Mustard Seed

A month ago, Bob Kelley, a board member, and Lucky Lynch, an Associate of the Kaleidoscope Institute met to explore ways to market our new program: Holy Currencies.  When three creative people started talking, ideas flowed freely.  When I mentioned “life skills” for young people as a way to share this model of sustainability with a different population than our usual clients, the conversation became more enthusiastic and intense.  At the end of the meeting, we decided to put more energy into pursuing this idea.

In my travels working with many church leaders, I started talking to them about creating a Life Skill Circle ministry for senior high school students, especially for churches located near a high school.  The responses were all positive.  In fact, at least 5 church leaders offered their churches as test sites for this project.  They said, “This is the kind of program we are looking for.”  In these conversations, the structure of the program began to take shape. 

I also talked about this idea with a few people who have financial resources and again, the responses were all positive; one person actually said, “What’s the next step?  Maybe I can invest in this project.”

Last week, Bob and I talked again in preparation for the Kaleidoscope Institute board meeting.  Bob had asked a team in his business to start the work of creating a curriculum for this project.  The rough draft of the basic life skills that the team came up includes:

1. Interactive Diverse Viewpoint Discussion Skills
2. Sensitivity To Social Interaction Styles
3. Asking Questions to Learn & Understand
4. Basic Group Facilitation Skills
5. Basic Teaching Skills
6. Business & Home Economics 
7. Holy Currencies For A Missional Ministry Project
8. Surveys & Statistical Inference
9. Event Design & Planning
10. Developing, Managing & Creating A Report  on A Holy Currencies Missional Community Project

As I shared the responses I have been getting from church leaders with Bob, the project vision became clearer. We would train 2 church volunteers to facilitate a group of 8 students to form a Life Skill Circle, which would meet weekly for 3 hours.  The curriculum would be 2-years long beginning in January for 10^th Graders and end in December of their senior year.  During the last semester, the Circle will develop, plan and implement a sustainable missional project.

We will be presenting this whole vision to the Board this week and explore funding opportunities to bring together a design team to create the curriculum, building the relationships with church test sites and to launch the project in January 2013.  So if any of my readers would like to be part of this exciting development by giving initial financial support and offering your expertise, let me know.

Sometimes an idea begins like a mustard seed, small and almost invisible.  But with the right conditions and creativity, it can grow into “the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

Invite members of your community to gather and explore new ideas for sustainable community: Invite participants to individually write down as many ideas as they can think of that can help create a sustainable community.  Remind them not to judge these ideas no matter how far-fetched they are. Form small groups and invite participants to share these ideas. Invite participants to find connections among these ideas and how some build on others to create new ideas. If an idea catches the energy of the group, stay with that idea for a while and invite participants to describe the vision with more details. As a large group, close the dialogue time by inviting participants to reflect and share:   As result of this dialogue, what am I called to do?

Reflection Questions for Proper 6 (Year B) 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13    What did you learn from this story about raising leaders? Psalm 20   What does it mean for you to call upon the Name of the God? 2 Corinthians 5:1-17   How can you be part of the new creation? Mark 4:26-34   What are the qualities of the realm of God?

Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org

Upcoming Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist: July 16-20 Kaleidoscope Summer Institute:  Missional Ministry in the Grace Margin, Holy Currencies and Community Transformation St. Paul’s Cathedral Center, Los Angeles, CA August 13-17 Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center, North Bend (near Seattle), WA Register at:  www.kscopeinstitute.org