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Massachusetts Conference Edition
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Five Holy Conversation ideas to share faithby Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane, Editor February/March 2008
There is a great spiritual conversation going on in public arenas, and, according to Richard Peace – a member of the First Church in Wenham, Congregational, UCC, and professor of Evangelism and Spiritual Formation at Fuller Seminary – the church needs to get back into that conversation. Peace teaches churches – especially those in mainline denominations – to help their members learn how to articulate their faith story and the story of Jesus, through a curriculum called “Holy Conversation.” This past fall, teams from dozens of local Conference churches met with Peace to explore his new faith-sharing curriculum. “I think that the art of Christian conversation is important not only for us as we seek to engage in the cultural conversation about spirituality but also for us as individuals in mainline churches,” said Peace. “Let’s face it; we have not always been good in discussing the foundations of our faith. One of the unexpected side benefits in those churches who have started Holy Conversation small groups is an increased conversation within the church itself about the gospel and faith.” Holy Conversation consists of 12 small group sessions (though some churches opt for just six sessions). The first three focus on foundational issues such as spiritual pilgrimage, finding and sharing stories of the presence of God, and understanding the nature of the gospel message. During the rest of the sessions, group members look at what it means to talk about core issues when it comes to the gospel: talking about Jesus, human need, repentance and faith, confession, commitment, and sin. Rev. Natalie Shiras, pastor of the Church on the Hill (UCC) in Lenox, said that she uses the Holy Conversation exercises in church council, diaconate and trustee meetings. “It’s a great way to make the bridge from the day into our evening meetings,” she said. A key feature of the Holy Conversation project is the idea of a conversation partner. Each group member is asked to find a conversation partner outside the church who would be willing to serve as a sort of ‘guinea pig’ for the duration of the small group by discussing with the group member what he or she is trying to learn. According to Peace, this has spawned many fascinating conversations. Peace believes the five most important ideas that should be learned from Holy Conversation are: 1) All people are on a spiritual pilgrimage – there are no exceptions since this is how God has made us. Therefore we are “witnessing” not to strangers or enemies but to fellow pilgrims on the spiritual way (although they may not yet know this).
2) Holy Conversation is all about the intersection of three stories: my story with God, your story with God, and God’s story as lived out by Jesus. 3) People are fascinated by the spiritual. They want to know God. They do not want to get trapped by an ideology or an institution. They just want to know God. 4) To tell our stories means that we have to pay attention to our unfolding story with God. This involves discernment, prayer, worship, and lots of conversation. 5) In the end, to be a witness for Jesus is simply to be honest with others in our daily conversation. If God is alive for us, God will enter into the conversation naturally and not in any contrived, coercive or artificial way. “I believe Holy Conversation is a way for us to talk about faith in an ordinary, non- confrontational way,” said Peace. “The key here is ‘story’– learning how to tell our own stories of faith (while listening to the stories of others) and how to tell the story of Jesus (which has been lost for the most part in our culture today).” Liz Rice-Smith, co-chair of the membership committee at Old South Church in Boston, said that her church uses Peace’s materials and resources extensively, especially in their classes for those considering membership. “People are amazed that there is room for frank talk about their struggles with whom God is or isn’t for them. Being able to talk about God and church more comfortably not only deepens one’s faith, but I believe it really helps membership to grow as well,” she said. Rev. David Rozewski of Pilgrim Church UCC in Sherborn was taken by the simplicity of storytelling around faith. “I had somehow thought of faith sharing as more formal and – ironically for a pastor – as more private than public and informal,” he said.
“After the workshop I was sitting in a coffee shop near my church when a man my age entered with a young boy. A discussion about children began – and I’m not sure how – but the man and I began speaking of questions of faith. Having experienced a recent loss, he opened up a bit about his situation. “He was Jewish – although not active in any way. He seemed soothed by the conversation and made a comment that he ‘never thought of sharing (his issue) with God.’”
Rozewski finished: “I saw him from time to time. No great conversions happened. He didn’t join my church. But I believe we both benefited from our time of faith sharing and story telling.” Peace added: “The whole idea of sharing the good news of Jesus was part and parcel of the early church, and the reason that it grew to be a powerful movement in the first three centuries of its existence.”
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