding, not necessarily agreement. 'till we all come into the unity of the Faith' must be based on Truth and involves free will - so really, it's about the 'marketplace of ideas' - in which we hopefully present our cases in such a way as to exhort each other in the Truth. Looking forward to other comments and it will be interesting to see how this entry evolves over time.

I'm eager to see what others add. If others post, this main entry will eventually be the index to all the discussions on Barn Raising. I already see discussing the Spero Reading Circle as something we could explore. -- Astralis Lux

Yeah, I knew Astralis would find a way to get me to "visit the Wiki!"

I'd love to revive the Spero Reading Circle. Would even help maintain it with advice.

One thing that DOESN'T work is Dog Piling. Sometimes I wonder if the non-Catholic folks (especially new ones) feel like they've taken on a pack... though I personally have never felt that way.

For example, I'm sure just about everyone would love to see a discussion between Gadfly and just about anyone, but I get the feeling his schedule wouldn't permit him responding to everyone who would descend... My two pennies...

Oops... didn't realize I had to put in my name too... Diana Holberg

You don't have to put your name. But I think it was obvious. =) Dog Piling is an interesting term. Should that be Dog Packing, maybe? But I think you're correct. A way to solve it would be to have more Evangelicals and non-Catholics post. I think some of the people who post and get a lot of Catholics to reply actually like it. But, at the same time, I find that I can't reply to everything because it's somewhat difficult to keep up with so much data. Creating new topics instead of diverging from the topic does help. Visit Spero Reading Circle to talk about ideas on reviving it. -- Astralis Lux