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For the next few weeks, we will use this blog as an extension of our Values Clarification work being done in Parish Forum at 10 a.m. and over lunch after our 11:15 a.m. service. You are welcome to come to the blog and see where the work is taking us each week. This will also serve as a way for people who were unable to attend one session to "catch up" and feel welcome at subsequent sessions. Last week's discussion was on Aspirational Values. This week we moved on to Accidental Values, and we'll finish out on the 23rd with Core Values.
ACCIDENTAL VALUESFrom the Two Sunday Forum Sessions on March 16
Below you will find summaries of the “Accidental Values” discussion from the weekend of March 16. Below is a condensation of the responses from the general gatherings of members based on vote totals. This is followed by the Pastor's Observations and then raw results from the Forum gatherings arranged according to the tables where people sat. We are posting these results to stimulate discussion and reflection between our gatherings so we enter each forum prepared for a deep and enriching discussion.
1.
Elite
Social Status/Privilege (appearance thereof) 45
a.
Assumption that all are acquainted and travel in
similar social circles
b.
Appearance of prosperity and self-assurance
c.
Initial outward perception of elitist community
d.
Inaccurate perception of privilege not caught up
with reality
e.
Most kids in Private Education
f.
We assume certain behaviors – Overemphasis on
the “Chestnut Hill Way”
2.
Diversity of Church Schedule to the point of
lack of connectivity of members with each other
28
a.
Why is it so hard to recruit greeters and other
volunteers
b.
It takes 90 plus volunteers to run St. Martins
on a Sunday morning
c.
TYPE A Parish, too busy, spread too thin
3.
Assumption
of Left Liberal Values and Politics 21
a.
Room for other points of view
b.
How do we involve more voices in determining our
social justice activities?
4.
Expectations of Women/Traditional assignment of
tasks and work load to women 17
5.
Salvation through GOOD TASTE! 15
6.
Smarter is better/Intellectual approach 7
7.
A tension between tradition and innovation in
liturgy and language
a.
Some think innovation is the norm
b.
Others think tradition is the norm
c.
Interesting tension! How do we study that?
Pastoral Observation:
The accidental values we project seem to cause people to struggle with
the following questions:
1.
Do I belong here?
2.
Am I accepted here?
3.
What do I need to do to fit in here?
Raw Data
“Type A” Parish [10]
·
Poorly attended?
·
Too busy—too much/spread too thin
o Especially social justice
events—too many?
·
Conditional Acceptance [1]
·
Where is music in values? [2]
o Less & less...especially
bell ringers
00000
Accidental
·
Initial outward perception of elitist community [7]
·
|
Individuals
seem unapproachable—because of some priorities [1]
·
Originally only community based [2]
o Hard to star introductions
§ (Shyness) Not family
·
Thick schedule (?) getting thinner [2]
o Lack of introductions
o Embarrassed
·
Wounded community [3]
o Ok to be needy
o All have wounds
·
|
Language
of belief is [5]
o Conservative
o Intellectual
00000
·
Wealth [2]—whiteness
o Used to be very much valued
or still today?
o Where do you vacation? [1]
o What independent school do go to? [1]
·
Assumption that liturgy is very important
·
60’s—growing parish involvement in politics and social
action justice
·
Coldness to new people? [1]
o Slowness to come to know
new people
·
Assumption that now everything is better than in past
[7]
o Need to see values in past
as well as in present
o Or that some groups matter
more than others
·
Assumption that improving the world matters more than
caring for each other (POWER and Stephen Ministry) [4]
o (Need to balance)
00000
·
TASTE (“Good”) [2]
·
Liberal politics/Hegemony/Assumed [4]
·
Smarter and Better [6]
o Skepticism is smarter.
o Doubt is smarter.
·
Social Status: Prestige/Privilege [7]
o or “Everyone goes to
Maine”
o Rarified Inaccurate
Perception
§ Not caught up with reality.
·
Most kids in private education [5]
·
Neighboring concern: *arrow*
·
“We think we know each other” [1]—“Everyone who
belongs is already here.”
·
WE FEED EACH OTHER—FOOD/FELLOWSHIP
·
Location? Reflected values of neighborhood?
00000
·
“We assume certain behaviors” [9]
·
We don’t always acknowledge why we are really here = God. [4]
·
The summer combined
service looks like 11:15
·
The four service schedule—does that serve the congregation
best? [3]
·
Designation of roles [6]
o Old-timers know how it
should be done.
o Let the younger people do
the work now.
·
Why is it so hard to get people to be greeters and work at
other ministries? [14]
o Like grounds clean-up
00000
Accidental
1. Colored Dots
2. Appearance of prosperity and
self-assurance [8]
3. Assumption that we are all
acquainted and travel in similar social circles; we all know the codes [7]
4. There is a ruling elite of
the church—a social elite (e.g. Cricket Club, SCH, etc.) (eroding) [3]
5. Spiritually, we have already
arrived—no need to go further [2]
6. “Deliberate instancy”—move
and chance carefully and deliberately
7. Focus on food!! And feeding
people. [4]
8. Engaging the mind.
9. More casual dress—come as
you are.
10. Beauty of worship and
performance—“Salvation through good taste.” [13]
00000
Accidental Values
·
Formerly
o Preppie
o Elitist
o Ad Chestnut hill – Changed a
lot lately
·
Possible new accidental [6]
o Political activism [7]
–shoving petition at people at Wednesday Supper
§ Do we leave room for people
who aren’t comfortable “manning phone banks” or who are here for family,
liturgy, social, etc.? [1]
§ Only one definition of
social justice? [4]
§ How do we involve more
people in church in discussion of what we do in terms of social justice? [3]
·
Highly intellectual approach
00000
Accidental Value
·
Beauty [1]
o Aesthetics (building,
grounds, etc.) + Liturgy + Music
o Parishioners
·
*Over Emphasis on the “Chestnut Hill Way” [6]
o Mannerisms
o Class
o Expectations
·
Lack of relevance of Sunday school and meeting students where
they are.
·
*Expectation of women and their time [16]
·
Diversity of church schedule to the point of lack of connectivity
of members with each other [14]
o Planning
§ Acolytes
§ Bulletins
§ Eucharistic Ministers
§ Clergy
*To
Be Changed.
00000
·
LADY BOUNTIFUL
·
WE VALUE “PROPER BEHAVIOR,” but WHOSE? WHEN? WHERE?
·
VALUE TRADITION at the expense of inclusivity and change.
·
We ASSUME LIBERAL (LEFT) VALUES and politics. [2]
·
THE MUSIC BUDGET IS PARAMOUNT. [6]
·
Lack of concern for
general diversity. [4]
·
Work of parish is for women to do. [1]
