As many of you know, the various towns and counties in Southern Illinois can be as different as night and day, although only a few miles separate them. This being the case, Pagans often have different needs from community to community and thus SIPA has a hard time trying to address each of these individual needs and issues, as well as overall regional needs and issues.This is especially true with our community being as diverse, large and spread out as it is. Also, some folks would like to meet and/or form better bonds with fellow Pagans in their immediate community and “neighborhoods” and would like to be in touch and perhaps hold communal events locally. So we have a new idea that may help to ease this problem and be fun too!

SIPA, of course, hosts events for the major Sabbats and will continue to host these open events, as well as major fundraisers for the organization and other networking and promotion events throughout the year. SIPA is very active in promoting tolerance and education in Southern Illinois. By forming individual extensions, communal issues may be aired and brought to the attention of SIPA and therefore more completely and positively addressed. Such issues, for example, may be complaints about individual teachers at a community school, health issues, employee discrimination and so on. Local branches will also be able to greatly increase the level of awareness and “good press” for Paganism as a whole and SIPA as an organization.

This would also be a great way to connect people in your "neighborhood" by hosting weekly or even better, monthly, meetings, gatherings, BBQ's, rituals, fund raisers, ect, that would be open to the community, allowing for connection in the small towns and cities while also promoting the larger organization that is SIPA. Planning and organization of meetings, rituals and events would be the responsibility of the local group and would hopefully be on a rotating basis so as to encourage the most participation possible. We are not trying to create "covens", rather SIPA wants to expand its connections and create better relationships with the folks that make SIPA happen all over the region, in particular, outside of the “home base” of Carbondale.

This is a great opportunity to not only promote the regional organization of SIPA, but to better know, understand and connect to the Pagans that share your town, your county, your home. And hopefully meet new people and provide more support for everyone.

If anyone is interested in becoming a facilitator/ coordinator for a "branch" of SIPA, please contact me directly and we will get the ball rolling. This is a very new idea and I hope many folks will step up to the plate to speak, act and help connect their "home town" community to itself and to the greater Pagan community of Southern Illinois and surrounding regions. We are in the process of organizing a start up packet with all the information needed to start a local branch of SIPA, one that is self sustaining yet still connected and part of the regional organization of SIPA. Regional coordinators will be required to attend four yearly organizational meetings to share experiences, plans and issues with SIPA.

I am excited about this idea, and I hope others are too! We have a lot of work to do so let’s get started! If you have any questions let me know...and we already have one community on board....WF SIPA.....West Frankfort/Franklin County! Who else is ready to grow and create a stronger community?