“It’s just so wonderful to learn that I’m not alone.” These ten words were shared by a Sunday Assembly attendee, and made Amy Boyle further appreciate all the hard work and effort she put forth to found the organization in Los Angeles. Amy added how great it felt for Sunday Assembly to be able to alleviate the feeling of loneliness that many face.
Loneliness can have deteriorating effects on the overall health of a person. If left unchecked, it can even cause depression, low self-esteem, and other such psychological issues. Usually, people tend to go to parties or even go on dates, to escape the void. However, in some cases, loneliness can cause people to believe that they wouldn’t get a date even if they tried. While products that contain human pheromones or other aphrodisiacs can help tip the scales in their direction by increasing the level of attraction can help, a lonely person with low self-esteem would still resist taking that chance, most likely. Moreover, not everyone wants to date. And for those people, there should be other options where they can come and socialize with others in their community.
Amy, a founder and co-director of the program, states, “Sunday Assembly is a celebration of life. It’s like church without the God part.” The concept of church is so inviting to many as it consists of a group of like-minded people coming together for a common goal, however not all people share the same religious beliefs. Sunday Assembly aims to encompass these aspects of church, but welcome people of all religious backgrounds.
Sunday Assembly first originated in London in 2013. A small team of organizers then proposed that the program be extended to Los Angeles the following summer. Often, entrepreneurs and innovators are cognizant of the exorbitant risks that are associated with creating a new product, service, or idea, and this was true for Amy. She shared her initial trepidations when the group was introducing Sunday Assembly in Los Angeles. “When you have an idea and you’re running with it, you don’t know how quickly it’s going to catch on.”
Fortunately for this community of altruists, over 400 people showed up to the first Los Angeles event. During the event people express themselves through song, followed by a 15-minute talk about something educational or inspirational. It is during these activities that the correlation between Sunday Assembly and TED is so apparent. Not surprisingly, the idea of sharing ideas and inspiring others is relevant in many settings. Following the talk is a reading and a social activity where people congregate to discuss their emotions and ideas. As Sunday Assembly states, their goal is to make the world a little better than the way they found it.
Amy constantly aims to better the world we live in. She is on the Board of Directors of Sunday Assembly America, as well as a Deputy Regional Field Director for Obama for America. She oversaw the recruitment, training and mobilization of thousands of volunteers and ran one of the largest and most effective field offices of the historic 2012 presidential campaign. The latter position allowed her to become interested in building communities and empowering people to make decisions. This is what propelled Amy to co-found Sunday Assembly Los Angeles.
Amy says she is “honored to be a part of the TEDx process and especially excited to meet the other speakers and be inspired.” Improving individual well being is a communal and collaborative experience, and just as TEDxNavesink inspires and improves individuals, Sunday Assembly aims to do the same.
To learn more about Amy Boyle and Sunday Assembly Los Angeles, visit www.sundayassemblyla.org.
Trust us, you’ll want to hear her talk titled “Rise of Religion-free Church” on April 11, 2015, so make sure you get your tickets for TEDxNavesink 2015 before they are sold out! Click here for tickets.
Jordyn Magenheim is a TEDxNavesink Intern and Monmouth University student.