Embracing the Spirit: Getting Creative, Cultivating Curiosity, and more!🌼

Embrace the Spirit and Get Creative!   Communities of faith had two years of time where they had to rethink their ideas of worship and ministry and create new ways of engaging with people, supporting neighbours, and creating resilient communities. The recent reopening of the country began a time of reimagining what’s possible for the world and for the church, and it continues as we move into the next half of 2022! What are your dreams for your community of faith? We are now accepting applications for Innovation Grants of up to $5000, until July 15, 2022. Reach out to us to have a one-on-one conversation about your community of faith and your ideas at embracingthespirit@united-church.ca, and we’ll help you get started with your grant application. Need some inspiration? See the story map of initiatives that are already happening across the country. We look forward to hearing about your innovative ideas!   [Image credit: Eko Pramono from Pixabay.com] EDGEy Conversation with EDGE Staff: What is the Nature of Sabotage?   “Sabotage” is a concerning word, isn’t it? The idea of forces trying to hinder our ability to meet a goal or achieve an outcome isn’t a nice one to contemplate. But it’s an idea that does need scrutiny, as it generally comes with some assumptions.   Assumption 1: It’s External You can likely imagine myriad ways that someone might sabotage you. Is it possible that we could sabotage ourselves with our attitudes, actions, or words? Is it possible that God might sabotage us?     Assumption 2: It’s Intentional Can you sabotage someone else without intending to? For that matter, could you be sabotaging someone unconsciously? Could someone verbally express their hopes for another’s success and mean it while simultaneously, without realizing it, take action to undermine that person’s chances? What would cause someone to do that?   Assumption 3: Its Motivations are Negative Is it sometimes necessary to sabotage others (or to make it look like we have?) An intervention for someone with substance abuse problem is an attempt to sabotage the person’s further efforts to engage in addict behaviour and get them into a treatment. The people running the intervention likely don’t see it that way, but the person at the centre of it might. Should motivation matter when we’re defining sabotage?   Assumption 4: It’s Universally Recognized Would everyone in a group define a given act as sabotage, or does it depend on each person’s perception? Could personal history and knowledge of or experience with a group or individual cause someone to label an action as “sabotage” that other people wouldn’t? Who’s right and wrong? How can we create the kind of environments where people feel comfortable “checking in” with others about their perceptions to make sure that they’re interpreting interactions accurately? Should the real take-away be that, when it come to sabotage, we really shouldn’t make assumptions? Watch this recent Staff EDGEY Conversation for musings on the nature of sabotage, the conditions under which it thrives, and how we can live in healthy relationship to it. [Image credit: Humusak on Pixabay.com] Summer Series: Cultivating Curiosity     EDGE has now run three sections of its popular Curiosity Cohort, bringing its message about the power of curiosity and its ability to transform communities of faith across the country and even to the United States! Curiosity is the mindset change that we, as people of faith, are craving to begin to reimagine what church can be outside of Sunday morning. It is the mindset shift that:  Allows us to ask questions and keep asking questions Assists us in letting go of needing “the” answers and to relinquish control Teaches us to follow the Spirit and to keep listening and discerning  Enables us to take leaps of faith and be courageous in experimenting A curious spirit lets us explore what might be possible for our communities of faith, and dream about how we might make those possibilities realities. Watch the Embracing the Spirit newsletter over the summer for reflections and resources for developing curiosity such as this article: 10 Ways to Improve Your Curiosity. Read it to find out how things like a commitment to keep learning, a daily walk, a break from technology, and personal reflection can help you develop a curious spirit and generally keep you more engaged with the world in general. If you’re interested in joining the Curiosity Cohort starting in September make sure to register. And if you’ve already completed the Curiosity Cohort, you may be interested in this event:  Continuing Curiosity- A Community of Practice: Curiosity & Grief Thursday, July 7, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT. The Curiosity Community of Practice is a place to explore deeper aspects your work with curiosity. July’s discussion topic is curiosity and grief. How do we manage grief - our own and others - that is part of curiosity, growth, and change? Prerequisite: EDGE’s Curiosity Cohort. You can register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please email zchaytors@united-church.ca for more information about the Curiosity Cohort or the Curiosity Community of Practice. [Photo credit: Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay.com] Idea Day!     The EDGE Team invites you to come out to Idea Days! Idea Days happen over Zoom once a month on a Monday in most months of 2022. They are a great opportunity to connect with others, hear about great ideas and share your own idea and get feedback from others. What’s your big idea? Come out and tell us about it this summer! July 4, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT–Register to participate.  August 22, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT–Register to participate. September 26, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT–Register to participate.  Please email zchaytors@united-church.ca for more information about Idea Days. [Image credit: Geralt from Pixabay.com] Embracing the Spirit is a learning network and innovation fund. It offers funding and support for innovation ideas hatched out of faith communities and communities in ministry. Some of the stories and best practices that are happening throughout The United Church of Canada are shared in this newsletter. If you have an idea that you want to launch, reach out and tell us about it! Proposal deadlines are quarterly, and due on the 15th of the month: January, April, July and October. Find out more.  Share Tweet Forward to a friend Sign up for the Embracing the Spirit newsletter! Facebook Twitter Website Email Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Donate to The United Church of Canada and help fund life changing work around the world!

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