Thursday, December 15, 2011
a new direction
a new direction
hello guys. for those who weren't here last session (and as a refresher for those who were), this is what happened.
the core presented a new direction that log will be heading towards over the upcoming year (and onwards, possibly) - 'COMMUNITY ON A MISSION'. essentially, what this entails is looking outwards, beyond sfx to do outreach and evangelize.
to give you a clearer idea, these are the examples of ideas that we brainstormed (i.e. without considering feasibility) last session:
- bring-a-friend event
- homeless shelter
- journeying w younger youths (mentoring)
- program for lapsed/non catholics
- workshops (p&w etc)
- school visits (CJ retreat in particular)
- followup after graduation from CSS
- write a book
- tuition/mentoring/life decision-making
there are three broad lines of discernment that led us to this direction:
1). we are stagnating - we have reached the point where looking inwards is no longer enough.
- we have been building up towards this direction. we started with throwing the idea around of doing camp ministry. it was next followed up with mission&vision, where we agreed that it is crucial that the missionary/evangelistic element be present. now's e time to put talk into action.
- we are stable enough as a community. of course, we'll never be fully without problems. but this is where the idea of being a 'wounded healer' takes root. we can minister to others even in our state of woundedness.
2). common purpose
- unity can be forged by striving towards a common goal or embarking on a common project together. shared experience, working together, doing things as a community - these are what bring ppl together. we are hoping that this new direction can also foster a greater sense of unity within the community.
- events also provide an opportunity for us to call back ppl who have been on the fringes. participation can lead to involvement, to ownership, then to commitment. it is a refreshing opportunity to try a different approach to what we've been doing.
3). followup to gift discernment
- the best way to discern and nurture our gifts is to actually use them. this direction provides ample opportunity for us to exercise our gifts in building god's kingdom, in a way that normal sessions cannot.
this is the plan for now:
***LOG RETREAT WILL BE HELD ON 10-12 FEB!!!! The retreat will be both a time for us to be community and also to prepare for embarking on this new direction.
from now till then, we have 7 sessions. these 7 sessions will be used to foster our evangelical zeal. we'll be having sessions about evangelism and invite ppl from MSC etc to share about their own experiences in outreaches.
everything is still in the pipelines. we have no concrete plans/projects yet. the core will meet and pray tgt frequently over this period to prepare to make the necessary decisions. so pls pray for e core as we discern e decisions tt we hv to make. we have noted e following concerns (tt were raised in e last session):
- we should not be degenerating into 'spiritual tourism'; or a 'try smth new every week' kind of thing
- must take into account ppl on e fringes and how we can continue to involve them
- projects must involve and nurture everyone (not just a few ppl spearheading e project w other ppl getting left out)
- outreach in e form of events vs journeying
- YMC calendar for 2012 is packed; we don't wanna overtax ourselves
- must set boundaries of who is our target audience
ON YOUR PART, we need help with two things:
(1) continue to brainstorm for ideas/projects tt y'all are interested to do as a form of outreach/evangelism. build on each other's ideas. don't need to worry too much abt practicality first. i'll be keeping tab on e ideas tt we've come up with so just keep 'em coming~
(2) raise any other concerns tt yall feel tt we have to take note.
(3) commit yourselves to this endeavour as it is a community effort, not core's; this means coming down for sessions, challenging yourself, and to keep praying for the community to grow!
and tt's pretty much it =)