Culmination

I looked back, and it's just about six months when I posted about this project that is now coming to fruition: Upholding the Sangha Treasure. I have since gone through a co-facilitator or two, and have chopped up the main workbook as well as three other congregational studies books, then sewed them back together Frankenstein-style, and tomorrow we zap it with the electricity of a crowd of about 20 serious Zen practitioners.

It's fitting to spend Valentine's Day with my Sangha. And then again next Saturday as well. Then it will be done.

An amazing woman and Dharma sister, Kari, and myself will be leading this community-building workshop. We will be leading the Sangha in discussion and exercises to look at the patterns typical of growing congregations, gathering awareness about the kinds of changes that happen, and learning a common language to discuss these changes; thereby reducing the potential for conflict, and creating conditions favorable to healthy growing community. We'll also be looking at making sure we have a sustainable system for our volunteers. And we'll examine our norms -- seeing who and how we are or are not so welcoming.

Re-reading that post from June, the thing that resonates is allowing my Sangha to support me. And that goes for facilitating these workshops. Any other time I've been asked to facilitate these folks, all I have to do is show up, introduce the topic, and everybody is off! They have shown up. They have brought their whole selves, and they participate. It's like driving a very expensive, very responsive, very smooth car.

I have put a lot into it, but there will be so much more coming out of it. I am excited.