AANR-SW convention 2018

[jjsledge]

Well. just got back from Star Ranch near McDade, TX. I arrived on Thursday (21) about noon and off came the clothes and shoes (actually I was driving barefoot) and did not get dressed again until about 9:30 this morning (Sunday 24).

This was my first ANNR_SW convention and during the introductions I introduced myself "Jerry Sledge with the North Texas Christian Naturists. AANS's newest travel club". I heard a few "cool" "interesting" comments and the AANR Director said some positive words as he handed me his card. There were 4 Board of Director positions available, two 3 year terms and 2 one year unexpired term. The recording secretary (a christian) asked me if I would like to be considered for nomination. Since I was representing NTCN I agreed. 4 nominees and 4 positions. The two that got the most votes got 3 year terms and I and one other got 1 year terms. The other 2 had experience with the system
I and the other guy were invited. Him because he is very involved with the resort he attends and me because of NTCN.

Star Ranch is a 100+ acre resort. 2 pools, sand volleyball, water volleyball, washers, pentaque . . . One of the pools in indoor with the hot tub. All the tent camp sites are under trees, cedar, oak and pine are what I recognized. Restaurant, cabins, RV sites . . . the usual amenities.

So to summarize: I attended my first AANR conference ever and return home a member of the Board of Directors.

Jerry Sledge

[webmeister]

Jerry that is awesome! Congratulations...So great to have a rep here with us in the village...If I ever have questions you will be my resource. Thank you for stepping up!

[JimShedd112]

Congratulations Jerry. I’m sure you’ll perform your duties well.

Jim

[nudie66]

Congratulations, Jerry!

[Maverick]

Congratulations, Jerry!

[jjsledge]

Thanks, guys.

[Ramblinman]

I understand that not all family-friendly naturists are born again Christians...
There was a time when I wasn't Christian, but was certainly not a wild party type.
However, I think it is very important that the Christian community remains an active component of the nudist/naturist community.
For several reasons, among which are outreach to hurting Christian nudists who have been unfairly ostracized, to reach out in friendship to the non-Christians among them and to begin the long process of restoring naturist values to Christianity. The two did go hand-in-hand in the earliest days of Christianity, it just didn't have a label of naturist as such.

And imperfect though he was, one of the founders of American nudism was a devout Christian pastor, the Reverend Ilsley Boone.

All this to say that Jerry's appointment is good for us all!

[jasenj1]

Very exciting. I hope & pray you can do a good job shaping AANR.

I often hear people complain about AANR for various reasons, but to me this story shows the lack of people really willing to stand up and take the reins.

And just to clarify, you are now on AANR-SW Region's BoD? Or national AANR?

Please keep us informed here as much as you can regarding your duties as a Director. One of the complaints about AANR is a lack of communication.

Finally, I suggest you register at AANR's Forum and use that to communicate with people as well.

Thank you for your service!

[jjsledge]

I am on the Southwest Region board. I just only showed up at the convention to represent NTCN. There were four positions open and few applicants. Since one can only serve 2 consecutive terms some are ineligible to serve, as was the case for two of the positions. The other two positions were unexpired terms for two people who were unable to finish their terms. All I did was just show up and fill a position when asked. Maybe if every member showed up and made themselves available changes could occur. Every member has a vote and is able to accumulate prosy votes from friends etc. who are unable to attend.

I thinking that if several people joined AANR through NTCN and I was able to have their proxy vote maybe we could begin to make a difference. I will be finding out if people in other than the Southwest Region can join through NTCN. I know some people keep their AANR membership through clubs that they no longer attend. The following information can be found on the AANR website.

Jerry Sledge
287 Chris Drive
Rockwall, TX 75032
972.900.4866
JJSLEDGE@MSN.COM
Term expires: 2019
Club: North Texas Christian Naturists

North Texas Christian Naturists
9
C
2
NTCN242@gmail.com

I don't have permission to post all of the NTCN information, yet.

[jjsledge]

We had our monthly NTCN meeting Saturday. We are ready to start accepting applications to AANR through our North Texas Christian Naturist group. You do not have to be an actual member of NTCN to have your AANR membership through us. You don't have to be in the Southwest Region either. Existing members can renew through our group.

Why be an AANR member through NTCN? It would give a method to show them that Christians are actually involved in the naturist community and may help remove the stigma about Christians being against normal nudity. If enough of us are members of the NTCN travel club they will notice the numbers (votes), especially when they notice how many Christians are eligible to vote on various topics/concerns during board meetings. If you can't attend meetings then you can select a person to be your proxy. Prior to board meetings letters are sent out with the option to select a proxy to vote for you. That person can be anyone that will be attending the meeting, including board members (like me) (hint hint). For those of you who do select me for your proxy I would appreciate input for the items mentioned in the letters. You can PM me or email me with your suggestions and concerns. Existing AANR-Southwest members can also send me your proxy.

Yes it costs money. We are not set up to receive Pay Pal so you would need to send a check (remember those?). The money and application needs to go through us for it to count for our group. You can confirm that I am a board member by going here: http://www.aanr-sw.org/regionalofficers.html Information needed is Name, address, phone number, email, and whether you want the Bulletin sent electronically or a copy mailed to you. Sorry I don't know the cost. I know what it cost me, but I get the senior/veteran discount. The price will be increasing by $3 soon.

I hope Nathan will confirm the authenticity of this information if anyone has concerns. (Sending him a copy/paste of this post.)

Jerry Sledge
jjsledge@msn.com
ntcn242@gmail.com
PO Box 2613
Coppell, TX 75019

[Englishman]

Good for you, Jerry Great to see Christians involved in secular groups; we've buried our heads in the sand for too long. Only sorry I can't join you; I suspect not being American & living 3,000 miles away might present the odd problem or two. Nevertheless, much (God breathed) power to your elbow!

[jjsledge]

Englishman

The only problem I see might be currency conversion. Exchange rates might change between the time you would write the check and when it is deposited into our bank account. I once had a membership in the Canadian naturist organization (FCN?) with no problems. They have a nice magazine and if I had been able to travel in Europe I would have been granted discounts at any resorts I might have visited.

[Maverick]

We are not set up to receive Pay Pal so you would need to send a check (remember those?).

Jerry,

I could be wrong, but I believe PayPal has all but denied its services to naturists. I think that has to do with its legal team either not understanding what true naturism is, or just not wanting to provide services to those who could be associated with criminal activity such as human trafficking or pedophilia. Some of the "naturist" websites that pander videos of naked children are obviously suspect, but I think they chose to paint all naturists with a wide brush instead of doing a time-consuming, case-by-case investigation.

Would love to join NTCN, but I'm afraid anything mailed to/from my home address would set off my non-naturist parents.

[jjsledge]

You don't have to join NTCN, but it doesn't cost anything to join NTCN. I'm just asking people to join AANR_SW through NTCN which does cost $50 +-. More people (members) equates to more influence on the board. A Christian presence can have a moderating effect on board decisions even if Christians are not a majority. They asked me to be a board member after they knew I was representing a Christian group and favorable comments were heard after I introduced myself as representing NTCN. The person representing AANR (national not regional) also had a favorable comment as he introduced himself and handed me his card.

Maverick
You live close enough we could do the transaction in person. AANR's Bulletin arrives as an email link, unless you request a physical copy. Maybe you could use our PO Box for snail mail (voter proxy etc.).