What's Your Elevator Speech?

I'm taking this rather awesome class at PSU with the uninspired title "Introduction to NonProfit Management" during which those of us who are actually working in nonprofits spend about 85% of the time nodding in vigorous agreement. The prof, who is a non profit director himself, is just so very practical and has a way of breaking things into paradigms that you KNOW, but you've never had language for before. So, it's really great and it's helping me every single day, so far.

Anyway, last week, he told us "you should be able to describe your organization in 3 minutes (including, he added, time for a joke and questions)." I've heard this concept called Elevator Speech before-meaning, you should be able to describe your passion in the time it takes to ride an elevator. (Not like people in my experiene actually spend any time TALKING on the elevator, but whatever.) Nothing earthshattering, I know, but it did get me start thinking how I am no good at that, at all. I tend to "wellllll..." and to "on the one hand this, but on the other hand that...." Not sure why this is, but it probably has to do with the "oh. that's. um. nice." you get from most people when you tell them you're a minister. Not like the reaction the cool girl who sits next to met gets when she says she's the volunteer coordinator for the roller derby.

Yesterday, I was reminded of this again when Godsister's quiet pal, Sweet Friend said her first words to me of the evening in the quiet after the whirlwind caused by the other children rushing from the table to play: "My mom and dad don't believe in God, but I do."

Well. Of all the things I COULD have said at the moment, what I DID say "Well, both are probably ok, but it's when people start fighting about it that we get into trouble," was certainly not the best.

Then, "That thing you do, where you hold hands and sing? My mom doesn't do that. Why do you do that?" This is where I have the REAL Elevator Speech problem. I mean, there probably IS a one sentence response to "why do you pray?" but I'm sure I dont know what it is.