Guest Blogger: Zach Garcia, a member of the First Presbyterian Church of San Bernardino, CA.
For the week of July 20th through July 23rd, Mark Adelson, Mary Bolaños, Shannon Nolin, Amy Rueda, Sandy Tice, and I travelled to Los Angeles for a segment of this year’s Kaleidoscope Institute Gracious Leadership Training. The six of us, joined by a small collection of others, both Presbyterian and not, from California and beyond, came together under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Eric Law and his assistant for the retreat, Lucky Lynch, to listen, learn, discuss, and discover what traits and practices define gracious and effective leadership.
Armed with two of Dr. Law’s books, (Inclusion: Making Room for Grace and The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb) and a handful of stories from Pastor Sandy, I admittedly wondered what it is I had gotten myself into by agreeing to partake in this adventure. Between the stories and Dr. Law’s works, I heard of, of course, leadership abilities, but also of cultural recognition and collision, of variations of bible study and discussion, of environmentalism, of self-identity, of holy currency, of communication styles, of boundary functions, of cycles of living, of fear and of much, much more. – And I thought to myself, “We’re going to cover all of this, these completely separate, incredibly deep and dense, in some cases completely foreign concepts, in four days?” Yet somehow we did. Not only that, but with a bit of guidance, we came to see the deep, underlying connections between them.
Though a wide array of ideas and new terminology came our way over the course of the course, two very simple tenets laid the foundations for much of what we would do: Notice and Wonder. At the close of most discussions or activities, we would be challenged to complete two sentences beginning with the terms “I noticed...” and “I wonder...” The first gave room to analyze. Often these phrases would be completed on paper before being shared with the group, and “noticing” invited us to share what we, individually (each from our own cultural background) took away from the activity or lesson, rather than simply responding with what we think it is we were supposed to gain. The latter invites the conversation to continue. Wondering encouraged us to ask questions; ones that did not necessarily have a simple or immediate answer. With these two forces at work, the retreat quickly became nothing short of fascinating.
One of the earliest exercises we performed was entitled The Iceberg of Culture. In it, we were invited to envision ourselves as icebergs. Above the water stood our external culture: that which is visible, audible, and known to any and all who care to look. However, beneath the water lay our internal culture: our beliefs, values, patterns, mythos, etc. As we all know, there is much more of the iceberg beneath the waves, and this holds true in our analogy. These internal cultures are tucked away from sight, but discoverable by those willing to explore the depths. Moreover, it is these internal cultures that often collide when all appears normal above the water.
While analyzing these collisions, both on the personal and global scale, we were taught to utilize a number of techniques including, but certainly not limited to, the acts of gracious invitation, mutual invitation, and clarifying questioning. Though it seems difficult to treat these practices as universal, these are but three methods found within the gracious leader’s toolbox.
On our final day in LA we took a trip to the ever-growing Homeboy Industries. Developed by Father Gregory Boyle (a gracious leader if there ever was one,) Homeboy Industries is built on the premise of “jobs not jails.” Offering everything from employment opportunities, to one on one resume help, to tattoo removal, to interview practice, to mental health assistance, to case management, to so much more, Homeboy Industries does everything in their power to equip those who have had their lives impacted by crime to find a strong, fresh start. Simply standing in that place, hearing the tales of struggle and triumph embodied the reality of the difference that can be found when someone decides to give their all to make the world a better place.
This has been but a snippet of the adventure the six of us had this past July. If you find yourself curious to know anything more, please do not hesitate to ask any of us. We are so excited to share. And if you find yourself on W. Bruno St. in Los Angeles, make a point to stop by the Homegirl Cafe. You’ll be amazed by what you see.
(This piece was written for the September 2015 newsletter of the First Presbyterian Church of San Bernardino)
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Upcoming Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist and learn more about Holy Conferencing: November 1-5, 2015 January 18-22, 2016 February 29-March 4, 2016 April 7-12, 2016 July 18-22, 2016 |
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Reflection Questions for Proper 22 (Year B) Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 26 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 Mark 10:2-16 |
Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org
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