CFM Executive Team

Explore

23 October 2024

Reflect and Celebrate!

🎉 Celebrations: Who do we want to celebrate, Molly?!

🎉 Celebrations: Who do we want to celebrate, Molly?!

Program Area

Who's Being Celebrated

Celebration

Celebrated By

Program Task Force

Anne Foote

Anne’s depth of experience, and the character of her instincts, are spot on. Great sense of how our programs could be using space, and what might make that space useful. For example, Anne suggested we get a washer/drier. Love the functionality of that idea.

Anthony

Prep Period

Molly

Davorka

Molly got to church early to prepare her craft, and offered some of the materials to Davorka. Davorka also got to church early to prepare her offering and network with the teaching team.

Anthony

Prayerground

Judy

Judy is perfect with those kids; she had a busy morning, but gave high quality 1<>1 attention to each child. She gives great eye contact, a smile, a gentle demeanor. She is a great role model in this ministry and I’m so grateful for her gentle and comforting presence.

Anthony

Biblical Storytelling

The Children of OPC

Children offered touching and detailed responses to the prompts, and a heartfelt engagement with the message, and the body prayer.

Anthony

Sunday School

Wesley

Wesley offered rich responses of the highest quality during this Sunday School session on Monarchs, and the activist Homero Gomez Gonzalez . He handled his neurodivergence well this Sunday, working alone when needed. His brain moves far faster than other kids. He needs support in the classroom for what I suspect is ADD.

Anthony

Sanctuary Revitalization

Molly

Emily

Judy

Anthony

Christoph

Janie

Chris Gage

Celebrating a) the strong and helpful presence of the CFM Comm. on this task force. Wow. b) Molly’s sense of call for working on Sanctuary design aspects, textiles, and more. c) Emily’s optimism and universality, and d) Judy’s presence, again. d) Christoph and Janie’s leadership. e) Chris’ clarity.

Anthony

Sanctuary Revitalization

Anthony

Christoph let Anthony know that he was a huge asset in the meeting (Corinna, Janie, Molly, Trudy, Judy, Emily, Chris all thanked him privately). We were thanking Anthony, because he understands what the reporting requirements are, and rather than let the group get too detailed, or too rambling, or too contentious, or too unproductive he provides group facilitation that leads to diplomacy and action. Anthony does not offer personal wants for the sanctuary. Rather, he listens to the deeper yearnings being expressed, link a yearning to another person’s yearning in the group, and lift up their shared yearning as a “recommendation” for the report while keeping in mind any dependencies etc. A lot of this works seems to be inviting individuals to think beyond the binary into more non-dual thought. For example, Anthony: Channeled a resolution between Janie and Eileen that was initially seen as all flexible seating vs. all pew seating. By affirming each individual’s experience and perspective, Anthony asked the group if we could do a straw poll on the combinatorics: who is in favor of some flexible and some stationary seating like pews”? 95% of people raised hands. who is in favor of all flexible seating 1 hand. Who is in favor of all pew seating? No hands. Anthony also channelled several personal wants into group action. Two examples: Ann Elise feels strongly that there should be pews only in a gothic church, that the blue backfrop formerly on our rirerdos makes no sense, and that the church needs a focal point such as a cross etc.. Chris also feels strongly about these matters evidenced by him interjecting about how the organ work will provide a gothic tone and a focal point of exposed pipes. Soon enough, other people (Eileen re: reverence of the cross, Trudy, others) were chiming in . . .about the history of the blue cloth . . . how a projector might work . . . how projection at our temporary space at Penn Wynne isn’t appropriate as it covered the cross . . . Again, rather than let this go on, Anthony simply affirmed all of the yearnings being mentioned one by one, and said: what I’m hearing here is “Ann Elise and others are interested in integrating a focal point, ideally a cross, but we won’t know where or how that point can be integrated until the organ specs are done. So am I hearing that we recommend a liturgically appropriate focal point that keeps in mind the architectural style of the church, with the dependency of the organ task force coming to us with a rendering of the organ grill/pipes? The group feels strongly about integrating an accessible chancel. To integrate the robust and expensive structure that can facilitate this access, the group got anxious. It became quickly a battle of interests , desires (and how would it impact Chris’ office door, and how would it impact a prayerground, etc.) and anxiety over the “how” (where would we put the ramp, the access, the prayer ground, etc.). Again Anthony affirmed all of the yearnings here, affirmed the anxieties, and channeled these expression into the form of action, a recommendation. Anthony said something to the effect of: “We know we need to integrate an accessible chancel, a prayer ground, and office access for Chris. The question is how. We do not know — we’re not architects, engineers or designers. So let’s have them figure it out! For our purposes in this group though, we can provide the thought leadership. So am I hearing: “we recommend designing an accessible chancel, with the dependency of the Prayerground’s location, and Chris’ office access?” The relief instantly flowed through the room.

Christoph, Corinna, Janie, Molly, Trudy, Judy, Emily, Chris

Wesley Naima Kiera so tuned in, beautiful

There are no rows in this table

⁠

🙏🏻 Reflections: Has anything come up for you as you reflect on this past Sunday, Molly?

🙏🏻 Reflections: Has anything come up for you as you reflect on this past Sunday, Molly?

Program Area

Reflector

Role

Fruits

Celebrated By

Prep Period

Prayerground

Anthony

Glad we got the black scratch offs ordered and integrated.

Biblical Storytelling

Anthony

Opening was strong. Theology was good. Scripture repetition was memorable. The body prayer was . . . OK.

Sunday School

Anthony

Staff

Adult / Caregiver

Welcome:

Seamless integration of Biblical storytelling with music meditation facilitated a welcoming and engaging experience for students. Wesley’s participation from the beginning also modeled active inclusion.

Love:

Rich interest in the content and responses to the monarch butterfly story and video show a supportive embrace of learning.

Transformation:

Insights from the prepared conversations and integration of learning through an art project reflected growth and transformation.

Sunday School

Molly

Adult / Caregiver

Volunteer

Welcome:

The environment felt welcoming as children were happy to engage, particularly Wesley, who led in participation.

Sunday School

Davorka

Adult / Caregiver

Volunteer

Welcome:

Encouraging children to express their knowledge about nature and leading a nature walk that involved each child demonstrated engagement and affirmation of students' existing knowledge and curiosity.

Love:

The encouragement provided during the nature walk and craft activities shows intentional care and generosity of spirit.

Transformation:

The creative engagement through questions and imagination-building exercises during craft activities fostered spiritual and personal growth.

Sunday School

Emily

Adult / Caregiver

Volunteer

Welcome:

Children were excited and willing to share what they knew, and there was strong peer support during nature observations, reflecting inclusive and diverse engagement.

Transformation:

Emily reflected her personal connection to childlike curiosity, indicating how fostering wonder is part of an ongoing transformation, both for her and for the children.

Sunday School

Mads

Adult / Caregiver

Volunteer

Fellowship

Anthony

N/A this week due to Trunk or Treat.

Post-Sunday

There are no rows in this table

⁠

📄 Summary 📄

Welcome: Seamless inclusion of everyone, utilizing different strategies to engage students in storytelling, crafts, and collaborative learning.

Love: There was intentional care and the fostering of relationships through a safe and supportive environment, though there may be room to focus more explicitly on demonstrating love beyond basic engagement.

Transformation: Evidence of spiritual and personal growth through creative and imaginative exercises, allowing children and teachers to explore faith and wonder deeply.

⁠

📄 Opportunities for Next Time 📄

Support Materials: Provide additional tools for activities involving foreign language content (e.g., translated clips, pre-teaching key phrases).

Continue Planning to Create the Conditions for Explicit Acts of Love: Continue integrating opportunities for students to actively show support and care, such as through peer assistance activities, which could more explicitly embody the value of love in action.

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