FCE's Founding Dream

There is a yearning in the heart for peace. Because of the wounds and rejections we have received in past relationships, we are frightened by the risk of disarming ourselves. In our fear, we discount the dream of authentic community as merely visionary. But there are rules by which people can come back together, and by which the old wounds can be healed. It is the mission of FCE to teach these rules-to make hope real again-to make the vision actually manifest in a world which has almost forgotten the glory of what it means to be human.

FCE's Mission Statement

FCE encourages people, in a fragmented world, to discover new and better ways of being together. Living, learning, and teaching the principles of community, FCE serves as a catalyst for individuals, groups, and organizations to:

•  communicate with authenticity
  
•  deal with difficult issues
  
•  welcome and affirm diversity
  
•  bridge differences with integrity
  
•  relate with love and respect

FCE's approach encourages tolerance of ambiguity, the experience of discovery, and the tension between holding on and letting go. In our work to empower others, we remember our reliance upon a Spirit within and beyond ourselves.

FCE's History

The Foundation for Community Encouragement, Inc. (FCE) was founded by eleven individuals in December 1984 in response to a need for community as perceived by one of the founding members, Dr. M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled, The Different Drum, and A World Waiting to Be Born. Lecturing throughout the country, Dr. Peck found vast numbers of people and organizations expressing their longing for and a lack of community. FCE has sought to address the deep yearnings for authentic human connection.

FCE's Future

2002 will be a year of transformation for FCE. After a year of careful consideration, the board of directors has decided to cease operations. The FCE office was closed at the end of 2001 and no further FCE workshops or programs will be scheduled except for a gathering in the summer of 2002. The purpose of this gathering is to celebrate FCE's history and provide an opportunity for FCE constituents to dream of new ways to carry the work of Community Building forward. Check out the FCE News page to learn about this event as it develops.

Click here to view the December 2001 letter from the board explaining the rationale and planned implementation of their decision.