ELCA Church In Kenosha in Public Ministry

Grace Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Kenosha, WI, held an outdoor gathering and prayer service for community people of all races and religions on Wednesday "to address the fear, power, and powerlessness, confusion, anger, and the need for healing." ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod Bishop Paul Erikson addressed the people in attendance (all wearing masks). Grace Lutheran also was the setting for Joe Bidden, to listen to a broad range of Kenosha leaders on Sept. 3. https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/in-photos-elca-community-gathering-in-kenosha/collection_050acd93-d4c2-561f-8d17-6e5d510c6642.html#2

John Lewis Still Guides Us

John Lewis: a gentle, strong Civil Rights leader until the day of his death, last night. He bore on his body the scars of beatings as he followed Jesus every day of his life. He was clear that Christ called him to work for justice and that meant sometimes you had to be in the midst of, "good trouble."

For many years I would say to seminary students: "When you get into trouble--and you will--make sure it is for the sake of the Gospel."

We carry John Lewis' legacy with us this very day: federal officers, unbidden by city or state, in unmarked cars, with no badges, in the streets of Portland. Systemic and blatant racism. Voter suppression. John Lewis knew the struggle would be long. May we, as he, have the strength of the Risen Christ, to continue on and on and on.

"Am I comfortable?" is Not the Question

“Am I comfortable with ______?” is not the question.  “Is my neighbor safe?” needs to shape our policies and decisions. Living with the global pandemic calls forth collaboration, both locally and most certainly globally. However, when a leader thinks “Me first,” at all costs, that reinforces our propensity to consider only my individual needs. Likewise, that reinforces The U.S. propensity to think only about this nation. 

Rather than compete, we are called to collaborate, work with, learn from, care for the nations of the world. This is a time to support the World Health Organization and the United Nations.  This is a time to ask, “How can we work together for the well-being of all?”

Pandemics: What we DID teach in Seminary

On an Oct. 2nd in seminary we didn’t give directions on how to deal with a pandemic. Nor on an October 17 did we give a detailed lecture on how many sandbags to use when flood waters rise. My friend and I talked recently about what we did do in seminary. We emphasized ecclesial leadership in context. This pandemic is our context in this time and in this place: locally and globally.

I recall year after year, in Church and Ministry/Church Administration class, students writing case studies on their ministry experiences. The hundreds I read and each one we discussed followed a pattern that might serve us as pastors, deacons and congregational leaders now: (I’ll supply some examples)

1. What is happening here? What are the Issues? Global pandemic. Unknown virus. Directives from various levels of government. How and when to “open up.” More. . .

2. Who are the many people involved? What are their various perspectives? The most vulnerable (They are not objects. How do we listen to their voices?) Small business owners. Homeless people. Essential workers. Church members longing to be together. Inmates and refugees. The people of New Zealand and Rwanda. More. . .

3. What are the deeper theological issues? Human uncertainty. The nature of God, e.g. Protector? “Fear,” “Love,” and “Trust” (catechetical questions). What other gods do people follow? What is church (ecclesiology)? Where is the Church as Body of Christ? Did God create disposable people? More. . .

4. What ministry options do we have? Protect my family, and all people. Do nothing and see what happens. Be the church beyond walls. Be creative with technology. Care for the care-givers. Provide leadership in the community. Explore who else needs ministry. More. .

.

I invite you to engage in discussion. too. What ecclesial leadership are you experiencing? What ministry opportunities?

God's Care is Communal

God’s Care is Communal

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph l:2)

Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Ephesians 6:23)

I recently heard someone say, “I’m not afraid to go out during this COVID-19 scare. I trust God will take care of me.” Fear. Trust. Care. I admired her faith. God does care for every single one of us during times of fear. We can trust that. However, God’s care is communal. God’s care in Christ is not just for every “single” one of us, but for the whole community. God’s grace extends beyond my own personal “undying love” for Jesus to the whole world.

Living in Christ, I may not be afraid to die, but neither am I to neglect concern for the lives of everyone else, particularly the most vulnerable.

The Epistle greetings and blessings are always plural. (“You” is a plural “you.”) I have seen it. Haven’t you? People really caring for each other. We will need to continue to take precautions, to really care, today, tomorrow, for all time to come.

Prayer:

Now to the one who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20)

Norma Cook Everist, DeacPost Devotion

WW II Shaped Me for COVID-19

It was a different time. I won’t compare my childhood WW II years to COVID-19 today, but I do remember: shelter at home; shortages; united efforts; quarantine; racial discrimination; uncertainty.

I remember the darkness. My formative years from birth to six were in Des Moines. We lived less than a mile from the “War Plant.” (Solar Aircraft was a government-converted industry for wartime production.) During black-out drills we were isolated in our homes in total darkness at night for fear of being bombed.  Bombing in the middle of country?  That did not happen, but we did not know that then.  In the middle of a crisis, one does not know how things will turn out--when the war would end, or how. Mother put a tiny night light in our bedroom doll buggy so my sister and I wouldn’t be afraid of the dark.

Shortages.  Each family or individual was issued coupons for such limited supplies as butter, sugar and coffee. My Daddy ran a gas station. It was not a profitable time to run a gas station; petroleum was needed for the war effort.  People at home had to limit driving; they were issued gasoline coupons. Each night Daddy would bring them home; Marianne and I pasted them in booklets for him to turn in.

I remember the shortages and physical limitations, but I also remember being united under the leadership of FDR, a trusted president. President Roosevelt collaborated with allies and encouraged while he organized people at home. 

Entering kindergarten at age 5, I carried newspapers bundled together with string to school. School children collected scrap metal, and tin foil. (Recycling decades later would not seem strange.) We saved dimes in stamp books; $17.50 in dimes could be exchanged for a $25.00 War Savings Bond.

People planted  “Victory gardens.” This eased the burden of commercial farmers working to feed troops and civilians overseas. Fruits and vegetables were grown in backyards and on school grounds, and parks. By 1944 an estimated 20 million victory gardens produced 8 million tons of food.  (I think now of support for local organic farming and sustainable agriculture.)

Diseases did not stop for the war.  Before a vaccine for whooping cough became widely available, when I was 3 and my sister 5, Marianne, and I and our mother contracted whooping cough. We were quarantined inside our house for 10 weeks.  Mother almost died.  Daddy couldn’t come home. He did have two sisters in Des Moines. The health department put quarantine signs outside houses to prevent highly communicable diseases from spreading.  Though very young, I remember sleeping with a sheet over my crib with a humidifier providing steam for me to breathe. (Although widely considered to have been eradicated, outbreaks of whooping cough have returned in recent years due to not all people having their children vaccinated.)

But the war was the constant focus. An uncle and my older cousins served in the military overseas.  We listened daily to the news on our radio.

Yes, the United States came together. But not everyone.  I remember mother saying how upset she was that during time of struggle and sacrifice, there were people who made profits off the war. I learned early that during a time of crisis some will always look out for their own gain and gratification.

And there was racial discrimination. We were at War with two enemies, I heard as the “Nazis” and the “Japs.” One the U.S. described as Hitler’s German National Socialist Party, with the  swastika symbol. The other the U.S. described and symbolized as a “slant-eyed” people.  Japanese Americans were incarcerated in concentration camps. German Americans, such as myself, were not.

I was in first grade when the war ended.  I vividly remember VE Day and VJ day, WW II ending in Europe and Japan. We celebrated downtown in Des Moines.  (We knew little of the devastation of our atomic bombs.) And I remember, too, listening to the radio, and for the first time hearing news other than about the War. I recall being surprised. All my formative years I had not experienced anything but war news.  As a child I was not shielded; this was my reality, even though Mother kept the small light hidden in our doll baby buggy. What had I learned?  What shapes our lives?

But, of course, times were different then.  It may have been a different time; however . . .  

Women's Voices will Persist

Two women, so intelligent, competent and passionate, Elizabeth Warren and Rachel Maddow, sat in Elizabeth’s home last night talking about her taking her name out of the running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. 

Elizabeth was thinking about all the little girls who would have to wait to see a woman as president. So many millions of us have had to wait since Hillary was defeated, not in the popular vote, but in the Electoral College. So many women and men saw such promise in their being six women candidates, and people of color, and a gay man among the 2020 candidates.

As I watched Elizabeth, my mind went back thirty years, to 1990, when there were no women Lutheran bishops in the world. A number of us women had been willing to be candidates in various ELCA synods, so at least people could envision the possibility. I was nominated in a synod in Minnesota; so many people from across the country sent encouraging support. As the balloting drew close, and there was a very real chance I would be elected, with much prayer and discernment, I took my name out of the running, telling the assembly, “I feel clear that I am to continue my calling to be a teaching theologian of the church as a professor at Wartburg Seminary. . . I don’t like to disappoint people. . . There are many extraordinarily gifted women in this church ready and capable of being bishop today.”

I do not mean to equate my situation with that of Elizabeth Warren, except with that piercing empathy I felt for her.  Women and girls would have to wait. 

However, soon after my vocational decision, a Lutheran woman was elected bishop in Germany, and in 1992, April was elected in the ELCA, followed by Andrea, and more, and women of color and then Elizabeth as Presiding Bishop of the ELCA.  And I count it a great joy that some women whom I had been privileged to teach at Wartburg are now synodical bishops.

As Elizabeth Warren and Rachel Maddow talked last night, almost sister to sister, it was clear to me that their gifts will continue to be used.  Their persistent voices will continue to be heard.

After Iowa Caucuses: What Really Happened

     Timing! What the news is missing this morning: During Caucus night in Iowa there was no violence, no police needed, no people shooting each another, no name-calling.  Our room was filled with respectful, patient people who followed the intricate rules through the long process.

     While news reporters this morning talk about chaos and confusion and some people even speculating conspiracy, they are missing the picture.  It’s all in the timing. Iowans need to be very sure the count of sign-ins, first preference group, realignment groups, and final delegate count are all accurate. Otherwise people might doubt the truth.  Verify, verify, verify!  

     Sure, the aps didn’t work as planned. Not good; but the paper trail is in place.  And, in our ward, because two precincts met at one school building,  we had to make sure people signed in on the right sheets and went to their correct caucus room. Timing.  But people were amazingly kind and helpful to each other.  Instead of rude bullying, there was careful collaboration.

     National news analysts were frustrated they had 3 ½ hours with no results to report. Primaries are good, but those of us in precincts in a Caucus state know we needed to come together, talk, listen, be honest, and take the time to choose well. (There were no “undecideds” in our  precinct.) Watch for the full results and keep working. This nation needs truth, clarity, verification and trustworthy collaboration.

"Until Iowa" Post 6 MLK Jr. Day: Leadership for the Iowa Caucuses

“Until Iowa” Post 6: Today, Jan. 20, is MLK Jr. Day. We marked it with three hours of training for the Iowa Caucuses 14 days from now. It was a strenuous morning, learning leadership to help the evening of Feb. 3 go well. First, people in our precinct will register as a caucus voter, a new voter, a youth observer, other observers, or the media.  New this year for the Democrats will be presidential preference cards. Yes, those will be signed and counted after the first alignment in preference groups, so the nation will know the total number of people who voted for each presidential candidate.

Then comes the math. Based on the number of delegates one’s precinct will have to the county convention, a percentage determines if a presidential preference group is viable. There are careful procedures. I picture it taking time, but being thoughtful. Perhaps there are 247 or maybe 432 caucus voters and 8 delegates assigned this precinct. By counting, multiplication, and rounding up to the fourth decimal point, how many actual delegates each presidential candidate receives is determined. The nation will be waiting that night for this number from the 1678 caucuses in the 99 counties of Iowa.

There’s still more work to do: choosing the actual delegates and alternates to the county convention. The gathered caucus goers will have opportunity to discuss and adopt resolutions to recommend to the Country Platform Committee.  Yes, challenging work. We will do it together in this participatory democracy. Martin Luther King Jr worked his entire life so that all might have voice and vote.

"Until Iowa" Post 5 Cory Booker Really Listened

“Until Iowa” Post 5: I began to write this morning: “As I enter my Iowa caucus in 21 days, I’m in Cory Booker’s corner.” I’ve been meeting candidates for months now and had been most impressed with Cory. But at noon I received word from Booker, “It’s with a full heart that I share this news -- I’ve made the decision to suspend my campaign for president.”

He listened, really listened, and learned from us. He is deeply committed to bringing this country together. He is a man of faith, extraordinarily intelligent, street-smart, globally informed, and locally astute. I respect his collaborative leadership style. He lives his convictions, going home to his residence in Newark rather than “moving on up.”  He’s “in touch” with all economic groups, across color lines.

Cory gathered many of endorsements early in Iowa. He continues to be in the “second tier” of candidates in the polls, and actually went up in a poll 1 point today from yesterday. Yet he was rarely mentioned in the press, even his dropping out today. I would love to have seen him stay in through Iowa because this year the first round of votes will be reported out (whose corner you go to when you enter the room) as well as the second, realignment.  But lack of money, not qualifying for this debate and his responsibility in Trump’s impeachment trial made him make the decision today.

We will miss Cory. He has a deep understanding of farm issues and foreign affairs—and of their connection.   We need his aggressive plan on gun safety, his work on criminal justice reform, protection of reproductive rights, his advocacy for people with disabilities, and his standing up for people and communities that have been left out and left behind.

Race! It is still about race. It has been for decades and centuries. Cory would tell the story of how his parents tried to buy a home in a segregated neighborhood and how people of courage had to work together to challenge the system to make that happen during the Civil Rights Era. The Obama administration argued that to fulfill the Fair Housing Act of 1968 agencies still had to address disparities in housing, integrate neighborhoods and transform racially concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity. This January The Trump administration plans to propose pulling back Obama-era efforts to desegregate housing, saying they were burdensome.

This January Corry Booker and other candidates of color have had to drop out of the primaries. We need them.  I’m still in Cory’s corner.

"Until Iowa" 24 days. What's Next? War? Revenge, Anxiety, Decisions on a Whim?

“Until Iowa” Post 4: “What’s Next?” War? Not knowing what form revenge might take? Having a president who makes decisions on a personal whim? It’s 24 days until the Until Iowa caucuses Last night we heard John Kerry speak on behalf of Joe Biden. “We’re in a different place,” Kerry began. He went on to speak passionately, with his—and Biden’s--decades of experience about environmental protection, the climate crisis, truth being essential for democracy, and more. 

Kerry was careful to stick with central campaign issues, until I asked him about “the place” we’re in these very days with Iran. Then Kerry said with great seriousness, “This moment is so dangerous.” He detailed what it took to build the Iranian nuclear agreement, the success it was having in de-escalating the nuclear threat, the support of NATO and the U.N., and Trump taking us out. With even more intensity, and convincingly, he stated this country needs U.S.  leadership that again builds relationships that the world so much needs.

Impeachment is not Just a Football Game

Why pay attention if we know how it’s going to turn out? I heard a man say, “This impeachment thing is like football game. If I’ve already heard the final score, I don’t want to watch the game later on TV.” But of course it’s not a game, not football, and not just a partisan “thing”—unless that’s the way one frames it. If one listens carefully, and reads, the impeachment process draws us back to the central idea and foundations of this country.  We are called to study again, or for the first time, the U.S. Constitution and to think deeply about Democracy and rule of law and governance by the people, not a monarch. Democracies across the world are in danger today. Leaders who want power for themselves, and an  atmosphere of fear of the “other,” threaten the world and the earth itself.

We boldly go to war to “fight for our freedom.” So costly in lives! How noble. This is also a time for nobility, one that does not call for guns: nobility and  integrity, and wisdom. Democracy, our constitution, and freedom to care for one another, including strangers, as people and as nations together is at stake. We must pay attention.

Strong Leader; gentle man: Elijah Cummings

I sat in my living room for a long time quietly watching them walk by. Silently, silently, black and white, old and young, paid their respects to the son of share croppers, now the first African American to lie in state in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

 “Elijah” means “the Lord is my God” and it was evident that those who spoke at the ceremony Thursday knew Rep. Elijah Cummings lived every moment of his life with that strong center.

 A “double PK” (the son of two preachers as are the sons of Burton and me), Elijah was a leader with a strong and gentle voice in the House, worked on behalf of those in need, lived among his people in Baltimore, working for peace in times of turmoil, always with a tenacity for justice.

 A man of integrity with a servant’s heart: Micah 6:8 “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Four States,Three Hymnals and Still We Sang

For 59 years I have belonged to the Lutheran Deaconess Conference, since my consecration in 1960. We gather as a community once every summer.  In between we gather in area conferences. I belong to the Minnesota/Wisconsin Area which clusters around the Twin Cities area.

Last Saturday they gathered as they usually do once a month.  I can't always attend since I live in Iowa--Northern Iowa. That's why I'm included. We're only 30 miles from the Minnesota border and in the Rochester, MN, television viewing area (quite frankly I'd rather see the Des Moines news)  But I digress.

The Area Conference Saturday began with devotions and about 1/2 hour of simply singing favorite hymns. The meeting would go from 10:00 a.m. until 2 in the afternoon. I had joined by conference phone call. Another woman, Brenda, also joined by phone from Eastern North Dakota. Four States! As the group in Minneapolis chose their favorite hymns I soon realized they had with them "Gather" and "With One Voice."  I had the "Evangelical Lutheran Worship" (ELW or the "Cranberry Hymnal")  Three Hymnals!  What could have been an absolute mismatch not just of voices but of books (We had to call out hymn numbers from one book and look them up in the index in another book) and states,--not to mention the difficulty of some of us on the phone--turned out to be what it always is when deaconesses gather: women making beautiful music together, singing of faith and service in Christ.

We are theologians and with that solid base, we are also social worker, parish worker, nurse, teacher, professor, counselor, chaplain and more.  We have a commitment to faith and service to Christ and also to one another--for a lifetime.  That's what it means to belong to a community!

The meeting went on with each sharing some of  our work, our challenges, our joys, our questions, our lives, our prayer concerns.  We talked and we prayed. We also share leadership, a circle of leaders, collaborative, not hierarchical. We care about each other in the midst of our diversity.  We can count on that always.

Diaconal ministry is servanthood ministry, no matter where we serve, whatever our gifts. The words of our final hymn have stayed with me all week:

When the poor ones who have nothing, still are giving;
when the thirsty pass the cup, water to share;
when the wounded offer others strength and healing;
we see God, here by our side, walking our way;

When compassion gives the suffering consolation;
when expecting brings to birth hope that was lost;
when we choose love, not the hatred all around us,
we see God, here by our side, walking our way.

When our spirits, like a chalice, brim with gladness;
when our voices, full and clear, sing out the truth;
when our longings, free from envy, seek the humble,
we see God, here by our side,walking our way.

When the goodness poured from heaven fills our dwellings;
when the nations work to change war into peace;
when the stranger is accepted as our neighbor;
we see God, here by our side, walking our way;
we see God, here by our side, walking our way.

Picture from our entire Lutheran Deaconess Conference meeting Summer 2019

Finally: Ordination for Deacons, Beyond Classism Toward Partnership

By one little word the ELCA in assembly changed the entrance rite for ministers of Word and Service—Deacons—to “ordination.” I celebrate that decision. The vote wasn’t even close. We have come a long way, but it has taken a long time.

Let me go back before the ELCA came into being. I served on the “Design Task Force on Specific Ministry” (1983-4) We presented a model to the proposed new church on the “Public Ministries of the Church” for the “Office Word and Sacrament” and the “Office of Word and Service.” I remember drawing the parallel chart. The two ministries were to be side by side. The proposal was not accepted

After the beginning of the ELCA, January, 1988, the “Task Force on the Study for Ministry” was formed. I also served on that (for five years) and on the subcommittee which designed diaconal ministry. Diaconal ministers would be called to serve inside the structures of the church and called by the church to serve in the world outside the structures of the church. For many years we had faithful diaconal ministers, associates in ministry and members of the ELCA deaconess community.

Meanwhile I also served on the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission which produced the Hanover Report “The Diaconate as Ecumenical Opportunity.” (1996)

I had the privilege of teaching M.A. in Diaconal Ministry students at Wartburg Seminary for many years, seeing them flourish in their service in the world and yet never quite understood or fully accepted in the church on whose behalf they served. (“Why don’t you want to be a pastor?”) We still had a ways to go to fully catch the vision of the being the church for the sake of the world.

As the ELCA studied uniting the three “lay” rosters into one, I prepared a paper, “Diaconal Ministry from the Open Tomb to the Open World.” Jesus was a diaconal minister. Faithful diakonia is theologically grounded in a theology of the cross, facing the great wounds of the world, and a theology of the resurrection: death no longer has dominion.

I celebrated the ELCA’s 2016 decision to adopt a unified roster of “Word and Service” using the term “Deacon.” Deacons are now serving as hospital chaplains, musicians, congregational administrators, in disability ministries, in urban education and food ministries, as lawyer, college president, and so much more.

Finally, would “Pastor” and “Deacon” be side-by-side in collaborative ministry? However, the word “ordination” remained difficult. It was the entrance rite, not the essence of service, but it would take more time to move beyond systemic hierarchical and classism biases.

Finally, in 2019, the ELCA made a bold “new” and yet very New Testament decision with global and ecumenical support. Within the one ministry rooted in baptism, some are called to the ministry of “Word and Service” and some to the ministry of “Word and Sacrament,” side by side. Partners in the Gospel.

I Don't Lose Power When You Are Empowered

“When you are fully empowered, I do not lose power but

am empowered as well.”

North Iowa Area Community College announces the following class by Dr. Norma Cook Everist: “Power and Partnership: Personal and Social Power in the Workplace” Tuesday, May 28

Join us for an interactive seminar to build productive relationships.

We will explore together the power cycle which is real,

strong and so commonplace that we may not even notice it.

Once we do, there is opportunity for change as we develop

skills for what we can actually say, and do in difficult situations.

Participants will be invited to enter the conversation from wherever

they are as we open ourselves to ongoing growth, working

toward more just, equitable partnerships in the workplace.

You can find out more information about this course by contacting

Jamie Malek at 641-422-4076 or

Jamie.Malek@niacc.edu.

Respect! Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, was a Gospel woman for generations of men and women. Cradled in her church in Detroit, she never left it, but rather carried it with her all over the world. She sang "Precious Lord" at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral 50 years ago in 1968. Her music and her dedication supported the civil rights movement right through to her singing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" at President Obama's inauguration in 2009. Amazing! "Respect" was her anthem. Amazing woman. Amazing Gospel Grace!

P.S. I googled the Queen of Soul singing "America" at President Obama's Inauguration.  Just to listen to her and to watch the crowd listening to her was wonderful.  To watch President Obama watch and listen to her and be inspired by her inspired me again.  Then I scrolled down briefly to see the comments.  This was all within a few hours of her death. They were all in gratitude.  Except one. What?  One by Donald J. Trump: "Gotta Thumbs down on this one."  I don't tweet things to or about Trump, but this time I did reply to his tweet. I wrote: "Thumbs down on America? Thumbs down on music? Thumbs down on Freedom? "Don't gotta!"

I know even more today how much we need Aretha, and Martin Luther King Jr., and President Obama.

I know how much we need the Gospel.  I know how much we need to sing.  All of us.

Five ELCA Women Bishops Elected and Re-Elected!

A powerful weekend of re-elections and elections of five women as synod bishops in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Ann  Svennungsen of Minneapolis Synod. Shelley Wickstrom as bishop of Alaska. Election of the first African Descent bishop Patricia Davenport in Southeastern Pennsylvania, election of the second African Descent bishop Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld of South Central Wisconsin, and election of Sue Brineras bishop in Southwest Texas. The Holy Spirit is up to something! Let's dance with her! Congratulations to all!

The Challenge of Living in an Adversarial Culture

People want to know how to live in this argumentative, adversarial time when the goal seems to be only to win rather than to jointly seek the truth. 

For the past two weeks I led Wednesday Night Alive sessions at Trinity Lutheran Church here in Mason City (IA) based on my book, Church Conflict:from Contention to Collaboration (Abingdon). The conversation among these adults was amazing! Engaging, deep, astute, attuned not only to conflict in the church, but in the culture. 

We dealt with (book chapters)
THE NATURE OF CONFLICT
1. Images of Conflict
2. Types 
3. Patterns of conflict
4. Personal History of Conflict
5. Roles in Conflict
RESPONSES TO CONFLICT (There is a negative and positive side to each)
6. Avoidance
7. Confrontation
8. Competition
9. Control
10. Accommodation
11. Compromise
12. Collaboration

The challenges change over time, but call forth our most skilled leadership now more than ever.

Even the Smallest Children Lead the Liturgy

Silently the children entered the sanctuary. First came the pre-school children, then grade by grade through 8th, over 200, all sizes and tones of colors, came for Friday morning mass at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church.  A sixth-grade boy announced the service was beginning. His class would lead today. The entire parish school takes turns leading week by week, including the kindergarten. This was the people’s mass and all were totally engaged. It was a full hour-long service with children leading every part, except for the presiding/preaching priest.

The reverent silence quickly turned to the beautiful sound of children’s voices filling the sanctuary: opening hymn, confession, Kyrie, Gloria, lessons, sung Psalm verses.  The music of the liturgy was central. There was singing and signing, all by heart, coming from the heart.

Numerous sixth grade children had carefully prepared their leadership roles of reading lessons, composing prayers, providing the choir for the day, (I understand when younger children lead, reading may be a bit slower, but lead they do!) In communal worship, all take their part. No one is mere audience.

The Liturgy is the work of the people. This reverence was not duty but the rhythm of joy. When it came time for the Eucharist, all knelt, the eyes of the youngest barely peering over the top of the pew in front of them. And then they came forward, many crossing their arms for a blessing, older children to receive the bread, and older still for bread and wine.  But all were part of this most holy communion.  And this most holy community.