In early American history, perhaps the most influential convening was accomplished in 1633 by John Maverick, a minister in Dorchester, Massachusetts. In October 1633 the community faced a major problem… cows and goats were slipping through fences and grazing on the village green. At that time, there was no local government body to deal with such matters. Looking at the disturbance, John Maverick said, "We have a problem. We need to talk about it. Let's meet on Monday." From Maverick's calling people together about cows and goats on the green, grew a basic American political institution — the town meeting. Town meetings spread throughout New England. Their political power, based on grassroots citizen participation, shaped the structure of our constitutional system. To this day, many town meetings in Massachusetts start on a Monday.

David Mathews, President of the Kettering Foundation used this illustration in an article entitled "Our Shared Life in All Its Forms" (Foundation News, July/August 1987). Mathews described the indispensable functions of this "Independent Sector" in creating the public realm:

"The public realm is pre-governmental, even pre-political; it is the environment out of which government grows. The public life is our shared life in all its forms. What is called the Independent Sector (more accurately termed the Public Sector) performs the most basic functions for the body politic, and is much older and larger than the structures of government."

It is in this Public Sector that we must effectively convene the community around the identified issues of concern.  The cows and goats are on the green… what are we to do?