The Sustainist

Holy Conferencing

Last week at the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in Burlingame, I was invited to teach the delegates about “Holy Conferencing,” which has been a “buzz” term used by the United Methodist Church in the last few years to remind people the spirit and principles of civil and caring conversations, especially in times of difficult decision-making.  I began my presentation with exploring what it means to be “holy.”  

The Greek word for “holy” is ἅγιος (hagios), which means set apart for (or by) God.  The word implies that the thing, person, or setting that is set apart is different from the world because it follows the likeness of the nature of God.  Therefore, holy conferencing means setting aside a time and a place to confer with each other in the pattern, different from the world’s, but of the divine nature.

Here is the big issue: being holy relies on one’s concept of divine.  If I believe in a God that only judges and punishes people, then to be holy can mean making judgment and punishing others.  If I believe in a God that forgives, then to be holy means to forgive.  This is why I am a Christian and a priest, and the major part of my ministry is to teach images, concepts and nature of God according to what Jesus had taught us.  Here is what Jesus said as recorded in the Bible:

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? . . .  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

To be children of God means to be inclusive, even of the ones whom we consider our enemies.  This radical pattern of inclusion certainly differentiates Christians, when we follow it, from the world’s pattern in how we deal with our differences.  It is this pattern of radical inclusion that sets us apart and makes us holy.  Holy conferencing means:

• Setting aside a time and place
• to affirm that we are beloved children of God
• so we can share our truth
• and listen to and understand others’ truth even when we disagree
• in order to discover together “our truth.”

In the English language, “perfect” often connotes the idea of being flawless.  I learned from the biblical scholar, Walter Wink, that in Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke, the closest word to “perfect” is “complete” or “whole.” This makes perfect sense in the context of this text.  So be complete as God is complete.  Be inclusive as God is inclusive.  Be holy as God is holy.

I want to call your attention to the upcoming training institutes offered by the Kaleidoscope Institute in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Memphis.  I would love to see you joining us in any of these events to learn and practice holy conferencing.  Get more information and register at www.kscopeinstitute.org.

Upcoming Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist and learn more about Holy Conferencing: July 14-18, 2014 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training August 8-9, 2014 Seattle, WA Holy Currencies Orientation September 3-4, 2014 Chicago, IL KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training November 16-20, 2014 Memphis, TN Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries Register at:  www.kscopeinstitute.org

Reflection Questions for Proper 8 (Year A): Genesis 22:1-14    What would life be like if you truly believe that God will provide? Psalm 13  What does it mean for you to trust in God’s mercy? Jeremiah 28:5-9   How can you be a prophet who prophesies peace ? Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18   In what ways can we proclaim that God’s love is established forever? Romans 6:12-23   What does it mean for you to be an instrument of righteousness? Matthew 10:40-42   What reward do you get if you welcome a prophet into your life?

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

 

Restaurants and Christmas Gifts

Missional Ministries in the Grace Margin is a 12-hour dialogue program for local church leaders to explore how they can share their gifts with the wider community.  This spring, a group of Holy Currencies Catalysts (our title for facilitator) facilitated this dialogue with over 15 churches in Ohio.  One of the activities involves making connections between something that the church is currently doing and a location in the neighborhood where people gather.  The following is a report from one of the church teams that was challenged to making connections between a Christmas gift ministry and the local pubs and restaurants. 

Our Mama Bear ministry connects needy families to gifts, support, and a party at Christmas time; our church has recently assumed leadership of the program after 30 years of being led by a community member.  Despite the first response of "impossible," we developed a plan for a dine-to-donate program that has great potential to develop relationships and connections to our community.

The plan is to approach a restaurant that would be willing to organize a night where some part of their profits could be donated to our Mama Bear program. We loved the idea of using business cards as a part of the program that could be used to: get a discount at the restaurant (if we work out a deal with the restaurant), identify which patrons came for dine-to-donate, explain that the restaurant was helping to support our program, and most importantly to give phone and email contact for people who are interested in shopping for/ donating presents for the Mama Bear program. Church members could share the cards with friends or give the cards to people as they come in the restaurants.  Rather than just leaving "gift tags" on a "giving tree", the email/ phone contact on the cards creates two-way conversations and continuing opportunities to connect with our neighbors, such as a "wrapping" party for those who contributed to wrap Mama Bear gifts or creating an (optional, of course) email list for involvement with future dine-to-donate nights or service opportunities. 

Not only are we able to connect with restaurant staff and neighbors who happen to be dining there, we also have the possibility to connect friends with our church through this program (i.e., inviting work friends to dinner and sharing that the profits are going to a ministry in our church). Feedback from other churches at our training helped us to think of ways to enhance our relationships with our Mama Bear recipients by providing child-care and a prepaid dinner out at our partner restaurant. The experience at our table was obvious: we love the idea and felt that a program like this would allow us to be genuine and excited about connecting with our neighbors! 

I share this idea because it is not just a linear charity project in which people give money to buy gifts for those in need, but it networks with the wider community with currencies of time/place, relationships, wellness and money.

Reflection Questions for Trinity Sunday (Year A): Genesis 1:1-2:4a  What does it mean for you to be made in the image of God? Psalm 8  What is humankind that God should seek us out? 2 Corinthians 13:11-14   What will our community be like if we greet each other with a holy kiss? Matthew 28: 16-20   What did you learn from this text about how to create a sustainable missional ministry?

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

Fear Not

June 5 marks the 25^th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, which left an unknown number of pro-democracy protesters dead, and silenced a hopeful democratic movement that moved the world except the Chinese government leaders who ordered the attacks on their own people.  There are already reports that the government is making arrest to preempt any potential protests to commemorate this event.  If violence and evocation of fear worked the first time, why wouldn’t it work again? 

In 25 years, China has worked to become the 2^nd largest economy in the world and yet, fear still reigns. On the surface, China might have become a great nation to the eyes of many but will it be sustainable in the long run if it continues to rely on fear to silence the voices of the powerless in order to “hold” the nation together?

Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old shall dream dreams, your young shall see visions.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)

About 2000 years ago during Pentecost, a Jewish festival celebrated 50 days after Passover, a small group of Jews who followed a teacher named Jesus claimed that this prophecy was fulfilled.   A few days before, Jesus had left this small group (the Ascension) leaving them leaderless and powerless. Certainly no one would expect this small group of people to be spokespersons for God.  But on that Pentecost day, they prophesied.  But the real miracle was that the crowd who had come for the Pentecost feast was there and they heard this small group of people speaking in the own native tongue of each about God’s deeds of power. Many changed and became believers as a result.

We are living in a world dominated by the voices of the powerful and rich. They can manipulate the political system to make us believe that we are indeed powerless.  Their influential voices are moving us away from a sustainable future for all.  We need a Pentecost now not only in China; we need a Pentecost all around the world through which we can hear the dreams, visions and prophecies of the powerless?

A sustainist listens to the powerless voices.  A sustainist assists the powerless to network with others locally and globally to find their voice together.  A sustainist provides the powerless access to technologies that empower and amplify their voices.  The fact is there are more powerless people in the world than there are powerful ones.  There are more poor people than rich.  If we can network and hear each other, support each other, and let our voices be amplified and circulate through our connections, then there is hope for a Pentecost in which the power would finally listen.  When the dreams, visions and prophecies of the poor and powerless are listened to, perhaps there is hope for a sustainable future where everyone is sustained and not just a powerful few.  

Reflection Questions for Day of Pentecost (Year A): Acts 2:1-21  Was this more a miracle of the tongue or miracle of the ear?  What has been your own experience in communication? Numbers 11:24-30  What would life be like if all of God’s people are prophets? Psalm 104:25-35   What will happen if we let God send forth the spirit to renew the earth? 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13   What does it mean for everyone in your community to drink of one Spirit? John 20:19-23   How does the Holy Spirit help you address your fear?

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