I am so blessed to be a part of a wonderful group of other UCC Christian Educators. These groups can be found all around New England. They are called "communities of practice" and they were the brain child of two of my UCC mentors, Sue Dickerman and Elsa Marshall. There were already clergy "communities of practice" established, but Sue and Elsa thought it was important, that we have this support system as well.
We come together monthly (ideally), typically at the Mattapoissett Congregational Church, our facilitator's home church. We pray, laugh, snack, brainstorm, support, cry, sing, chat and pray some more. Sometimes we discuss a theological topic, like this week we talked about what the expression "freedom in Christ" means. Sometimes we talk about curriculum or confirmation or communion. Sometimes we talk about a personal struggle or triumph. They are my soul sisters and I love them and this ministry to pieces!
On Sunday, we revisited our covenant. It is taken from "Touchstones for Creating a Safe Space "by Parker Palmer. One of the items, I was particularly moved by has to do with opposing viewpoints. I thought it was a great food for thought as all of us are so bombarded by the divisive, nastiness of the current political climate. Parker Palmer has actually done a lot of work in the arena of political divisiveness and actually offers an online course, called Bridging the Divide, available at www.churchnext.tv.com
Here goes...
"If the going gets tough, turn to wonder. If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable with the perspective offered by another, try not to allow judgment to set in. Instead, become intrigued. Ask for more information, and be open to the experiences of others. Differences can be an opportunity for us to learn from one another."
We, as people of faith, have to remember to take the higher road and "love our neighbor" even if that means hating their point of view. It is our call, and particularly important in being good role models to the children who look to us as their guide.
We come together monthly (ideally), typically at the Mattapoissett Congregational Church, our facilitator's home church. We pray, laugh, snack, brainstorm, support, cry, sing, chat and pray some more. Sometimes we discuss a theological topic, like this week we talked about what the expression "freedom in Christ" means. Sometimes we talk about curriculum or confirmation or communion. Sometimes we talk about a personal struggle or triumph. They are my soul sisters and I love them and this ministry to pieces!
On Sunday, we revisited our covenant. It is taken from "Touchstones for Creating a Safe Space "by Parker Palmer. One of the items, I was particularly moved by has to do with opposing viewpoints. I thought it was a great food for thought as all of us are so bombarded by the divisive, nastiness of the current political climate. Parker Palmer has actually done a lot of work in the arena of political divisiveness and actually offers an online course, called Bridging the Divide, available at www.churchnext.tv.com
Here goes...
"If the going gets tough, turn to wonder. If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable with the perspective offered by another, try not to allow judgment to set in. Instead, become intrigued. Ask for more information, and be open to the experiences of others. Differences can be an opportunity for us to learn from one another."
We, as people of faith, have to remember to take the higher road and "love our neighbor" even if that means hating their point of view. It is our call, and particularly important in being good role models to the children who look to us as their guide.
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