Wild Fig Network Inaugural National Gathering Guide

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What you're stepping into is not a conference built around content and speakers, but a relational space made for connection, conversation, and for the slow, sacred work of weaving ourselves together into something new. 

So come as you are. Bring your whole self—your stories, your questions, and your longings. Your presence and your voice belong here.

This guide will help you find your way over the next few days. Whether you’re new to Wild Fig or have been part of it for a while, we’re so glad you’re here!

With love,
The Wild Fig Events Team

Welcome!

Gathering Intentions

These are not rules, but shared intentions for how we’re invited to show up in this space. They’re meant to help us build the trust, openness, and care that make meaningful connection possible.

  • Offer your attention, presence, and resources as gifts. Listen deeply, minimize distractions, and consider the needs and wellbeing of the whole. Assume positive intent and extend grace.

  • Come with a beginner’s mind. Ask before assuming. Approach perspectives different from your own with curiosity rather than judgment, and be willing to “try on” new ideas. Make room for multiple realities, choosing “Yes, and…” over “No, but…”

  • Speak your truth with care and respect. Use “I” statements, and remember that impact can differ from intent. Honor confidentiality, respect boundaries, and follow through on your commitments.

  • Honor your boundaries while remaining open to growth and connection. Be willing to take appropriate risks, practice vulnerability, and engage in honest conversations.

  • Notice how you show up and how much space you take up. If you tend to speak often, make room for others; if you tend to stay quiet, consider how you might take up more space so your contributions can be heard. Pay attention to how your presence affects the community.

  • Take care of yourself and ask for what you need. It’s always okay to pass, pause, or step away.

SCHEDULE

Wednesday, 9/23 Whitehall Hotel & Chicago River Dinner Cruise

  • 2:00-3:00pm Arrival & Reception
    Whitehall Hotel, 2nd Floor Salon & Colonnade
    Assorted pastries, cookies, and fruit

  • 3:00-4:30pm Session One: Welcome, Intention Setting, & Connection
    Whitehall Hotel, 2nd Floor Salon

  • 4:30-5:30pm Break and Travel to Navy Pier

  • 5:30-8:30pm River Cruise & Dinner
    Boarding at 5:30pm (600 East Grand Ave. Chicago, IL)
    General buffet style, including vegetarian and GF options
    Drinks are on your own

  • Optional Hangouts and Activities

Thursday, 9/24
Cornerstone Center of Lasalle Street Church and Sanctuary

Friday, 9/25
Cornerstone Center of Lasalle Street Church

  • 9:00-10:30am Session Four: Connection, Framing, & Soul Care
    Cornerstone Center 1st Floor, Leslie Hall

  • 10:30-11:00am Break

  • 11:00-12:30pm Session Five: Community Conversation
    1st Floor, Leslie Hall

  • 12:30-1:30pm Lunch & Go
    Portillo’s Italian beef sandwiches, hotdogs, chips, and salad

Stay Connected

To stay connected during our gathering, opt-in to our Whatsapp Community by clicking here:
National Gathering Whatsapp Community

(If you don’t have Whatsapp, you will have to download it onto your device and create an account.)

Click the location names below for directions via Google Maps

Whitehall Hotel
105 E Delaware Pl, Chicago, IL 60611

City Cruises: Spirit of Navy Pier
600 East Grand Ave. Chicago, IL

Cornerstone Center of Lasalle Street Church
1111 N Wells Street, Chicago, IL

Lasalle Street Church Sanctuary
1136 N LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL

Locations & Maps

Chicago’s public transit system (CTA) accepts contactless credit or bank cards, as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. You do not need a Ventra card or app. Simply hold your card or device on the Ventra reader at the train turnstile or as you get on the bus to pay-as-you-go. You may also purchase physical tickets from any Ventra vending machine.

  • Some may choose to walk (1.5 miles, 35 mins), but we will also have groups of people taking public transit (CTA) together using Ventra cards prepaid by Wild Fig. You may also opt to take a rideshare at your own expense or split it with a few people.

  • Please note that the Cornerstone Center is a .7 mile (16 mins) walk from the Whitehall Hotel. There are several CTA bus options or you may take a rideshare at your own expense or split it with a few people.

  • Each excursion option has their own set of directions and will be guided by a host. We have a limited number of prepaid Ventra cards available for use. If anyone uses their own funds for transportation to and from an excursion (CTA or rideshare), they may submit a receipt for reimbursement to info@wildfig.org. Please provide the names of everyone traveling with you.

  • The CTA costs $2.50 to ride to either ORD or MDW.

    If you would like to take a rideshare at your own expense and split the cost with someone, you may use this Airport Rideshare Sign Up Sheet.

Learning Conversations 1

  • If you hold a Wild Fig credential or are interested in one, come learn about our proposed first-time credentialing process including Credentialing Cohorts, a Formation Library, and new accountability processes.

  • A conversational introduction to the principles and practices that make Wild Fig, Wild Fig! We’ll discuss topics such as our purpose, guiding principles, circles, consent, mutuality, moving at the speed of trust, and whatever else comes to the surface. Whether you’re new or have been around for a while, come with your questions and curiosities, and we’ll explore them together!

  • YOU bring the topic, question, or activity. The people in the room build the agenda together in real time around the things they care about. Anyone can propose or join any conversation. Or, simply hang out and see what happens. This can also be an opportunity to schedule a gathering with a cohort or affinity group.

    Learn more about Open Space HERE!

Thursday from 11:00am to 12:30pm

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Excursions

  • Montrose Bird Sanctuary Wonder Walk

    • How to get there: A short drive. Uber/Lyft reimbursement available for this excursion.

    • Cost: Free

    • Guiding Principles: Mutuality, Relationships, Humility

    The Montrose Bird Sanctuary attracts tens of thousands of migratory birds to rest, eat, and shelter each spring and fall. Over 300 bird species have been recorded here. Dedicated volunteers care for this mini ecosystem, collecting trash, weeding invasive species, and planting native plants. Their efforts make this a true ecosystem and a place where birds can thrive because they can access the types of plants and insects they need.

    Reflection Guide

  • Oz Park: Seeing Beyond, A Reflective Journey

    In 1976, this park was officially named Oz Park in honor of L. Frank Baum (1856–1919), the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who lived nearby. Over the years, statues of the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Toto, and the Tin Man were added. This story explores the assumptions we hold, how they shape reality, what happens when those assumptions are unmasked, and the new possibilities that emerge.

    Reflection Guide

  • Center for Native Futures

    The Center for Native Futures is the epicenter of Native creativity in Chicagoland, hosting gallery exhibitions, artists-in-residence, and community events throughout the year. This intimate art gallery fosters Native artists of all backgrounds and encourages Indigenous Futurists. Indigenous Futurism(s) are artistic means for expanding possibilities and realities by imagining without colonial limitations.

    Reflection Guide

  • Literary Cultural Walking Tour

    • How to get there: 1.1 mile walking with CTA (public transit) rides. (See below)

    • Cost: Free

    • Guiding Principles: Creativity, Inclusion, Praxis

    Directions:

    This brief, three-stop, 1.1-mile literary cultural walking tour packs in independent bookstores, community hubs, art galleries, exhibitions, and an introduction to Chicago history. Begin with a visit to the Latine-owned bookstore “Exile in Bookville,” located on the second floor in the historic Fine Arts Building, where books and music are synonymous. Next, walk down N. Michigan Ave. to “The People’s Palace,” a stunning landmark building also known as the Chicago Cultural Center. It’s home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as free music, dance and theater events, films, lectures, art exhibitions, and family events. Finally, wander and wonder across the Chicago River and through “After-Words,” a woman-owned, two-story bookstore that features a wide variety of books by local authors and about local history, art, and architecture.

    Reflection Guide

  • The Art Institute of Chicago

    • How to get there: Short CTA ride.

    • Cost: $32 (at your own expense)

    • Guiding Principles: Creativity

    Immerse yourself in the beauty of creative expression at The Art Institute of Chicago. Marvel and find inspiration

    Reflection Guide

  • Illinois Holocaust Museum

    • How to get there: Short metro ride.

    • Cost: $12 (at your own expense)

    • Guiding Principles: Praxis

    Visit the Illinois Holocaust Museum Experience360: A Panoramic View Through History and Time. Learn from history, connect stories to the times we find ourselves in and consider how loving practice is lived out today to co-create a world of healing and justice.

    Reflection Guide

A Learning Conversation option for those wishing to stay in…

  • How We Move Together: The Shift From Ego to Eco — Leslie Hall
    (1:30 PM - 3:00 PM)
    A conversation about making the shift from an ego-system to an eco-system. We’ll discuss what leadership, teamwork, and decision making can look like when power is shared among many rather than concentrated in a few. Come explore how a network can move less like a machine and more like a living ecosystem.

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Learning Conversations 2

  • A conversation for churches and organizations exploring what it means to affiliate with the Wild Fig Network. Together we'll walk through what the Network offers to affiliating organizations and what it asks of them — and the ways your organization can help shape what we're becoming. Come with your questions, and your organization's story.

  • A conversation about cohorts—the smallest fractal of Wild Fig and its root system. We’ll explore why the network is built for depth of relationship rather than rapid scale, and how cohorts can actually gather, form, and hold everything together. For anyone curious about finding, starting, or supporting the life of a cohort.

  • YOU bring the topic, question, or activity. The people in the room build the agenda together in real time around the things they care about. Anyone can propose or join any conversation. Or, simply hang out and see what happens. This can also be an opportunity to schedule a gathering with a cohort or affinity group.

    Learn more about Open Space HERE!

Thursday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Jump Back To The Scheudle

Contact

For questions, email info@wildfig.org or call/text (214) 945-3344‬

Share Your Photos!

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We’ll add them below occasionally throughout our time together.

Please try to avoid adding photos of individuals wearing green lanyards as they have requested to not be photographed or videoed.