thoughts about the barista guild of america

i am a new member of the barista guild of america. what a barista is, few know. what we need our own trade association for, even fewer would understand. i definitely see a need for such a community, but since it is still a fairly new entity, we are still trying to figure out who we are and what we are doing. after processing the thoughts i've had the past couple of weeks, i posted this this morning on the bga discussion forum:

[quote="trish"]
I hope that the BGA will be about coffee education and free exchange of ideas not about "how do we please the judges".

um...

please bear with my analogy...

i am a week old bga member. for a long time i dabbled in spirituality, but now i have joined an actual church. i am a card-carrying barista. what does this mean? since i have been a barista for years, my actual role and job description does not change. but now i guess i feel a new obligation to the masses (evangelism) and to the brethren (discipleship). i have visions of crusading through the coffee shops of virginia, dc and maryland sharing the gospel of hardcore specialty coffee and bringing many to salvation...

but...i need a bible to preach from. or some tracts to stuff in tip jars. i feel a little impotent in my mission.

from the bga website:
Simply put, the Barista Guild of America is a trade organization for Baristas. The Barista Guild focuses on promoting coffee quality as the principle standard for success, encouraging craftsmanship through education and collaboration, building community among Baristas, recognizing achievement, and cultivating a sophisticated "public face" for the industry

being a new believer, i look at the mission field of an american public missing the deliciousness of a well-prepared cup of coffee, and the state of a church where 99% of the baristas do not know exactly what they are doing or why and i want to change the world. how do i "promote coffee quality", "encourage craftsmanship", and the rest? as the bga, we can hopefully equip each other and bring many into the fold, and i am definitely excited about where this is going. we are a new religion and are maybe still formulating our doctrine as well as our mission philosophy. don't get me wrong, i am pumped about all that is happening in the industry, etc, etc. i just want help. and i want to help others.

maybe we need some standard literature/resources to use in our evangelizing as deferio suggested...i don't what this all looks like. i just want to know how i can help to stir a coffee revival in this region and around the country outside of just going to work every morning and reading discussion boards.

-end analogy.