Friday, January 24, 2025
colours and community building
Today was the first church council meeting of the year. By way of devotion, as Chair, I took along a box of different coloured pens. Placing the pens in the middle of the group grabbed attention and created curiousity. A perfect way to begin.
“What was the colour of your Christmas,” I asked? “What was the colour of your summer?” Folk choose colours. “And if you want to test your colours, feel free,” I then said, as I handed around small pieces of paper.
After a few minutes of choosing and colouring, we shared with each other about the colours we had each chosen.
It worked splendidly. A real depth of sharing. New insights about each others realities. Greater awareness of how we could pray and support each other.
Then some questions about what being good news might mean among us. What if the range of colours among us also connects with the experience of folk in the community? What does the range of colours mean for how we preach and care as we move toward Christmas in 2025?
And so a prayer as the meeting began, that our work as a council would engage the full reality of the colours among us and the community in which we are part.
Choosing colours was a simple exercise that resulted in sharing of stories and supportive listening. Choosing colours builds healthy teams.
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