MSC GENERAL CONFERENCE, BUSAN, SOME MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
With thanks to Jommy Burgos MSC, Conference Secretary.
The writing on the wall - in the best sense
DAY 02 (Wednesday, September 25, 2019): New Directions in Leadership. There is a need to challenge the membership to move from the comfort zone and start to live in view of the future because that is the vision and the envisioning. For us, leadership is oriented to mission.
Exploring “MY LEADERSHIP.”
ENCOUNTER
The participants were led to reflection examining their type of leadership in their particular province. They have seen what were those helpful and unhelpful, connections and disconnections. The reflection helped them to discover the consistencies as well as their inconsistencies and values in leadership. What were those lifegiving? Indeed, their reflections where bombarded with many substantial questions like:
How willing I am to go beyond maintenance leadership?
How willing I am to take up the role of a leader? This require a lot of listening deeply and honestly. The new paradigm is participating in the process which can lead everyone to transformation and a deep contemplation of the experience.
The participants were again engaged to a reflection activity. This time it is an “EMMAUS WALK”; they were asked to see leadership in a congregational level. By thinking in a congregational level, they create and push horizons; to see each one not only belonging to a federation of unity but to see it as a whole.
Conference and friendly encounters
DAY 03 (Wednesday, September 26, 2019)
The third day brings us to the question, “What holds us back as a Congregation, in view of leadership from fully committing? We enter into the BLIND-SPOTS. The participants were to reflect once again their experience of leadership. Coming back to the paradigm of the new emerging approach, The participants were led to articulate in their experiences of leadership, the blindspots that disconnect.
The DISCONNECTION OF JUDGMENT (assumption) comes as a disconnection within leadership. It is blocking us to make an OPEN MIND.
The DISCONNECTION OF CYNICISM. It comes along with disappointment and losing faith because there are issues in the past that are coming back which make the community getting stuck into. Or it might be also, not the leadership but may in some instance the community becoming resistant to new things.
The DISCONNECTION OF FEAR. This is unwillingness to go. This bars leaders from moving forward to what is more lifegiving. The willingness to level up is blocked.
- These are blind-spots that can stunt the growth of leadership and the participants are made to aware of these after reflecting on their own style of leadership in their own province and union or even in the general administration.
- The second part of the morning shifted to RENEWED FOCUS & ENERGY FOR MISSION.
At the personal level, as a leader in the province what is the focus and where are the life-giving energies leading to new mission.
- WHERE’S THE FOCUS? What are the places of life and energy? In the province? In your life? And what are the obstacles that we are encountering?
- There is a strong energy for the missionary identity; of having a missionary heart which all formations have to be to be directed to mission. A mission to reach out to people, a clear option for the poor. The requirement to listen to the new cries of the people which can be supported by establishing new structures which will fit in to the new missionary thrust.
- There is the missionary zeal of the elderly especially those whose provinces, the numbers are thinning. Although there is the crisis of the identity but they were the people who have possessed so much zeal to the mission that institutions were established. With scant numbers of the older provinces, what could be their missions? Yet, it is also affirmed that even if they are advancing in years, they can still be active in the mission.
- While the focus seemed to gain a positive energy in the process, there seemed to be a bit disturbing for the participants as they shared their challenges and obstacles. There seemed to be an image of being stuck somewhere, and facing a wall, rendering one to be immobile.
Writing on the floor will become good writing on the wall
DAY 04 (Friday, September 27, 2019)
First Session: NEW DIRECTIONS IN LEADERSHIP
- Old Paradigm to New Paradigm of Leadership
We are accustomed to the old paradigms of perceiving and understanding. More often we do a lot of dichotomies in the way we think at many things. The new paradigm is way around different because it speaks of interconnectedness.
The process is moving from the EGO to the ECO. Think as a whole. Think interconnectedness.
Second Session: THE RENEWAL IN FOCUS & ENERGY FOR MISSION
Thinking as a congregation. The participants were led to prayer session where they had to work on the question, “Where the Lord is leading us?’ And so, they have to present with the Lord. Intimacy challenges every one to enter into mutual relationship. It is asking everyone to surrender; whatever bars the person to think as a whole. They were asked to envision the whole congregation in 2029, ten years, fast track.
Third Session: “GETTING THERE” (towards the vision we would like to do as a congregation)
We, therefore create a mindset of internationality which implies that we are ready to go wherever we are sent.
We have to improve our facility of communication. If there are initiatives of an entity worth collaborating then the General administration will facilitate the regular conversation between and among provinces. We have to trust the General Team having them seeing the bigger picture of the congregation.
Abzalon getting right down to work
SYNTHESIS:The first week was really an invitation to enter into the depths of the Heart of Jesus so that we have tried to CONNECT TO THE WHOLE.
