Dear Fellow Subud New Yorkers,

I am writing to you as your new Chair, following this past weekend’s successful re-opening of Chelsea Center.  (Our Saturday Kedjiwan Day brought in 30-40 people and the Sunday Latihan & Annual General Meeting did likewise, in person and by zoom).  I would have written sooner, but I’ve needed time to process what is, to me at least, an unexpected turn of events. I wasn’t sure what to say, so decided to begin by sharing some personal notes, with a more official fact-laden report to follow shortly.

First, here is what I see as my “mission and marching orders”:  My first priority will be to get to know each and every one of you and open the doors of communication with the full Board, the Helpers, and amongst the members.  I see this as critical to bringing our group back to life following our long pandemic shutdown.  I want to hear from you, talk with you, and will commit, on my part, to being an active listener and open and honest communicator.  In days past, our group was a beacon to the Subud world–a place where visitors were frequent and welcome, where our community was strong, and where we participated actively in global Subud affairs.  I aspire to see those days return.

In parallel with this, we must deal with the challenges and opportunities that arise from owning Chelsea Center.  It is a rare jewel in the Subud universe, probably the most valuable asset owned by Subud today, or even in Subud history.  The building is old, built in 1932, and it is damaged.  It needs serious repair and upgrading.  Yet the land on which the Center sits, and the air rights above it, are worth more than $20 million!  This imposes the responsibility of being “good stewards” not only on the Board and the Helpers, but on each and every one of us.  Ultimate authority resides with you, the members, to marshal our collective experience and intuition, guided by Almighty God.  To this end, the SNY Dewan, together with a capable team of past SNY leaders and non-Subud professionals, will continue dealing with the short-term issues we face, while also beginning to plan for the long haul. The plan–indeed the mandate from the AGM–is to work closely with the members and we will do just that.

Some of you know me, others not so much.  In a sentence, I am the father of seven kids, now grown, part of a multi-generational Subud family, now dispersed in this world and the next (smile).  I work as a lawyer in Manhattan and have a long and rich history with New York.  I am active in the Subud Archives and with the development and management of Subud USA’s two-acre Amani-Twin Oaks campus in the Washington DC area.  I am a Subud kid, getting a bit long in the tooth.   My father was opened in NYC in 1958.  We lived in Washington DC but visited often in the 1960s (I vividly remember the Briarcliff World Congress in Tarrytown in 1963).  I attended law and business school in NY in the 1970s, got married in the Subud house on 5th & 23rd, had my first child here, and launched my career.  I have been a frequent visitor over the decades, with many friends in the group, some now deceased or having moved away.  I returned to NYC in 2018, while keeping my home in Louisville, KY.  During the pandemic, I have been working remotely, with my firm and on the SNY Board, coming into town as needed.  I expected to move back this summer, but serious health issues got in the way.  I plan to move back before year end.  

I am committed to the latihan and find great joy (and occasional frustration) in serving Subud.  It is given that I will make mistakes as Chair but be assured it will not be for lack of sincere effort.  My main mantra in times of stress and distress is “Run, don’t walk, to the latihan”. Course correction is always an option.  If you desire a deeper dive, check out:   www.susaarchives.com www.ofcounselservices.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-clark-137a0879/   

Better yet, email me (at  mmclark@ofcounselink.com ) and let me know what’s on your mind.

I am very excited about the journey ahead.  Dexter Douglass generously agreed to serve as Vice-Chair and was approved by unanimous acclamation at the AGM.  We will be working very closely together.  Susana Thomson and Lucas Boladian (our former SNY and SUSA Chair), were overwhelmingly approved as new Directors to join the current Board of Lailani, Josephine, Sylvia and Arnold.  In keeping with my past experience at every level of Subud, the SNY Board and Helpers will form, and be forged into, an active Dewan working together with you, the members, for the good of our Center and for Subud.  

Good luck and Godspeed to us all.  We will talk again soon.

All the best,

Matthew 
Matthew M. Clark, Chair
Subud New York

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