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March 05, 2009
Notice-Name-Nurture: A Role for Congregations in God’s Call - Noticing, by Kim Hearn
Young seminarians, recent seminary graduates, laity, seasoned pastors, new pastors, scholars, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, United Methodists, UCCer's, Lutherans, Pentecostal, East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, South, Canada, inner city, suburban, rural, small town, African American, Hispanic, Caucasian this is the diversity of voices that recently gathered in Atlanta to engage the topic of vocation and the role of the congregation in noticing, naming, and nurturing young people in their midst who demonstrate gifts for ministry.
"Notice-Name-Nurture: A Role for Congregations in God's Call" is a three and a half day learning event that creates a unique space, a space I refer to as a "comfortable uncomfortable space" where folks from a wide array of backgrounds begin to discover that what they share in common, their role as called people of God, is more powerful than any difference. The first day is my favorite. It is the day dedicated to noticing, noticing the other into existence, and in so doing noticing new things about one's own narrative.
On this particular night, the room consists of 9 congregation teams made up of three people that include clergy and lay, 6 FTE Calling Congregation Fellows (first-year seminary students), 3 mentor-scholars, and 3 recent seminary graduates. Most seat themselves with the folk they know, they are a bit tired from travel, and a little hesitant about what is to come. Then, over the next ninety minutes, something new begins to be born in this space through a process of "small journeys, big questions, table talk". Rather than being spoken to, this night asks the people in the room to speak and listen to each other, through shoulder tapping introductions and the telling of stories. The noise level in the room steadily increases with each small journey, and, at the end of the night, a group of people as diverse as the one listed above are sharing, caring, laughing, questioning, and anticipating together because they have noticed that their stories contain a common thread. It is the thread that calls each of us to claim our role as called people of God and to actively participate in the process of noticing-naming-nurturing the future of the church we love.
Everyone leaves that evening anticipating the next day with a question to ponder, "What do congregations need to be able to accompany young people in the exploration of vocation?" Tomorrow, together, we will begin to name those needs.
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