The 2019 BLIA Chicago Chapter General Assembly and Board Election was held on November 23 at the Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Chicago Buddhist Temple. Venerable Jue Zhong, Director of the BLIA Secretariat, was invited to conduct a training session for the newly elected board members and reserve officers. During the event, the chapter also appointed senior member Mr. Liang-Feng Wang, President of Top Line Furniture Corp, as a chapter advisor.
“Fo Guang Shan is a religious organization, and the BLIA is a faith-based association. The monastics support BLIA activities, and BLIA members protect the temple,” Venerable Jue Zhong encouraged the assembly. She urged members to support the president and new board members in planning the upcoming year’s development, emphasizing the need for systematic management to expand their reach. She suggested organizing activities by region—such as home visits or community outreach—to allow more members and local underprivileged groups to encounter the Dharma.
Venerable Jue Zhong further highlighted that the BLIA is an international brand and a global organization. She introduced the international conferences and activities scheduled for the following year, including the “Veggie A-Plan” initiative promoted in collaboration with the United Nations. Having been established for over 15 years, the Chicago Chapter has reached a pivotal stage for growth. She echoed Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s metaphor of the “two wings of a bird,” symbolizing the necessary cooperation between the monastic and lay communities to fly high and far.
Chapter President Mai-Ping Chou delivered the 2019 annual report, reviewing activities organized under the four pillars of FGS, and shared the resolutions from the World Headquarters and plans for future intercontinental events. The assembly expressed their gratitude to the current board with enthusiastic applause. New members, many of whom are English speakers, took their vows before the Buddha to propagate the Dharma for the benefit of all beings.
The election was supervised by FGS Chicago Head Priest Venerable Jue Lin and Superintendent Venerable You Heng. Through a democratic process, the new board of directors was elected, and Mai-Ping Chou was re-elected as Chapter President to lead the team in their mission of spreading Humanistic Buddhism.