Pilgrimage Formation Curator Ryan Bonfiglio talks with Dr. Gareth Higgins, the Rev. Dr. Brian Ammons (The Porch), and the Rev. Carla Jones Brown (Arch Street Presbyterian, Philadelphia) about how their experience of Northern Ireland provided an opportunities for rest, spiritual rejuvenation, and how the peace process of conflict transformation can offer an opportunity to reflect on one’s own context.
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I was the Facilitator for the first New York City cohort, and at the time, I was working in theological education on Christian leadership formation, so it seemed like a natural fit. What I discovered, though, was something quite different from my “day job.” While the content and topics of the curriculum was a crucial part of our gatherings, it was the community of mutual care and support that made the content relevant, not the other way around. And second, having three years of strong bonding created an extraordinarily resilient community that, in turn, was able to build up resilience in our leaders. I think every member of my cohort went through significant seasons of both joy and heartache, professionally and vocationally, during our time. And the cohort, in turn, lived out the exhortation of Romans 12:15, “rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep,” with a depth and integrity that I have rarely experienced, and often doing both in the same gathering. It was a privilege and a blessing to me and my own faith and ministry to be their facilitator, and I am eternally grateful to the Ministry Collaborative for calling me to that work!”
Paul Hahn loop
Posted at 09:06h, 08 JulyOm