Part of our 2008 mission emphasis is to cultivate a culture of Christian hospitality throughout our congregational life, including our facilities, our greeting of visitors and our interactions with each other.by Cathy Moreland
Part of our 2008 mission emphasis is to cultivate a culture of Christian hospitality throughout our congregational life, including our facilities, our greeting of visitors and our interactions with each other.
Join us in expressing the hospitality of our congregation through awareness, learning, and the practicing of new hospitality skills. This month we look at leading diverse groups / organizations in hospitality.
The two proposed structures for leading groups have Internet links that are clear and concise. The first is Open Space Technology (OST) www.co-intelligence.org/P-Openspace.html. OST was born from the awareness that people love coffee breaks better than formal presentations. In looking back at meetings, conferences, and groups I’ve attended that is also true for me. The most informative, fun, and memorable workshops and meetings I’ve been to used OST.
The second is the World Café and can be summerized as, “Awakening and engaging the collective intelligence through conversations about questions that matter.” www.theworldcafe.com/know-how.htm#connect. The process involved in World Café can become emotional as people progress around the room.
The above two structures help minimize the destructive, but common behavior, of screening individuals out. Screening can be when someone approaches a group of people and that group pulls in tighter or turns their shoulders or invites all but one individual, couple, or family to an event at the same time they normally gather. Individuals or groups can also be screened out due to racism or socioeconomic level.
In hospitality we learn how to be an ally to ourselves and others. An ally, among other things:
- confronts inappropriate language and behavior
- actively participates to identify oppressive institutional practices or individual actions, and works to change them
- asks questions
- takes the risk and responsibility for equalizing power
- honestly and openly expresses feelings
The skills learned last month in discussing Nonviolent Communication could be used to try to guess what needs those who are screening out others might be trying to meet with this non-inclusive behavior. How do you think those needs could be met more appropriately?
Next month’s Hospitality Zone will focus on how the church can offer hospitality to the congregation.
Please send any comments about this column to Cathy Moreland and put “Hospitality” as the subject, or drop a note in the offering basket.