Hi, Ray (and hello, dear Brendan)
Ray wrote: <I will be holding open space for a religious community of men gathering for chapter to focus on direction for renewal. I would appreciate any wisdom, and experiences to learn from as I prepare for this adventure.In the chapter I am working with, there will be a time to analyze and reflect on the state of the congregation and then we will move to open space to let people begin to explore the positive potential for the future as the community embraces the challenges/opportunities.> Ray - I have opened space for Catholics, Episcopalians and various other faith communities. I find that faith communities enjoy and benefit from Open Space just as much as anyone else - it's a good fit, even in religious organizations where there people are used to receiving top-down direction. I have done Open Spaces with faith communities where the event has started and ended with prayer and song; in one case, delightfully, the planning team for the event wrote a prayer that was specifically about/for the work about to be done in Open Space. In another congregation the Pastoral (strategic) Plan born in the Open Space was translated into many languages and shared in each church's service, along with a Pastoral Planning Prayer. In another, closing included a segue into Mass, and in another, I found out that while I harmonize when being invited to sing with the congregation, not all congregations *do* harmony ;o) (Lisa dances to the beat of a different drummer.again.). Once, when the design included prioritizing, the planning team designed a 'mark the topics you feel should move forward' process with breath work before the dot-voting (to release and be filled with a power and wisdom greater than themselves) and a hallelujah chorus to celebrate each group decision (there were 3 decisions to be made so this process repeated 3 times). Once, when participants got anxious just before a situation where they were to prioritize, I felt I needed to ask the group if they were people of faith - did they truly believe that the right thing would happen if they gave themselves over to the greater wisdom. (I don't know if I did that for me or for them though - I am sure they would have done just fine without my jewels of wisdom.) So: design it, prepare for it, and facilitate just the way you would any organization, and as with any organization, use the inspiration and ideas of the organization's planning team to see if weaving in bits of code and culture (such as song, prayer, lighting candles, or breath work) helps to invite and frame the Open Space for that community. Let me clarify - don't feel that extra warm-up or intro things are necessary for the Open Space to work - it will work if it's been chosen as the right tool for the job and is thoughtfully prepared for. What I'm saying is if the culture traditionally frames its work and coming together as community in a way that involves ritual, you may wish to design in time for ritual in the open or close of your day(s). Take care, Lisa ___________________________ L i s a H e f t Consultant, Facilitator, Educator O p e n i n g S p a c e <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] <http://www.openingspace.net> www.openingspace.net * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
