first gathering

a friend on the scottish network has called a first gathering of local church reps to discuss 'youth outreach' in her neighbourhood - she asked for some suggestions so i gave her mine, which for any first gathering are :

1) work hard on the venue and the welcome in terms of comfort and hospitality (good food/drink, comfy seats and a not too overbearing greeting are essential given that people make their minds up about something in the first four minutes) - make it NICE for people - give them a treat - spoil them a bit - they are not used to it in Christian circles so plan to communicate some of the outrageous generosity of God through the physical set up and environment

2) plan to be relentlessly inclusive - make room for the small voice, the less confident, the bizarre, the impractical, the different, the outraged, the entrenched and the depressed view in equal measure - you will get them all, but sometimes people just need a chance to say where they are at and let you know who they are before they are ready to listen and to collaborate with others - let them dump their big issues and know that they have been recorded, noticed and accepted as important - don't be tempted to try to deal with these issues there and then, but be prepared to show how the issues will form an agenda for action in the future

3) find fun things to do together - have a basic outline for gathering people's thoughts and questions and for collecting evidence of what the issues are locally - it is nice for people to feel that they are coming to something that has been thought about in terms of how the forum is structured - if you can find fun and active ways to do this all the better - make participation a requirement through using post-it notes, mindmaps, pictures/posters, speakeasy, my top ten etc etc - make sure people have an opportunity to contribute in the way that's best for them

4) show them something that will inspire them towards a new horizon - a video clip, someone's story, a really practical example of sustainable outreach in action - raise their sights - give them something that stirs them and heightens their expectations or helps them to look at their situation with fresh eyes - keep it short and snappy - give them a BIG powerful shot of creativity and excitement that will lift their aspirations and galvanise their sense of what they are capable of and of what is possible

5) celebrate what you have achieved right there and then - find a creative way to be proud of any consensus - make sure you focus on that before people go home

6) don't leave before you have a firm plan for the next gathering - people will not want this to be a one off and you can't answer all the questions in one go - make arrangements for collecting people's details and email them all the notes and thoughts as soon as you can - be in contact with each person at least 3 times between the first and the next gathering, even if it is only to say hi, thanks for coming, any more ideas ? etc

7) hold it all very lightly - lead gracefully and pursue peace in every interaction - whatever your thoughts and feelings this first meeting is not about what you want to see happen, so give way to their need to influence the agenda without letting one person dominate or hijack the proceedings - be open, cheerful and accepting of each person's contribution - don't allow yourself to dwell on your impressions of how things went - be determined to encourage others and think well of EVERYTHING that took place

8) trust, in our heavenly Father, who knows what His children need even before they ask it.............and who is able to do more than we can possibly think or imagine

that was my eightpennyworth - am interested to know what others would add to or take away from this list and why - leave a comment and let me know eh?