Next steps

What did I like most about the Epiphany celebration on January 6th, a great breakfast event that focused on mission in partnership? I’d say – the connections we made about the kind of relationships we want to have. In various ways, we said that what we want for our relationships in our own homes and church, we also want for our relationships with people in other places such as Smoketown, Appalachia and Guatemala.

The marks of good relationships are nicely distilled in a pamphlet called “Presbyterians Do Mission in Partnership,” and they include: “shared grace and thanksgiving, mutuality and interdependence, recognition and respect, open dialogue and transparency, and the sharing of resources.”

At the beginning of our Epiphany event I talked some about why there is so much interest in partnership. Good reasons include:

A. Respect for what God does in lives other than our own
Faith in Jesus Christ reveals to us that we are “co-heirs” of God’s grace, none of us having earned it, and all of us gifted as members of “the body of Christ”.

B. Respect for the variety of contexts
In partnerships, we acknowledge that the people already in each place have a lead role because of their understanding, and because they will live with the results.

C. Hope for transformation, growth in discipleship and “new creation”
Being in a discipline of partnership helps keep our own culture from dominating, opening us to more rapid and profound work by the Holy Spirit and to unimaginable adventures.

D. Hope for an enduring, positive impact

No changes “take” unless embraced by and rooted in the persons who can make those changes endure. In partnership, one discerns what can become embraced and grounded.

Then we heard from Ben Langley, who shared moving reminiscences of his experiences in the Dominican Republic (DR) where he learned from his hosts and found himself transformed by that relationship. He was then better able to help other people enter into mission cooperation with the church in the DR.

About half of our time was in table conversation. The notes reveal insight and experience in how relationships can evolve to be the basis for the kinds of person-changing and world-changing we believe God has in mind. Words used repeatedly included: patience, perseverance and prayer; asking and listening; and humility and humor. Participants also emphasized being clear about one’s own expectations and motivations, staying in a learning mode about how different people express (or don’t) what they really want, building trust, and taking the time to share in what another’s life is (or working with people who have already done that).

Many said that long-term partnership relationships that acknowledge God’s love can “stretch” us, help us learn to ask and receive, and heal us, make us more whole.

The people who pulled this event together shared, I think, a sense that the mission involvements of CHPC members reveal a longing for this kind of conversation. The fact that 70-80 people participated just confirms that. The deep insights that surfaced that morning showed (and “epiphany” means “showing”!) that CHPC-ers have a longing for integrity that will “carry us a long way” on our journey with God. Please be part of the conversation about “next steps”!

-- Marian McClure