Bishop Kathy and the BC Synod cordially invited people from across the province to participate in a two-day visioning and dialogue session on March 22 and 23. Congregations sent up two lay leaders and their active rostered leader or interim minister to King of Life Lutheran Church in Coquitlam.
Facilitator Charles Holmes guided 80 active participants as they sought to discern where God’s leading them. I was fortunate to attend as BC Synod staff, Canada Lutheran editor for the BC Synod pages, and the lay representative for Matsqui Lutheran.
When people arrived on Saturday morning, they grabbed a name tag, filled their mugs with coffee (once the urns were properly plugged in) and mingled around the space. They were then invited to sit beside someone they did not know very well. Tables, with four to six chairs each, were set up throughout the sanctuary and narthex. From there, Charles asked people to break into smaller groups, three people ideally, and share with one another a crossroad they were facing. After, groups shared some of what they heard. The biggest take away was that we, as a synod, are facing very similar situations. We are one body.
The room was then split down the middle with one side considering the question, “What do we need to conserve/keep/protect?” and the other side asking, “What do we need to let go of—to hospice?” The responses/answers were then written on paper leaves. Light brown leaves were for compost/hospice and dark green leaves were for conserve. The leaves were placed on a paper tree in the sanctuary. The green leaves included: “partnerships-service through community relation,” and “Word and Sacrament,” and “love, grace and mercy.” The light brown leaves read “non-inclusive patriarchal language,” and “narrow understanding of ethnic church identity,” and “attachment to buildings.”
Next on the agenda was “Open Space.”
Charles Holmes told the group that open space starts with the question: “What are innovative ways to collaborate across congregations and distance?” People were then given large pieces of paper to write down what they were passionate about and what they wanted to see. One by one, people stood up and shared their papers, making sure to stay under Charles’ two-minute time limit. If someone had a similar idea on their paper they raised their hand. Many creative ideas emerged.
The papers were then narrowed down to about a dozen (based on similar threads and ideas) and became the names of Open Space Groups. The groups were then numbered and placed throughout the meeting space. Participants were invited to go to the group(s) that they were interested in. They could be butterflies or bumbles. Butterflies stay in one space and bumblebees fly from group to group cross-pollinating the discussion.
The evening wrapped with a pizza dinner and engaging conversations.
On Sunday morning people were invited to go to the Open Space Group they felt most called or connected to. Charles encouraged those Open Space Groups with only one person in attendance, or those with very little action to be taken, to “let it go.” Emphasizing that for Open Space Groups to work multiple people are needed. From there, folks in Open Space Groups were asked to write down the name(s) of the leader(s) and members in the group and action(s) to be taken.
Bishop Kathy asked groups to send summaries of their conversations and their action items to the BC Synod, so that the summaries could be shared with all the participants. Everyone in attendance agreed to share their names and contact information with one another. The bishop also noted that as the BC Synod we will be looking forward to hearing about the experiments the groups are pursuing, as well as considering how we might provide further support.
To wrap up the event, Charles invited everyone to sit in a large circle and share one word to sum up the weekend. Words like “hopeful,” and “grateful,” and “curious” were shared.
In the following days, summaries were submitted from the following Open Space Groups:
– 3rd Space and Community Ministry
– Children and Family Ministry
– Church Property Development
– Intentional Shared Ministry of all
the Baptized
– Learning Together Action Team
– Truth and Reconciliation First
Nations
– Youth Group and Young Adult
Gatherings
We are one body was an engaging and God-filled weekend, and a reminder that now is a wonderful time to try new things!
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