Clergy spouses build community
By Eva Morton
Clergy spouses from throughout the diocese met at Villa Madonna in Rothesay April 20 – 22 for our annual retreat and to focus on community. We enjoyed three community building sessions with Judith Davids of St. Stephen’s University, a presentation by Heather Miller and the Rev. Jasmine Chandra on ways to help our Companion Diocese community in Ho, and time with Archbishop Claude Miller to discuss our own diocesan community.
Judith, who is also a trained counsellor, rooted her teachings in the Nicodemus Project, specifically the ninth point in the Ten Marks of Healthy Parish: “We communicate positively and live in harmony with one another. We accept the Apostle Paul’s guidance that we ‘speak the truth in love.’ Presuming good will in others, we respect and see value in views that may differ from our own. We listen carefully and sympathetically to one another, and we regularly share information and ideas within our diocese, archdeaconries and deaneries as well as in our own parish/congregation.
Referring to authors Parker J. Palmer and Scott Peck, among others, Judith described different types of community, both secular and Christian, and how they thrive. She summed it up with four components of a healthy church, which she drew from a talk by Jim Kallum.
A healthy church should:
• be safe — a place where everyone is accepted;
• have a vision — be a place where people recognize the goodness in each other;
• have wisdom — be a place where people see one another as we are “in Christ” and demonstrate that we believe in one another’s potential;
• have power – be a place where we experience God’s power to heal and transform.
She also told us that as Christians we should live by the 3 C’s — in Communion with God, in Community with one another, and in fulfilling the great Commission. If we skip the second C, Community, it is to the detriment of the Gospel and ourselves.
As members of a community, Judith told us we need to create ‘safe places’ for one another where we can tell our stories and be known and affirmed — a place where we can know our own goodness, notice goodness, be moved by goodness, reveal our delight in another’s goodness.
Judith’s teaching and tools achieved their purpose. We all felt that our community was strengthened, and we all went away with practical tools to enable us to help strengthen our own parish communities.
Following Heather and Jasmine’s stirring presentation on the episcopal visit to the Diocese of Ho in Ghana last fall, we made a $100 donation to the corn mill project. The diocese intends to purchase seven of these machines for the seven parishes in Ho. Not only will they contribute to the well being of each parish they will provide employment and economic stability to the community.
On Thursday morning we met with Archbishop Miller for brief Bible study, followed by a time of sharing and brainstorming. We enjoyed this time to share our ideas and concerns and appreciated the opportunity he provided for us to spend a time of refreshment and fellowship together.
Diocesan Communications
25 May 2010
