From Oswald,

Sofyan Brugger, Translator of over 125 of Bapak’s Talks, Dies

Sofyan Brugger, a former member of the Sekretariat at Wisma Subud – where talks and Bapak’s responses to member’s letters were translated – passed away peacefully just after midnight Saturday at his home in Boise, Idaho.

His wife Halimah offered these details on his last days and a brief bio of his life:

In the last few days of his life, he seemed to become younger and younger — maybe about 40.  He had the sweetest look on his face and was very aware and kind to everyone till the end.  Our children, Kailani, Rizwati, and Sailan were all here.

Sofyan was opened by Bapak in June 1957 when he was 17.  As a young man he went to Cilandak to work in Bapak’s Secretariat.  He translated over 125 of Bapak’s published Talks and several thousand letters in multiple languages for Bapak and Ibu Rahayu for over 30 years.  He had been a National Helper in the UK and was also a National Helper in the US. He was encouraged by WSA to publish a book of some of his translations in time for the World Congress in Freiburg.

Halimah asks for \your prayers and blessings for our family.

For those of you interested in reading his translations, titled Bapak Subuh Yang Mulia : Selected talks, You may order your copy from SPI at SPI BOOK SHOP – the password is jiwa. In the USA you may also order the book by contacting kailaniward@yahoo.com. For more information on how this book came about, see this article at the SICA-USA website.

For those interested in knowing more about Sofyan and his wife Halimah and their life at Wisma Subud, please visit the WSA Archives website. This site is open to Subud members only.

Those interested in making a contribution to Subud in Sofyan’s name are requested to make them to the Muhammad Subuh Foundation.

Link to some of Rachman’s photos of Sofyan:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/HaA7VJFF6Jt1X4h17

SPNW regional congress will be in Portland or on Zoom (your pick) next Sunday the 15th,

starting with latihan at 10AM.

Back in 2013 Benjamin Boyce took some excellent photos at Menucha.  They were shown in Subud USA News but in case you missed them, click the link below!

Menucha 2013 | Flickr

We will have a short general meeting Sunday, May 8th after latihan.  Yes, it’s Mother’s Day, but we ask you to please stay briefly after Latihan for the meeting and testing!

Consider testing if a position on the regional board would be right for you.  Regional Helpers plan to send test questions to the local helpers to test with members that day.  Please plan to participate!

The regional congress will be in Portland the following Sunday, May 15.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

After our return from Los Angeles we – along with other Subud members – began the two-week trial period that was previously announced.

After two weeks members who attended Eastside latihans decided we would continue holding these latihans at the First Congregational United Church Of Christ in Bellevue.

Some members wondered if holding the latihan on a different night might bring more members.  After consulting with the church about availability, we were told that only Wednesday was available. A vote was taken and most members preferred to continue to meet on Friday.

Love, Oswald & Rayma Norton

Proposals
SPNW is soliciting proposals for the regional congress May 15th in Portland.

It would be ideal for those proposals to be in the hands of the congress chair, Oswald Norton, by April 15, only 3 days away.

Member Proposal Format

1. Summary: What is the proposal about? What will be done, by whom, how, over what period of time? What is the problem/need? Who will the outcomes benefit?
2. Statement of Need: What is the issue that you are addressing and why does it matter? Why is what you propose necessary? What is the void in Knowledge? Who benefits?
3. Project Activity, Methodology and Outcomes: Why did you choose to address the issue in the manner that you have? Are there other approaches? If so, why aren’t they appropriate to the situation? What are the specific activities involved? Who will do them?
4. Evaluation: Essential piece that should be both quantitative and qualitative, if feasible. Outline clearly the methodology that you will use to assess the project’s success.
5. Dissemination: Dissemination should be linked to your project goals and objectives. If you are trying to affect policy, your dissemination plan should target policy-makers, media, and affected populations. Describe your communication strategy.
6. Budget and Continuation Funding: Show your budget in table form and use a budget narrative to explain each item.

Testing
Please also consider testing how you might serve our region.

The outgoing chair has offered to mentor the incoming chair, and the board members of each center will not change.

Test questions on serving the region will be provided by the Regional Helpers to center helpers on May 1st.  Local helpers will then offer to test these questions with members after latihans leading up to the Regional Congress. All members are encouraged to participate in this testing.

Shall the Congress Include a virtual Component? – Please Respond By Friday
All current members of Subud PNW should have received an email asking them to consider a change to our current bylaws to allow for a virtual – as well as personal – attendance. Please see the article on the Subud PNW website for more details. Please Respond By Friday!