Credo: third report
(thanks to Pam B who sent me this).
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Here is the CREDO “Mission Statement”
To provide opportunities for people to examine significant areas oftheir lives and to discern prayerfully the future direction of their vocation as they respond to God's call in a lifelong process of practice and transformation.
Sure sounds like gobble-de-gook to me! But then again, I take a dim view of most “mission statements”.
I believe that most groups/committees/ boards etc take endless hours to produce a “mission statement”, then having published the same with a fanfare of self-congratulation, the statement is ignored or forgotten.
(I also take a jaded view of words such as “vision”, or “transformation” which are employed by organizations such as CREDO. “Planning” is a much more realistic word than “vision”, and “change” a more realistic word than “transformation”!)
But at CREDO 156, we did take a look at significant areas of our lives viz: health, money, spirituality, and vocation.
We did this by means of lectures, workshops, liturgies, informal conversations, personal time with faculty members, and small group work.
I found some good help and guidance in the areas of money and health.
CREDO gave me some tools to continue to take care of my health, and I learned that my income and small savings should be quite adequate for the foreseeable future.
I did not spend much time thinking about my “spiritual life”.
This is because I do not believe in “spiritual lives”.
I believe that we each have lives - period (or full stop in U.K. English!).
Those lives have possibilities for body, mind, and spirit - but to think that we can concentrate on one aspect (e.g. the life of the mind, or the body, or the spirit) is to lead us away from wholeness (integration), into sickness (fragmentation).
Mission statement or not, I gained some useful information at CREDO, all in an atmosphere of good comrade-ship, with no “should” or “oughts”.
Some 3,000 clerics in the Episcopal Church have attended CREDO since its beginning in 1997. I believe that this has helped to create a group of Priests and Bishops who are well in body, mind and spirit; and who are well able to lead our beloved Church.
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TODAY
The Moon was full last night (Oct 14th) It cast a wondrous beauty, and I went outside at about 9:00 p.m. to enjoy it. It was equally lovely when I walked at 6:00 a.m. today.
Things disappear! I used my keys to drive, and to get into my home late this afternoon (Oct 15th). But I am darned if I can find them now. Good thing that I have a set of spares!
Totslly agree about mission statements, one item of my work life I do not miss now that I have retired.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it helpful.