As more church leaders took the Holy Currencies Training through the Kaleidoscope Institute, we are witnessing more practical applications of these model, tools and concepts. Here is one from the St. James’s Episcopal Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts; the rector, the Rev. Holly Lyman Antolini came to one of our earliest Holy Currencies Training. The following explanation of Holy Currencies and the graphics are from St. James’s website. (http://www.stjames-cambridge.org/) I especially appreciate the graphic representation of how the activities at St. James’ connect with the currencies.
As we launch our pledge campaign this October, We’re talking about ALL the “Holy Currencies” and how they increase and support each other and in turn, support us to pursue God’s Mission in a sustainable way at St. James’s. So what are "The Holy Currencies?" We know about the Currency of Money. But as any "endowed parish" knows, money alone doesn't sustain a vibrant ministry, nor keep it focused on God's Mission of justice and mercy, advocacy and reconciliation in a world that, despite its inherent beauty and abundant creative energy, is divided, unjust and broken. For that, we need other "currencies" less quantifiable but no less critical, and those currencies need to flow one into another, multiplying each other endlessly to energize God's Mission. The need for a flowing Currency of Time & Place is one we know poignantly well, as we await the building of our new parish house, since we have had to find currency of place by the grace of our neighbors, the Pine Village Preschool for our church school, the Friends for our offices and Women's Meal, the Fresh Pond Apartments for our Food Pantry, and as we find our schedules impacted and our anxiety rising at our over commitment, finding currency of time hard to dispense in the flood tide of priorities in our lives. Time & Place depend upon and flow from another Currency, the Currency of Relationship. It is the desire for relationship that motivates parishioners to offer their houses for a Newcomers' Meal or a Lenten Class. It is the fruit of relationship that enables us to expand our "footprint" from the Food Pantry to the "Cooking Nights" at Fresh Pond so our guests at the Food Pantry become our friends. And it's the fruit of relationship that supports the vibrancy of our parish life “in diaspora,” relying on the kindness of our neighbors as we wait to build our parish house. Currency of Relationship flows directly from the Currency of Truth, in which everyone in a congregation feels heard, can express their views without rancor, and stretches to listen carefully and hear the views of people very different from themselves, and in which we become able to hear and be moved to action by "the cries of the poor" in our surrounding community. The prison ministry, the Anti-Oppression Team, and the Outdoor Church are all places where the currency of Truth flourishes at St. James's. And it's Currency of Gracious Leadership that keeps that space open and inviting for both Relationship and Truth to expand and deepen in worship, formation, and outreach ministry. All these Currencies - Money, Time & Place, Relationship, Gracious Leadership, and Truth - flow together to enhance our fundamental Currency of Wellness, that rootedness in God's goodness, love and abundance that grounds itself in worship and reminds us that we are each of us beloved of God and gifted to increase God's love in the needy world.
Upcoming Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist and learn more about Holy Conferencing: November 16-20, 2014 January 19-23, 2015 February 13-14, 2015 March 19-24, 2015 April 21-25, 2015 July 20-25, 2015 Register at: www.kscopeinstitute.org |
Reflection Questions for Proper 25 (Year A) Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 Psalm 1 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Matthew 22:34-46 |
Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org
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