FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK:

Connection

  In mid-October, I had the privilege of teaching one of the classes at the Savannah Presbytery’s School of the Laity. The School of the Laity was started twenty years ago in an effort to educate lay people, including Elders, Deacons, and other members of the church, in scripture, theology, ethics, and other topics which would help them be better members and better leaders in the church. The course I taught was on the "History, Mission, and Polity of the Presbyterian Church."

  That was a broad subject, and I did my best to cover as much of it as possible. One of my favorite times during the weekend was a time when we talked about a paper with the rather austere title, "The Final Report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church." This report was written by a very diverse group of people in the Presbyterian church, with members from all ages, races, education levels, and all sorts of theological and political perspectives, who were charged with figuring out ways to talk about all of the controversial issues in the church today. If you are interested in the details of the report, let me know and I would be happy to tell you where to find it.

  The details of the report were not necessarily what interested me that weekend in October. What interested me was the conversation that they inspired our class at the School of the Laity to have. As a part of the report, the Task Force had suggested, in essence, that one thing which would help the church deal with controversial issues would be to practice listening more. They suggested a process for a group to have a conversation to encourage listening. The process was called "mutual invitation." After a question is posed, the group takes a minute to give members a chance to think about their response. Then, when someone is ready to speak, they say what they have to say. When they are done, they name someone else in the group and invite that person to share their thoughts or response to the question. Then, that person selects someone else to answer, and they keep going until everyone has had a chance to speak.

  It sounds like a simple process, really, but it was amazing the way it worked in our group at the School of the Laity. We had people who were from a broad range of views, and if we had simply posed a controversial topic like the ordination of homosexuals and asked them to work it out, they would have probably ended up in a shouting match. However, through this process they were forced to listen to one another. No one had the chance to speak any more or any less than anyone else. I watched as those in the group who were very clear about their opinions had an opportunity to share them. I also watched as those in the group who were unsure about what to think freely admitted their uncertainties. And, I watched as those in the group who were used to having the last word, this is the right answer, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, had to invite someone else to speak after them, and I watched as a look came upon their faces when they realized that they could not have the last word, but they had to listen to someone else when they were done sharing their views.

  It was a very leveling experience. It made us realize that no single person in our church gets to tell all of the others what to think or believe or do. It made us realize that it is a lot of hard work, and it is sometimes a humbling experience, for us to come together to seek God’s will. And it made us realize that the church is something more than just an institution which is "out there," but it is a community which includes all of us who have to do some hard work if we are going to figure out how to get along together.

  I am thinking about this experience because our congregation will have our annual meeting and election of officers on Sunday, November 11, following worship. The very fact that we have a meeting to elect our officers expresses what the members of the School of the Laity class enacted. As Presbyterians, we believe that no one has any more right than anyone else to tell others what to think or do, and that, if we are going to do God’s work together, we have to talk together, and listen to each other, and work as a community to discern what God would have us do. And so we do not have one person who runs the church; we have a group of people. And that group of people is not appointed by someone or chosen because they are from the right family; that group is elected by all of the members. And if that group is going to function well at all, they are going to have to listen to each other, and listen to the congregation, so that their authority is based not on personal views but on their connection with the people they lead.

  I look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting on November 11 after worship. And I am glad to be a part of a church which discerns God’s will together.

                                                                                                                                                        Eric Beene