The Interim Ministry Backpack - a presentation by Rev Shannon Mang
The story of the Exodus gives us a context to see our own story as we being our Intentional Interim journey together.
- Exodus is a story of how the God of the ancient ancestors
Abraham and Sarah entered human history to set free the Hebrew people who had
been enslaved for several generations in Egypt. God leading the Hebrews out of
enslavement and into freedom is one of the core stories of our Christian
tradition. The people wanted freedom in the promised land—but once they were
out of immediate danger on the other side of the miraculous crossing of the
sea, the grumbling started. It took 40 years of grumbling people in the
wilderness- God responding in anger to the grumbling and Moses walking between
the people and God for the people to become God’s people, and to leave their
identity of enslavement behind them. The story tells us just how hard it is for
a group of people to change, and that change will not happen standing still.
Real change takes place when a group of people go on a journey together.
-the Hebrew people knew that God was up to something big as
both they and the Egyptians lived through the plagues—but they still had to
move fast once they were on their way. They left so quickly that they had to
carry their unleavened bread with them. They took as much of the stuff of their
lives with them as they could, but it wasn’t long for them to be stripped bare
in the wilderness.
-We are going on an Intentional Interim Ministry journey
together and today I want to talk about the tools that we have with us for our
short journey of change:
The Three Questions of
the IIM time:
-
These three questions will inform all of our
work together. We will be starting with the Who Are We? Question, but as our
path emerges, we will be going back and forth between the questions.
The
Intentional Interim Process invites us to engage Five Focus Points in a
congregation’s life. The way that each congregation or pastoral charge engages
and studies these Five Focus Points will be different, but what I have
experienced is that if a community of faith embraces the work of all five focus
points, they will be a healthier community and have more clarity about their
future directions by journey’s end. You see that the Transition Team is in the
middle of the image and connected to all the focus points—I’ll be coming back
to this and talking about the TT shortly. First, I want to unpack the
congregation’s work on the focus points using a hiking backpack as our
metaphor.
Interim Minister Backpack-full – Greg and I became hikers while we lived in Canmore.
Interim Minister Backpack – unpacked- Any time we go on a hike these
are the tools in our backpack– they support our journey. They help keep us
safe, comfortable and prepared to manage our adventures:
Water
Bear Spray
Sit Upon
Extra layers
sunscreen
First Aid Kit
Binoculars
Bug spray
Phone
In the IIM backpack we will be bringing along some of these
same tools and similar tools to keep ourselves safe, comfortable and prepared
to manage the adventures we will have together as we take this Intentional
Interim journey together for the next 22 months.
Heritage
-
Magnifiying glass- we will be starting with the
Heritage area, using a magnifying glass to understand our past, but we will
likely return to the Heritage focus a few times as we uncover interesting
patterns and connections between our past, present and future.
-
a mirror helps us see ourselves—a rear-view
mirror would be even more appropriate to this Focus Point to help us talk about
looking behind us.
-
Field guide/Bible – I’ll calling the Bible our
Field Guide in our IIM Backpack. It shows up in three of these Focus Point
slides, as our Field Guide is crucial to help us understand our IIM time
together. With the Heritage focus point, the Bible informed those who came
before us in these communities, and their faith has helped shape our current
faith.
Mission—including Identity and Purpose
-
Candle- candles are an ancient technology- they
can help illuminate our surroundings if we are without electricity or
batteries. We will have times when we feel we are stumbling about in the dark,
and a candle will give us spiritual comfort as well as illumination as we
discern our current identity and purpose.
-
the mirror helps us see ourselves with clarity.
It is hard to understand our own identity as a congregation or pastoral charge
without being able to see ourselves right now.
-
Compass (and multi-tool!!) – compasses are also
an ancient and reliable technology to help us find our way, and hopefully, to
avoid going in circles. I love that my compass is part of a multi-tool—which is
great when we might encounter new situations where the choices of a Swiss army
knife—or this sort of multi-tool can provide innovative solutions to a problem.
Leadership – the Leadership Focus
point considers our human resources. Prior to Intentional Interim times, both
clergy and lay leaders have usually been working full out and are tired. In our
IIM backpack we have snacks for nourishment, and water for hydration for
leaders who are tired, hungry and thirsty. In an Intentional Interim time, it
is important that we take the time to eat together, and provide both care and
nourishment along the way.
-
Maps are important—they don’t tell the whole
story, but they do give direction and instruction about the terrain we are
travelling. Maps can also be provided by
other congregations who are a few years ahead of us in their transition
journey. It is exciting to learn from other’s journeys and United Church folk
are always willing to share their stories… and their maps.
-
The cute pair of cat gloves are the reminder to
have extra layers of clothes in our backpack – there will be changes in weather
and it is important to be able to put on extra layers if it becomes cold and
wet—and to have space in our backpack to take off layers if we get to hot. The
extra layers in an IIM journey are people ready and able to come on board to
help with the process—and they are also people who have carried too much for
too long who need to step back and take a break from leadership for awhile.
-
The compass and multi-tool is important in this
Focus area too, providing new people skill sets and tools for new innovative
possibilities.
Connections- to the
community and larger church
-
A First
Aid Kit is important to be able to manage small emergencies and get us home
safely if we have had an injury. The Region and the National church are like a
first aid kit—they provide lots of guidance that is available to churches
anytime.
-
In the same way, the cell phone is a way for the
larger church to be available to help us out through any emergency or difficult
part of our IIM journey.
-
Our cell phone also about connecting us to our local
communities —we have access to the wealth of resources in our communities. One
of the three questions is “Who are our neighbours?”- so we connect with our neighbours
to see where the natural partnerships exist that will help our sustainability.
-
And our field guide/Bible will continue to
inform us about how to be in relationship with the larger United Church and
with our broader community.
Future -
this Focus Point invites us to dream past our present
realities and discern our responses to the third question—What is God calling
us to?
-
A flashlight, like the candle will help us
navigate our way forward when we are walking in the dark
-
binoculars can help us see what is on the
horizon, they bring what seems far away into closer focus
-
I no longer carry a camera--- but I depend on
the CAMERA that is a part of my (phone) to record the journey—it is important
to record this journey from the present into the future- that record will
continue to guide these communities of faith
-
And once again we rely on our Field Guide/Bible
to help us understand the future that God is calling us towards
Fun That Nourishes-- What
Else will we need for our journey together? – let’s have a frisbee to remind us
to have fun- let’s take time to play hard along while we work hard. – on Sept
29 we will be worshipping together in Osoyoos at 10am, and then we’ll be having
a picnic together. Let’s take this opportunity to have some fun together.
-
And here is a song book to remind us to keep up
our spirits by singing along the way
-
Do you have other symbols to help us remember
to step lively and have fun??
Walking to the New Land
-
The walking stick is a reminder that we will
walk together for only 22 short months—they will be busy and will fly past. The
walking stick will help us keep our balance and navigate rough terrain as we
will find our way together for the next two years
-
We will be keeping one of the walking sticks in
each sanctuary… and they will be a reminder that it is the journey itself that
is our work
Five Focus Points slide
-
Now that we have gone through the Five Focus
points and the tools in our Backpack- I’d like to talk about the role of the
transition team --- in the Exodus story, God directed Moses to share
leadership-- Moses and Aaron and Miriam… and quite soon, the story tells us
about a very burnt out Moses. God instructed Moses to extend the leadership
team to 70 Elders. This work that we are beginning requires that we all be
elders - we all do the research and the exploration. The smaller Transition
Team is the group that will lead us through the IIM journey.
-
I bring experience, and training and the
backing of a network of IIMinisters who help one another out--- but I am not
the expert at coming up with the answers to the Three Questions.
-
The Transition Team will be the experts on the
two congregations, and one or two Regional representatives on the TT are the
experts on the local realities of the South Okanagan. Together, this team
guides you--- the network of elders through the Intentional Interim process.
-
Greg has been handing out nomination forms and
pens – the members of the TT are not appointed by your Boards, rather they are
lifted up by you. This is not election—it is discernment. Please use these sheets
to suggest at least one name, or up to four names of people who you know has the
gifts for this work. The list of qualities is on the sheet along with the
experience we are looking for. Those named today, and next Sunday for anyone
not here today will become our nomination list. We will ask those named to take
time to pray and discern for themselves if they are feeling called to this
work—in awhile we expect that two people from each congregation will say yes.
Please take a few minutes today before you go for coffee, or leave to respond
from your heart. Please leave your folded sheets in the basket.
-
Friends, Greg and I have been so warmly
welcomed by you and we are glad to be like your Moses and Miriam and Aaron for
this journey. God is with us and we are blessed to be taking this Exodus
journey with you.
May it be so! Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment