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Team Formation and Training

"God does not call the prepared; He prepares the called."

Thank you, LEONA and good morning. I've been told that this is the best lay talk you're going to receive at the NLS meetings, and with that, I should sit down and be quiet.

As you learned from Leona, my name is Douglas Burrows. I made my Via de Cristo weekend on Ohio Men's #11, in the spring of 1985.

This morning I wish to speak to you about "Via de Cristo -- The Team Structure." Via de Cristo is not an organization, but rather a living organism. Its parts should reflect its essential functions.

When our national president called me to put this talk together, I must admit that my eyes were much larger than my stomach. I have since learned that we have many ways of reaching the same goal. In this presentation, I would like to set forth the necessary ingredients that I believe will lead to a solid team, and through the team, to a successful Via de Cristo. Then we will share with you how a few of the movements actually function. Our hope is that we can reach some common denominators that will help each movement.

Let me begin by saying that I have included information from three movements: Via de Cristo, the Episcopal Cursillo and the Kairos ministry. From the Kairos ministry, we received the following:

"I pray that they may all be one, Father,

May they be in Us, just as You are in Me and I am in You.

May they be one so that the world will believe that You sent Me.

I gave them the same glory You gave Me, so that they may be one -- just as You and I are one.

I in them, and You in Me, so that they may be completely one in order that the world may know that You sent Me and that You love them as You love Me. (John 17:21-23)

This was Jesus' prayer to the Father when He was preparing to send forth His disciples with the "Grand Commission": "Go then to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples. (Matthew 28:19)

The rector's daily prayer to the Father should be modeled on Jesus' plea to His Father, to make His disciples one -- a plea for community. His continuing message to the team should be the message Paul sent to the Thessalonians in his first letter (Ch. 3:12-13).

May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow more and more, and become as great as our love for you. In this way, He will strengthen you, and you will be perfect and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all who belong to Him.

This then, is our ideal, and our goal as we begin the formation of a team. The whole Via de Cristo experience employs this structure designed to teach the examination of relationships. This structure is first experienced among the team in the formation process. It is then modeled for the participants during the weekend itself. The structure should continue to be part of the weekly self-examination by candidates through the grouping experience.

The first of the relationships examined is the relationship to one's self. On the weekend it consists of talks and meditations directed toward self-examination. During the team formation process, this self-examination should begin at the time a volunteer is asked to save on the team and continue through the team meetings. During this time we look not only at who we are as individuals before God, but also at who we are as a community, and how we become one in the body of Christ. We deal with such questions as "Who am I?" "Why am I afraid to tell you who I am?" "Do I frequently expect others to follow my agenda?" "Why should I forgive him?" "Why can't I be first?" and "Why me?" or "Why am I a part of Via de Cristo?"

The second relationship dealt with is that of our relationship to Jesus. On the weekend, this is the basic focus of the Saturday talks, and the day is designed to be a day of conversion. During the team formation process, our relationship with Jesus is the theme of the team meetings.

The third relationship with which we are concerned is the structure of Via de Cristo and our relationship with the world. On the weekend, this is dealt with on Sunday when the attention of the resident leader is directed toward the environments in whom they will be Christ-bearers. In the team formation process, this role as Christ-bearer is directed toward our relationships with the candidates who will be attending the weekend. This is the central focus of the team from the time of its meetings throughout the weekend.

The National Episcopal library expresses a pastoral plan which is very succinct. The information, while quoted from the National Episcopal library is also found, and has its roots, in the Roman Catholic Cursillo's Leader's Manual, and I'll quote directly:

"For most people, the three day weekend is the centerpiece of the Cursillo. The unspoken assumption is that if we get this part of the Cursillo method right, the rest will fall into place. But this assumption is quite wrong. The real centerpiece of the Cursillo movement is the Fourth Day. The three day weekend is a catalyst to inspire and empower Christians to understand and live out their apostalate -- to be witnesses for Jesus Christ in the world. A vital witness after the three days and into the Fourth Day is the aim and the focus of the Cursillo as a whole."

Such a view of Cursillo puts a heavy emphasis on planning. Actually, the Cursillo movement began with careful and intensive planning. The goal is to literally change the world for Christ, and to do this through Christians empowered by a vision for apostolic action.

The basic principles of the Episcopal pastoral plan are as follows:

1- A working knowledge of the Cursillo method. Information on the authentic three day, group reunion, ultreya, spiritual direction, sponsorship.

2- A commitment to the Cursillo method. This means willingness to surrender preconceptions about what Cursillo is and commit to place first things first. It also means practicing what we preach. The whole movement must be continually undergirded by prayer, study, and action in order to be properly guided, and I might repeat at this point in time, that the whole movement must be continually undergirded by prayer. Prayer is the essential element in the selection of the team process.

3- Working as a team: Collaboration between the clergy and the laity, who have identified Cursillo as their apostalate is the key to an effective and fruitful planning. Each member of the team can best contribute to clarifying and achieving the goal of penetrating environments by offering his or her own peculiar gifts, skills, and/or insights. The community as a whole will be best served by making use of these in grace-filled collaboration.

4- Perseverance. Working the plan is the key to success. Especially when the movement is confronted by obstacles or struggles. Experience will show where the movement has lost its sense of direction or has become overly preoccupied with the production of the three day weekend, the plan will hold the promise of revitalization and renewal.

In Via de Cristo, we must live what we proclaim. The important first step is putting together a team for the three day weekend and an appropriate place to exercise pastoral leadership. A firm foundation here promises an authentic experience later. Living the spirit of the group reunion, the rector and the spiritual director when they have been chosen for the team, should make their first order of business to begin to group together. They should do this before any other team members are invited to form the team. Time is needed for the team in miniature to really develop a mutual confidence.

The principle of external and internal is a relationship between the rector and the spiritual director and is of central importance to the team formation process. No specific rules govern their relationship, yet generally speaking, the rector is responsible for the external, provisions of team formation and weekend. The spiritual director is responsible for internal formation and spiritual development. The two have a relationship comparable that of a producer and director of a play or a film. Their concerns overlap considerably. Nothing good will come out of division or tension. Trust is absolutely essential.

As assistants to these positions are chosen, they, too, should begin to group. Eventually, as all the team is filled out, group reunion will mark the distinctive spirituality of the team and of the weekend. The rector and spiritual director should give special attention to the team selection. Insist that as an essential part of each team meeting there be group reunion. Inspire the team to give themselves freely as an offering to God. This sets the dominant theme in the team formation. "In group" attitude should definitely be discrete. The team needs to come together as a community into which candidates will be drawn. The basic work of the team member is to form spiritual friends with the candidates. Via de Cristo is a fellowship of leaders -- not a classroom, or an order of superiors and inferiors.

Challenge the team members to reflect on their faith. Make use of this time for preparing and presenting talks as an opportunity for exploring and deepening one's faith. A large part of the spiritual director's work is helping the team come to see the overall integrity of the weekend, and how that shapes vital Christian witness. Spiritual directors should be sensitive to all forms of Christian spirituality and discipline. But at the same time, they need to be firmly committed to the simple outline of spirituality which is Via de Cristo.

Team formation and weekend are not the places to present distinctive forms of spirituality such as speaking in tongues or various forms of healing ministries. Via de Cristo is intended to awaken apostolic zeal. Other forms of Christian spirituality can be dealt with in other contexts. The rector and the spiritual director should be very careful in presenting a clear message of the Via de Cristo. Remember: anything you add to a weekend becomes gospel for the candidates and is carried forward in their Via de Cristo experience.

Man does not create this team "God does" : The team is called to create an atmosphere of openness and freedom on the weekend. During the team preparation, the team needs to work toward this. Participants come to the Via de Cristo weekend freely. They are looking for a way to enrich their Christian life. Via de Cristo will help them also see that the way to be enriched, is to be an enriching influence in their environments, and apostles for Jesus Christ.

The problem encountered in some places is that team members are so eager to achieve results, that they may knowingly or unknowingly apply pressure to the participants to have a certain kind of weekend. This tendency must be acknowledged and must be confronted. The weekend is given freely for the sake of the participants. We do this because we are convinced that when the call of God to be an apostle is clearly heard, and the tools presented by which one can live effectively as an apostle, men and women will respond wholeheartedly.

On the other hand, this means that we must rely on the movement of the Holy Spirit for results, not on techniques or gimmicks. Let me repeat that: "We must rely on the movement of the Holy Spirit for results -- not on techniques or gimmicks." Participants must be free to experience as much or as little as they will. What we offer must be given without strings attached. The team members need not be excessively anxious about results. Let's look at what Bishop Juan Hervas, one of the founders of the Roman Catholic Cursillo, once wrote: "You do not need to be constantly pulling up the plant by its roots to be sure it's growing."

Team members may be quite confident that as they proclaim and share what they have truly found by the grace of God their message will hit its mark. The team needs to clearly understand the message, the flow and dynamics of the weekend in order to present it simply to the candidates. Then the team needs to let go and let God. There's been a handout given you with a flow of the weekend in it, and I would like you to be reviewing that as we finish the talk.

Leona: "We all speak from our own experience."

ANNE SPITLER

I need a moment to get myself together here. This is not something I do often. Small groups and one-to-one is where my gift is. To speak in front of this body of people -- well, I have to tell you that when Wayne called me to do this I said, "yes" without too much hesitation because this has always been a place where I have felt safe. I thought, "What better place to take wing than to do it in front of this group?" But I have to tell you, folks, I feel like I'm about to disappear behind this pulpit. But one can't take wings until one lets go of the roots, so we are now into part two which will deal with team structure and how the Atlanta movement goes about their business.

Via de Cristo is not an organization, but a living organism. Its parts should reflect its essential functions. For me there are three parts: the secretariat, the weekend, and the community. Since serving on the secretariat, I no longer see these as three separate identities. They are woven together in the spirit of the group reunion - but more about this later.

Specifically speaking, and as team structure relates to the weekend, there are two parts -- the Rector or Rectora (hereafter known simply as rector) and the Spiritual Directors. The Rector and the Spiritual Directors, as principal servants of the weekend, must begin at the earliest moment to live that spirit of group reunion. I know Doug has said this before, but it's very important. There must be trust and commitment between them. The environment will be greatly influenced by their word and their example, and should set that spiritual attitude so the team members can learn to transcend their individual differences in order to form community, both in task and spirit.

When I began to put my team together in 1990, all the information initially went out to the three spiritual directors who were part of the team, and myself. We met for 2 1/2 hours one afternoon to put this feeling of community into a beginning relationship. One of the pastors drove 4 1/2 hours to be a part of that meeting. From that meeting flowed the spirit of what would follow in the team meetings. Each of the pastors had agreed to do a ten minute, typed sermonette to help build that community, which was followed by prayer time. I found it to be not only very emotional, but also spiritually enriching.

As the weekend begins to move through the pulsations of formation, the community and the newsletters and ultreyas are encouraged to give their information about, and to pray for, the process of building the weekend. They are encouraged to think about becoming a sponsor. They are encouraged to send in their team application and their pilgrim applications. They are encouraged to respond to the calls that will come for the oven palanca, the prayer palanca, the specific prayer palanca, and they are asked to keep whatever is happening at that point on in prayer.

Other elements are added to support the weekend. Music for liturgy, praise, and community building. For me, music will take me places where words can't. Professors will begin to assist in and facilitate table discussions -- sharing their faith and their life experiences and deepening community. Special palanca members, which is our prayer team, will become the spiritual nerve center for the weekend. Kitchen crew and chas provide their services with a spirit of love and of grace -- the essence of the Christian community. Under the spirit of group reunion, the weekend comes together under the influence of truth and the grace of the Lord. This continues to be the key to developing community, trust, and commitment.

Another function of team formation is preparation and critique of the talks. This provides not only an impetus to effective communication of the Via de Cristo message, but it also provides a significant opportunity for Christian growth, both for those giving the talk as well as those critiquing it. You've all been there.

Finally, there is the planning of the details for the weekend. Caution needs to be exercised here, so that the details do not grow cumbersome and work against the message of the Via de Cristo. There needs to be an orderly set of human happenings, but it needs to be at the service of divine things with everything dependent upon grace first and technique second. Successful team formation results in a working community of faithful people who are freed from worry and concern for mechanics -- freed to be present to the candidates as individuals.

I would like to return at this point to the opening statements, but before doing so, please pull out the handout that says "Atlanta Lutheran Via de Cristo." I think it's the third one in your packet. I want to get back to the thought that Via de Cristo is not an organization, but a living organism -- an organism with many parts. As I said, I do not see these parts as separate entities. They are woven together and exist as community.

Let me set the stage, for a minute, for the concept I plan to introduce here.

Our secretariat has sixteen positions -- eight of those are filled by couples. Now this may sound like a lot of people on a committee, and sometimes it is. But for us it works. I want to make the statement here that because I'm up here speaking for the Atlanta Via de Cristo movement does not mean that we have our act together. I hope it never gets together in the sense of its constant growing. Living organisms do that.

Let me review just briefly some more of the secretariat. We find that we have greater than 95% of attendance at our secretariat meetings. We meet once a month and may have one or two day long retreats during the year. Our Spiritual Directors have been a part of our movement for as long as I can remember, and we have been graced with their presence at almost all meetings. They input their thoughts and feelings. You know how it is on a weekend. It's no different on the secretariat for us with them.

The team begins to meet 5-7 weeks prior to the weekend. If they meet on Saturdays, they have Saturday mornings for a three and a half hour time or a four hour time period. If they meet during the week, they meet six to seven times for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours each. There are approximately 46-48 people on our teams. The community at this point numbers somewhere near 3000. We send out approximately 800-900 newsletters about 4-6 times a year.

The focus of the secretariat is to support the team, so that the team can focus on the pilgrims. This has been our goal for as long as I've been with the secretariat. Although these lines are straight on this piece of paper, I now would like to begin to show you how these lines blur.

The first event that generally takes place has to do with facilities. Those arrangements are made in conjunction with the secretariat and occur anywhere from a year and a half to two years prior to the weekend.

The second happening that takes place is that the leader couple will meet with the appointed rector and go over all the necessities that are in her/his rector manual/book. They also will sit down and begin the team selection incorporating past rectors, secretariat members, and some interested community members - fourth day community members.

The spiritual director coordinator is exactly what it says. We don't burn out our pastors in the way that we used to because he keeps a check with the pastors and rotates them through the weekends.

The communication process begins at this point with the newsletter announcing the rectors and announcing the weekends. The ultreyas begin to do the prayer work and are asked to keep the weekend people in prayer, as well as the secretariat. The community is to provide the support as I have listed on the handout.

The pre-weekend gentleman begins to process the information that comes forth from the team candidates and the pilgrim candidate. This gentleman has just recently acquired a lap-top computer that he takes with him to Europe. In the six weeks that he was over there, he spent all his nights putting together a computer database which now helps us to track what is happening within our teams, and with our people. When the rector has to make selections, this is now part of the process that he/she can use in selecting that team.

The post-weekend people have set up the ultreyas throughout the community within the churches actively participating in Via de Cristo. We have found one person as a representative in each church and we make the arrangements through that representative.

The weekend person takes care of all the packet information, and arranges for the bus and picture taking.

The palanca person has a big job and is responsible for everything that relates to palanca. This includes the palanca solicited from other movements and sending out our palanca to other movements. They are also responsible for maintaining and hanging the banners during the weekend -- or having them ready to be hung. They also solicit the palanca letters from the spouse, the family, the relatives, that become part of the letter palanca on Saturday night of the weekend.

The food procurer meets with the head kitchen and her assistant and together choose the options that are available. She then goes out and gets the food and has it for them to be prepared by the team on Thursday morning of the weekend.

The team training then begins as the team begins to go into team formation. We have tried the process of having special nights set aside for rector training, but with people's time schedules we could never get the people to come. We do not take the team training to the team formation meetings. We spend one night giving them the information, giving them the structure of the weekend, bringing the cha boxes or whatever other boxes need to be looked at, so they can familiarize themselves with the equipment. We have received compliments on this, so we believe it's working.

At this point the facilities chairperson and the quartermaster prepare to set up the camp-site on the Thursday prior to the team weekend.

Our secretary and treasurer, and our Spiritual Directors are the basis of our support in the sense that what they keep things in line at our secretariat meetings. Our spiritual directors have given input into our community. We have set up a dessert for Spiritual Directors once a year, where all the active participating spiritual directors come. We have learned much from them by listening to them at this event. This is where I see the community spirit evolving. We are there to listen, not to take a defensive posture. We try to see what needs to be changed -- not involving the method of the Cursillo, but in some of the little quirks that develop as time goes one.

We also do this for the rector and the rector-in-training. They are invited to be a part of all secretariat meetings. They are also invited to come back after the weekend is over and tell us what they have done. Again, we choose to listen without defensive posturing, but we do run into problems at times. We don't have the perfect answers yet.

This team is probably all that you can relate to in structure. We have alluded to guards on the end of that team structure. It's not an official part of the team, but they are support in the sense that they begin the early morning fire-building, the making of coffee, and bringing the heavy pots down to the rollo room. They are also on duty at night. Our campsite is relatively old and we use the guards to keep a fire-watch for us. They eat with us and they attend worship services if they choose.

I made the comment that I hope that we never truly arrive. To help us to keep a sense of humility, we try to evaluate what we do. As I said, if something needs to be fixed, we look into doing it, but we do not touch the methodology.

There will be another packet of information coming out in a few more minutes that will speak to the job descriptions in a more detailed way that you can take back with you.

I want to look briefly at the next two handouts on the rector/rectora qualifications. All I wish to say is that we ask the potential rector (rector-in-training, too) to assist with setting up and tearing down. We feel it's very important that they know what goes on behind the scenes. Many have come away surprised. Not everyone chooses to do this, and it is an option, but those that have participated have found it very helpful.

The rector-in-training is also an option and we see both strengths and weaknesses with that. We're still working on that. We may eventually have to drop it.

On the next sheet are the team selection guidelines. I'm not going to say more about that either, except that one of our concerns has to do with the number of rectors that we have on any given weekend. They are so willing to help and so willing to plug in wherever, but many of our rectors feel that they have been put out to pasture after they have been a rector. We try to use them in the community elsewhere -- particularly on the secretariat because they bring love, wisdom and experience. We also use them in support positions as the chapel cha or silent professors in helping to train a new professor at the table. We have asked that they not give the same talk with the exception of helping out on other movements.

In closing, I see these three parts in the same relationship that I see the tripod of piety, study and action. When one of these legs is not in place, the tripod tilts. It takes a lot of hard work and commitment, but if we trust, depend on grace, and practice the spirit of group reunion, there will be a real community that exists. We find it has helped to hurdle some of the difficulties that we have experienced. We were created to be in relationship. We were created to be in community, and all God's people said "Amen!" Thank you.

I'm better at writing musical notes than I am words so please bear with me. This is the first talk I have given except for the talks on the weekend. I feel that I need to say, "Please turn to page 42 in your Pilgrims Guide and pray with me." I made Western North Carolina Cursillo #15 in the spring of 1986. Seven months before the weekend of February the 27th -- March 1st, 1992 the telephone rang and one of the secretariat spiritual directors greeted me with "How's everything up there?"

To my surprise, he didn't want to talk with my husband. The purpose of his call was to ask me to be a rector. I had to sit down. I had often prayed I would be able to serve in whatever capacity I was asked, but this was overwhelming. As I answered, "Yes," I prayed for God's help. I had no idea preparing for and being rector would consume my whole life. It was like finding out I was pregnant! There was never a moment day or night that I was not aware of the big date coming up.

Soon I was called to serve on the team preceding mine, which is our custom for helping the newly elected rectors. After hearing Doug and Anne, I realized that our Western North Carolina traditions are different. We are analyzing our methods hoping continually to change and to improve. I'm happy to share our experiences. I feel we need to learn a lot and I think we can learn from each other. At this time, we in Western North Carolina have no training courses, but we are planning some. The fact that we have fabulous weekends in spite of our frailties helps us better to understand the work of the Holy Spirit.

On our weekends we have three spiritual directors who are pastors chosen by the secretariat spiritual directors and announced to the secretariat. The rector may not know who they are until after the team members have been asked. Our basic requirements to be rector are to have given at least two rollos and to have served in at least one other position on a team. Rectors are usually asked about a year in advance and serve as rector only one time.

Our rector is given a large box of materials from the secretariat and expected to organize these materials into folders for each team member. The materials include such things as an overview of the Via de Cristo weekend, general guidelines for cha chas and suggestions for table leaders. Each area of service, like the chapel, kitchen, spiritual director have their own specific folders which include the general material as well as that relating to their work. All folders have papers relating to the specific weekend such as team roster with addresses, phone numbers, rollo critique lists, etc. I suggested to our secretariat these folders be made permanent. Each rector would then only be responsible to add to and to take from the folders those materials pertaining to that particular weekend. This would save time and money.

Our card file on Cursillistas lists the weekends made and the positions and dates served. These cards can be organized by towns and congregations. An effort is made to include as many different towns and congregations as possible with not more than three or four from any one church. We include non-Lutheran denominations and they have given us strong support. Non-Lutherans serve on our teams in any capacity including rector. The harmony in our movement is excellent and has been proven to be rewarding and enriching.

The rector submits a list of prospective team members to the secretariat for approval. Names may be added or removed. Teams are generally composed of 1/3 members who have served twice or more, 1/3 members who have served once, and 1/3 new. It would be ideal to allow everyone who desired to serve to be able to do so. Real spiritual growth comes from serving on a team. Our teams average forty team members for thirty-six candidates. Much time and much prayer go into forming the team list. Professors giving rollos are chosen for their faith and ability. Head chas such as chapel, rollo room, kitchen, and outside must be experienced in that area. Most of the cha chas serving with them are first-timers.

Our rectors contact prospective team members by telephone. Being in a reunion group is normally required. The first team members called are professors who then receive a National Secretariat rollo outline booklet along with a personal letter. Professors mail a copy of their talk to the rector and head spiritual director for critique. All head chas are given specific information in their areas of service. In the first team letter, rectors always send a team roster with telephone numbers, churches, and towns. Inspirational thoughts, poems and scripture references may be included.

We usually have six team meetings. There may be a seventh, post-weekend evaluation one in which a meal may be served and the new Cursillistas invited. Most Western North Carolina team meetings are held in the home church of the rector for the weekends. Meetings are usually held on nights, such as consecutive Thursday evenings from 7 o'clock until approximately ten. A typical schedule would be: greetings by rector, singing, devotions, rollo critique, refreshments, rector comments, group meetings such as chapel chas, professors, chapel with communion. We end with warm hugs from everyone.

Each team member is assigned another team member to be a prayer partner until the weekend starts. At the first team meeting, prayer partners are given a few minutes to get to know each other and then introduce each other to the team. This introduction consumes much time at the first meeting but helps bonding. Prayer partners sit together at special opportunities such as chapel. They pray for each other during the weeks of team meetings. I have had the privilege of serving on a Tres Dias weekend. The Tres Dias movement uses the Cursillo method. When their new rector is announced an installation or dedication service is held. Both the spiritual directors and former rectors present in the Fourth Day community come forward to stand with the rector. Tres Dias holds this dedication service at the Clausura. Our secretariat like this idea. Our rectors are announced at an ultreya. We plan to begin having a dedication service rather than just our usual applause for the rectors.

Another activity of the Tres Dias movement is to have each team member call a candidate a few days before the weekend, tell that they are a member of the team and looking forward to seeing them. The team member answers questions about the weekend and may leave their telephone number for later questions or concerns. Each candidate, then, has a personal contact on the team. We feel that during the team meetings bonding is important and good communication will help us support each other without taking over another person's job.

We have been asked to serve and being servants to each other is essential. The rector sets the example by being the servant of all. The prayers of the community during this time give us strength and encouragement. An around-the-clock prayer list of volunteers from the Fourth Day community is organized to start at 6 p.m. on Thursday and continue until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Each person is requested to take a half hour praying for each team member and candidate during that time. These prayers have a positive impact on the weekend. Candidates are made aware of this palanca when a prayer banner is put up on Saturday. This prayer banner, which shows the half-hour schedule, stretches around the room and everyone can see who is praying at that moment.

It is possible for rectors to become too busy. In all of our work we want to glorify our Savior, our Brother, our Lord Jesus Christ. Team meetings must draw us closer to Christ and to each other Between team meetings we seek to realize close moments with the Lord and pray for prospective and approved candidates for the weekend. Christ calls us to make a difference everywhere to everyone at all times and therefore, the Via de Cristo.

At this point, I would like to make a shift away from "Team Formation" back to "Dynamics We Must Understand". There are two major dynamics that influence the weekend. The first -- palanca. Palanca is one of those words we learned on the weekend. We heard a clear definition, but that definition went in one ear and out the other as we were showered with goodies and keepsakes. "Palanca time!" -- and here came more palanca as we understood it. We ate too many candy kisses and went home with a bag of things. Are we drifting away from the real meaning of palanca, which is lever, a means to lift up with prayer and sacrifice? Is there a trend to change the lever from the spiritual to the material?

Prayer brings to the weekend the energizing power of the Holy Spirit. The material gifts: food, things, banners, etc. bring human efforts to the forefront, rather than God's grace, love, power and plan. There is one other aspect about making and giving material things -- its effect on the Fourth Day community. This is one of their ways of sharing in the joy of the week. These are gifts of love rather than palanca. As they give to others in selfless Christian love they also receive God's grace. The best gift we can possibly give to any Via de Cristo weekend is prayer, deep, intentional, selfless prayer.

The most essential part of every weekend is prayer in all forms from all concerned people. The depth and fullness of our personal and corporate prayer will be heard by our merciful God who will surely bless our efforts and enrich our lives and the lives of all weekend participants.

We need to focus on the essentials of the weekend to keep it more simple and natural, to be more effective. The problem with adding hoopla gimmicks, skits, etc. is that the impression is created that this is what Via de Cristo is all about. This problem is compounded when the participants seek to hand on the same kind of experience to others. Each weekend tends to gather more and more traditions and more and more things around it.

There was an article in the December 1992 National Lutheran Secretariat magazine, "Connexiones" by Rev. Carroll Lang entitled, "Essential vs. Adiophorous." These copies will be made available to you and please make them available to your secretariat. After this article was published, our Western North Carolina secretariat discussed this concern. After each weekend, we have more and more people who are sacrificing time and effort to make things as their gift to the weekend. We also have a Saturday night skit which is so much fun, but distracts from the real meaning of the weekend. We need to enjoy the weekend -- to laugh, to cry, to have fun, but it's important to keep everything in perspective. Our prayer and thoughts can discern that essence: a deeper understanding of the grace of God. Even candy and trinkets can be used to show how God's grace flow abundantly to undeserving humans.

The second dynamic is music. Music reflects the inherent progression of the weekend with Thursday evening a time of reflection. Some communities do not have music until Friday morning. Any Thursday evening songs should be familiar and easy-going. Song suggestions for each day are on our handout. The songs listed are songs from the Ohio and North Carolina weekends suggested for the specific days. They need to follow the message of the day.

The message on Friday presents the Christian ideal, the beauty and wonder of the life in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Familiar and simple new songs presenting Jesus as Savior and Lord, the ideal in our lives, should be used. We enjoy singing to "Jesus Loves Me" several sets of words such as: "I love Jesus, does He know? Have I ever told Him so? He would like to hear me say, 'that I love Him everyday.'" The chorus goes, "Yes, I love Jesus."

Saturday focuses on a life of grace. Our calling to live out our baptismal vows is individual and personal. My favorite song for Saturday morning is "Have You Seen Jesus, My Lord? He's Here in Plain View." On my weekend, I saw Jesus in a new way, hanging on that cross in the chapel. I saw the love of Jesus in a wonderful way shining on the faces of the cha chas.

For the spiritual director's talk, "Grace-Filled Days in the Life of a Christian," a most appropriate song is "Borning Cry." I don't know if John Ylvisaker ever made a Cursillo weekend, but it seems to me that that song was written just for Via de Cristo weekends. A note about copyrights -- it is illegal to use copyrighted songs -- copied or shown in any way without permission. Depending on the number of weekends each secretariat can obtain permission for about $200/year. I was so glad to see the songs listed here. The copyright has been obtained. This is not only a legal issue but a moral one -- one of Christian ethics.

Sunday focuses on living the Christian life in our own environments and being the salt, light and leaven in our communities. We are a part of the church triumphant -- the church on the move. Songs should be joyful. Personally, being a musician and one who truly loves music, I believe the Scriptures validate that music is not only means to bring joy .... of God's heart, but something that calms our spirit as David's music did for King Saul. Music brightens our anticipation of joys yet to come.

There are many examples in God's word of music such as:

Judges 5:3. "I will make music to the Lord."

Psalm 92:1. "It is good to make music to your name."

Psalm 95:2. "Let us extol Him with music and song."

Psalm 108:1. "I will sing and make music with all my soul."

I Chronicles 6:32. "They ministered with music before the tabernacle."

Ephesians 5:19. "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord."

Music is a universal language. Martin Luther said, "Music is next to theology in worship." Music brings both joy and tears to my heart.

As we plan our weekend, we need to plan music to follow the flow of the talks to be most effective. The Holy Spirit works through our songs to fill our hearts with His love and grace. God loves you and so do I.

In the continuation of that thought of dynamics, personal contact within the weekend is made up of acts of listening, of inquiring and of confronting.

Its motive force is friendship and sincerity and is summed up in the slogan "Make a friend, be a friend, bring your friend to Christ." The team must understand these dynamics as they begin to assemble and form as a unit. If a religious experience is a personal event, we all need individual help. One of the main functions common to the whole team is their openness to personal dialogue and sharing with the Cursillistas, acting as a renewing leaven. Listening involves acceptance of the individual where he or she is in their spiritual pilgrimage.

Inquiring goes a bit deeper. If listening opens the door, inquiring is responding to the invitation. Team members do not ask questions for which they have all the answers. They inquire in order to fully appreciate and fully share the life experiences of the other.

Finally, confronting: Well, this seems like a rather aggressive word in common speech today. Via de Cristo intends the use of the word in its meaning "to present." It essentially means -- present the resources of the gospel as the answer to the questions, confusions, and misconceptions. If a soul is looking for a living fellowship with God, we present a community which has experienced that fellowship in prayer and service. If a soul is looking for solutions to life's struggles, we present the good news that the Holy Spirit works with us and in us to resolve struggles as they are going on. If a soul is looking for forgiveness and meaning, we present the reality of the people of God -- forgiven -- driven by grace. In all of this we do not come on as self-triumphant because of our own greatness but rather humbly we seek to say what the church has always said, but from the perspective of a person who has proven in experience, the power of God. Personal contact is characterized in the last analysis by openness and dialogue turning into the individual and clearing the space around him/her where God's love may be seen, and seen in fresh ways.

The authentic three days may seem at first very somber. This should not be. Via de Cristo by its very nature is a serious business but is also by the grace of God joyful at heart. This is another reason why the schedule should be followed closely, not allowing a plethora of other activities to be added to its simple outline. There must be room in which the Holy Spirit can move and in which spontaneity may break out.

Feeling friendly and being happy are good preludes to understanding friendship with God and the good news of God's grace. Joy is shared, it is not created. The attitude of the team will foster an atmosphere in which genuine joy may emerge, more than all the plans in the world will do. It is not appropriate to manufacture entertaining activities to protect against the possibility that there be no fun on the weekend. And this is precisely what is done in many cases. As the team presents their talks, the clergy their celebrations, and the musicians their songs, good humor and true openness are appropriate. These will allow a deep and ever-surprising joy to become a reality.

Long laborious talks read seem stale and probably are. But contrived surprises and planned spontaneity are also stale, in the sense that staleness is quickly recognized for what it is by the participants. What is fresh then, is when people are genuine, themselves, when they deal with time-honored ideas and with realism. The team members and the clergy need to do much inner searching, they need to live in the moment. They need to be authentic in these circumstances so that the three days will also be authentic. As the team progresses in its relationship and spiritual growth, it must also grow in understanding of the Via de Cristo weekend. It is essential that the team know and understand the progression of the talks. The handout, which I have handed you for each team member, needs to be understood before writing the first words of the first rollo.

In addition, the team must understand the post-weekend purpose. Everything that drives Via de Cristo is focused on the Fourth Day. The pre-weekend is looking at the environments to be penetrated by the gospel and identifying persons who can influence them. The three days is the catalyst for awakening and equipping the apostles.

The Fourth Day, then, is where the action is. It is where the results of the previous efforts will show. What good will it do if we carry out a perfect three-day weekend and have nothing more to offer? This has been a problem in secretariats where the movement has concentrated on putting on weekends. The joy of the weekend soon dissipates. Even enthusiasm for group reunion and ultreyas wane where the assume object or participation in them is somehow just to make weekends possible. The only thing that can sustain Christian witness is Christian witness. That is what Via de Cristo is dedicated to, and it will come as no surprise, that the only thing that can sustain Via de Cristo is also Christian witness. Once again we get the goal in focus, we can aim at it.

Christian witness is made possible by linking Christians together in small units. Small enough to care and support one another. This is group reunion. Groups do not gather just to be friends, but to challenge one another and to hold each other accountable for witnessing for Christ. Active groups are planning groups. They look at their environments and ask, "How can I make a difference?"

With prayer, they set about doing so.

With the foregoing thoughts in mind, you can begin to write a rollo. Each rollo needs to fill its given position, and it's my suggestion that when critique is done, that it be done by a small group of knowledgeable people that are not part of the team. This group should include the rector and the spiritual director. These people can then, without the influence of team members, review for content and give direction in love. In this fashion, each rollo and meditation can build on those that precede it until the entire message of the weekend has been given.

At the closing of the weekend, the team should include as part of the closing a Fourth Day witness talk. This message is vital, giving evidence that the Cursillo method, as presented on the weekend, really works. This talk should also be reviewed in the rollo process.

In conclusion, the formation of a team has two aspects. The physical aspect is calling the team together, getting the necessary and qualified people and assigning the jobs or rollos to each of them. The spiritual formation of the team comes from carefully and prayerfully preparing the team to understand its Christ-centered role. Each member shouldbe aware of the total weekend, its dynamics and intended conclusion. Each person should understand how to aid in that final result of candidates blooming in their environment. God loves you and so do we!

******************************************************************

REV. NATE LUNDGREN: First of all, they were right. You did have a top quality presentation and I thank you. I particularly wanted to speak to one issue that I have been speaking to in Minnesota, and at time I think I may have been misunderstood about it. That has to do with pastors. There's a myth around that says pastors are so busy I don't dare bother them with my stuff. We clergy have to destroy that myth. We've always got time for anything that's important enough for you to worry about. On the other hand, I heard here, and I know in our situation, they're identifying rectors further and further in advance of the weekend. I had the privilege several years ago of being spiritual director and without I like the idea of that other coordinator doing some of the work, but we didn't have that, and so the two spiritual directors had the task of lining up pastors to cover twenty three weekends trying to have a spiritual director, and then assisting them in finding three helpers. One of the things that I discovered is that if you identify rectors a year in advance, and if you want to do as I heard someone suggest get together quickly with that spiritual director to form the team, it's easy for pastors to get burned out. If you start too early and pull them on to the team, first of all we try and encourage people -- pastors and others -- to work one team a year. I heard Gene saying he worked one to three teams a year. I would scold him if he worked three teams a year. That kept two other pastors from working. We try to have them work at least one team a year. If the rector is identified a year ahead of time, that means that that pastor is constantly on a team in formation in addition to everything else he/she is doing. I guess I would say that I would hope if you identify them that far in advance, that there would be some patience. Don't pull the pastor on quite so soon, because rectors (I notice in our group) do this once in their lifetime. Pastors or spiritual directors once a year. If I were the rector, I would want to do the best job possible and build this thing heaven-sent for the community, and you're going to pull the pastor on board with that, and for the pastor this may be an annual experience. I guess what I'm saying is: as you identify your spiritual directors and bring pastors on board, think of how it affects their ability to be part of the community. I would have pastors tell me over and over again, "I just can't afford the time to be on a team." Just a thought, and I would invite you to respond to that as to how you do that to avoid that burnout. One of the concerns I've been hearing in our pastors' workshop is, "How do we get pastors to work weekends?" If we burn 'em out, we're not going to get them to do it.

RACHEL KAHL: I wanted to say that our rectors are asked a year ahead of time but not identified until after the weekend preceding theirs. Teams cannot be asked until that time. The rector is identified and the teams can be asked. They do not have any meetings or talk with anyone about it until after the weekend so weekends don't overlap.

ANNE SPITLER: That's true in our case, too. I've not been able to identify with what you said, Nate, in that, because the reason we have chosen a spiritual director coordinator is so that pastors can get on their calendar the upcoming time frame and can make room for that on their calendar. That has been one of the purposes for doing that. The day when I contacted my spiritual directors, it was two weeks before the team formation. It was about a month before the team formation began, and then the team formation started about four to five weeks later, and that was the process that incorporated them into the rest of that.

DOUGLAS BURROWS: I guess my response to that, pastor, would be that we are rectors. We look at it from the rector's standpoint. (That's supposed to be a joke). Obviously, I'm the only one that got it! In Ohio, we have difficulties, as do most movements, in getting our spiritual directors on board. Many times they come on so late in the process that the team has formed and everything is being done without the spiritual director even making team meetings. That for us is a real, real struggle. What I have tried to put together in that language was the ideal. Maybe I overdid it. Maybe I should have said six months or some months preceding the actual team process instead of a year. The intent, however, is that the spiritual director and the lay director of the movement begin the process together and not apart.

LEONA FOX: At team meeting #7 of 8, when my team said to me again, "Who is our spiritual director?" and again I said, "Our Lord Jesus Christ." It was difficult for us, and the reason it was difficult in this particular team (which would not always be difficult for every team) was they there were quite a few people on that team that wanted some private spiritual direction with that spiritual director. Now why they didn't seek that out someplace else, I don't know. All during the weekend, I turned around to find my team members missing because they were out seeking spiritual direction. That can be a little difficult to handle.

GREG STEELE: We've approached this the past two years. We're a little revolutionary in our thinking, but we ask our spiritual directors to attend three meetings -- the first one and the last one and maybe one in between to give us communion. We started realizing a few years ago that, as you said, people on teams started thinking they didn't have a pastor any longer. They had a spiritual director. When you have team members have problems or a need for spiritual direction, that's not the spiritual director of a weekend's problem. It's their pastor's. There pastor needs to know these things, and so we've kind of backed off a little bit, because what Nate was saying has been a reality for some time. Team should be formed by the rector, and that whole process is to get you ready for the weekend. The spiritual director can come in a couple of times, but a spiritual director isn't going to ...he shouldn't be responsible (or she) for adding all that extra.

LEONA FOX: Maybe we should put that right up front in our team formation in talking with the team. If you need spiritual direction, your pastor is your spiritual director.

GREG STEELE: We're telling them that now, because it was. The team was taking time away from the candidate. That weekend is for the candidates, and only for the candidates. If there's spiritual direction needed there, it's given and then they are encouraged to go back their own pastor and get that needed spiritual direction. Sometimes I think we put too much of a load on the spiritual directors. They're there for the weekend for their talks and for the worship experience. Think about that -- easing up on them. They are just been loaded too much.

TOMMY PARKER: One thing that I'm very concerned about is the not necessarily team formation but that the other people in the secretariat or in the movement be emphasized to them their part of the weekend. It's just as important for the person who goes to the serenade or the send-off or the Clausura that they fulfill their role, and especially with palanca and prayer palanca. How would you recommend to us to take back to our secretariats that we get that message across and get more people involved in the things that go along with the team and along with the weekend?

DOUGLAS BURROWS: I'll take a shot at that. When you put together the team, that process is a spiritual process and a physical process of getting those people that are going to make the cookies. I call it the cookie dough, and I was going to call this talk the "Cookie Dough Talk." If you want chocolate chip cookies, when you're mixing the dough, you don't put peanut butter in it. So you need to separate, and I think that's through a process of education - either in the form of Leader's School or Rector's School -- but you need to form the thought process of what the team is about. Then you need to identify what the community is about. While they support one another, they are not the same. In that Leaders School process, maybe, or in a Rector's School process, you could teach the community's responsibility as opposed to the team's responsibility. With regards to the issue that was brought forth earlier, I see in much the same light. A pastor called to a team is not there as a spiritual director to the team. A pastor called to a team is there as a spiritual director to the candidates. He is a team member. His involvement in the team is in the involvement of putting the recipe together, so that when you get chocolate chip cookies made, they are truly chocolate chip cookies, and not something else.

ANNE SPITLER: I think this is probably one of the biggest things we struggle with in our movement. We have periods that wax and wane, where attendance at the ultreyas is good. Recently, our ultreyas have shown a spirit of kind of a revival again, and we're not quite sure what's happening, but we're delighted that it is. Our serenades are very well attended, for the most part, with the community that exists within the metro area. I think role modeling, and added to our secretariat or team is from what I see some of the best thing to happen coming out of that. We've preached, we've feel like we've done all the other things, and they haven't worked. You can't bring that, somebody said yesterday, the horse to the trough and make them drink the water, but they have to feel that. We think that group reunion added to that spirit of group reunion -- we hope that that will encourage others to come and be there, too.

1. "TEAM FORMATION" - BY DOUG BURROWS.

A. Some thoughts from Kairos.

B. The VDC teaches the examination of relationships.

C. A basic question and false assumptions.

D. The Episcopal Pastoral Plan.

E. Handout #1 - The Flow of the Three Day Message.

F. Helping the Team To Grow.

G. An atmosphere of openness and freedom.

2. "TEAM STRUCTURE" - BY ANNE SPITLER.

A. "A living organism" and its essential functions.

B. Handout #2 - What Makes the VDC Weekend tick?

C. Team formation involves several functions.

D. The Atlanta Lutheran VDC - How it deals with Team

Formation and Training (TF&T).

E. Handout #3 - Qualifications for Rector/Rectora.

F. Handout #4 - Team Selection Guidelines.

3. "DYNAMICS WE MUST UNDERSTAND" - BY RACHEL KAHL.

A. The Western N.C. VDC - How it handles TF &T.

B. The Dynamics of Palanca: The real meaning.

C. The Second Dynamic: Music and its Progression.

D. The Scriptures validate music as a means to joy.

E. Handout #5 - "Suggested Songs for Each Day."

4. "PERSONAL CONTACT" - BY DOUG BURROWS

A. Personal dialogue & sharing with Cursillistas.

B. The presentation of the "Authentic Three Days."

C. Focal point of the Team: The Fourth Day.

Thursday Evening

| A |

| What am I doing here? |

| You need to KNOW |

| YOURSELF! |

| B |

| What does God want of |

| me? Your return -- |

| PRODIGAL SON |

Stations of the Cross may be observed(*) Silent retreat begins (*) Optional - may be done on Friday evening.

Friday

| C |

| What does Christ see |

| in me? THE THREE |

| GLANCES OF CHRIST |

| TALK 1 |

| |

| What is a human being? |

| One who lives by an |

| IDEAL |

| TALK 2 |

| |

| What is a Christian? |

| One whose ideal is |

| GRACE |

| TALK 3 |

| |

| Where is this ideal to |

| be found and lived? |

| In the Church -- |

| LAITY |

| TALK 4 |

| |

| How is this ideal lived|

| out? By active trust in|

| God -- FAITH |

| TALK 5 |

| |

|How can I live in grace?|

|By offering my heart -- |

| PIETY |

Saturday

| D |

| |

|What do I see in Christ?|

| THE PERSON OF |

| CHRIST |

| TALK 6 |

| |

|How can I live in grace?|

| By using my head -- |

| STUDY |

| TALK 7 |

| |

|How can I live in grace?|

|By hearing God's call to|

| me --SACRAMENTS |

| TALK 8 |

| |

|How can I live in grace?|

|By offering my hands -- |

| ACTION |

| TALK 9 |

| |

| What is like to block |

| my progress in the life|

| of grace?/OBSTACLES |

| TALK 10 |

| |

| How can I move beyond |

| these obstacles? By |

| acting as a LEADER |

Sunday

| E |

| |

|What is Christ saying to|

| me? THE MESSAGE |

| OF CHRIST |

| TALK 11 |

| |

| What do leaders do? |

| Develop a plan -- |

| STUDY OF |

| ENVIRONMENTS |

| TALK 12 |

| |

|Can these plans actually|

| work? Yes! CHRISTIAN |

| COMMUNITY IN ACTION |

| TALK 13 |

| |

| Where do I begin? By |

| developing a personal |

| rule of life -- |

| CHRISTIAN LIFE |

| TALK 14 |

| |

| Where can I turn for |

| help and support? |

| GROUP REUNION |

| TALK 15 |

| |

| Can we do it? |

| We can, if we do it |

| together --ULTREYA! |

The community gathers in CLAUSURA to encourage all to persevere!

(Takes the most energy and needs the most delicate navigation -- ALL NERVES!)

***********************************

(This is where we get down to work, making observations and learning, but also enjoying the view!)

***********************************

(With feet firmly planted on the ground, we share with others the wonder of our journey and what it means!)

|

|

|

| | | | | | | CHAIR SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR | SECRETARY LEADERS TEAM NLS

| TRAINING REP(S)

|

|

| | | | | | | SPIRITUAL COMMUNICATION | PALANCA FOOD TREASURER PREWEEKEND DIRECTOR | PROCURER COORDINATOR |

|

| | | | | PALANCA WEEKEND POSTWEEKEND FACILITIES

QUARTERMASTER

|

|

|

| | | | | | RECTOR(A) SPIRITUAL HEAD CHA| HEAD SPECIAL TABLE WORKERS

| DIRECTORS | | PALANCA 8 SPEAKING

RECTOR(A) 2 TO 3 ASST. H.C.| | 4 SILENT

IN TRAINING | | ASST. H.S.P. 6 TABLE | | 2 PALANCA| 4 S.P. 1 CHAPEL | 1 GOFER | | | | |

MUSIC HEAD GUARDS/

CHA(S) KITCHEN FIRE WATCH

1 TO 3 | 2 OR 3

ASST. H.K.

|

10 WORKERS

A. PRAYER

B. PROVIDE SUPPORT -- SPONSOR PILGRIMS

FACILITY SET UP AND TEAR DOWN

ATTEND SERENADE & CLOSING

PROVIDE PALANCA -- OVEN, LETTER, GREEN & PRAYER

ATLANTA LUTHERAN VIA DE CRISTO SECRETARIAT

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS FOR RECTOR/RECTORA

1. -- have given 2 of the sharing talks, i.e. Piety, Action, Christian Community

2. -- served in four areas of the weekend experience--i.e. Cha, Kitchen, Special Palanca, and as a "head" of Kitchen, Special Palanca or Cha/Rollo Room (Head cha).

3. -- have assisted with "setting up" or "tearing down" the camp site for a weekend

4. -- served as a Rector/Rectora-in-training

5. -- be active in their own congregation, in a Reunion Group, and participate in Ultreyas

1.46 MEMBERS - 2 PASTORS - 12 PROFESSORS - 12 CHA-CHAS

12 KITCHEN - 8 SPECIAL PALANCA

2.TEAM MAKE-UP: 20% INEXPERIENCED - NO MORE THAN 50% INEXPERIENCED

8 MAX. FROM RECTOR'S CHURCH

RECTOR'S REUNION GROUP MAY SERVE (EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY HAVE SERVED ON PRECEDING WEEKEND.)

REMAINDER BALANCED FROM PARTICIPATING CHURCHES.

NO MORE THAN 3 NON-LUTHERAN TEAM MEMBERS

NO MORE THAN 3 EX-RECTORS (ONE TO SERVE AS BACKUP)

(EX-RECTORS MAY NOT SERVE IN LEADERSHIP ROLES -- WE NEED TO TRAIN FUTURE RECTORS NOT OLD ONES.)

3.PROFESSORS: EXPERIENCED PROFESSORS ARE NEEDED FOR

PIETY, ACTION, LEADERS, COMMUNITY, SECURITY/4TH DAY

INEXPERIENCED MAY GIVE OTHER TALKS ESPECIALLY IDEAL, LAYMEN

MUST HAVE ONE EXPERIENCE PROFESSOR AT EACH TABLE

(MAY BE A SILENT PROFESSOR)

BACK-UP: ONE PERSON MAY BACK-UP MORE THAN ONE ROLLO - THEY SHOULD BE TOLD THIS IS EXPECTED OF THEM - TRY TO BACK UP EVERY TALK.

AVOID HAVING A PROFESSOR GIVE A TALK THEY HAVE GIVEN IN THE PAST.

4.CHA-CHAS: HEAD-CHA MUST BE VERY EXPERIENCED. SHOULD HAVE SERVED IN ALL AREAS - INCLUDING PROFESSOR.

ASST. HEAD CHA, CHAPEL CHA, PALANCA CHA, GOFER CHA MUST HAVE PREVIOUS CHA EXPERIENCE.

5.KITCHEN: MINIMUM OF 3 EXPERIENCED. (RECOMMENDED AT LEAST ONE MAN HAVE PRIOR COOKING EXPERIENCE.)

6.SPEC. PALANCA: HEAD MUST BE EXPERIENCED. NO REQUIREMENT FOR BALANCE OF SPEC. PALANCA.

7.GUARDS: ONLY WOMEN'S TEAM WILL HAVE TWO GUARDS.

8.FINANCES: $45 IS REQUIRED OF ALL TEAM MEMBERS INCLUDING PASTORS.

9.COMMITTED: ATTENDANCE AT ALL TEAM MEETING IS REQUIRED EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF ILLNESS OR EMERGENCY.

ATTENDANCE FOR THE FULL WEEKEND - INCLUDING PASTORS.

10. TEAM SELECTION COMMITTEE & RECTOR WILL CHOOSE TEAM TOGETHER.

11.CONSECUTIVE SERVICE: TEAM MEMBERS SHALL NOT SERVE CONSECUTIVE WEEKENDS UNLESS NEEDED FOR RECTOR TRAINING.

Thursday Evening

JUST AS I AM

I WANT TO WALK AS A CHILD OF THE LIGHT

KUM BA YAH

IN HIS TIME

FATHER, I ADORE YOU

GOD IS SO GOOD

JESUS LOVES ME

Friday

MORNING HAS BROKEN

SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD

AMAZING GRACE

LET US BREAK BREAD TOGETHER

SEEK YE FIRST

OPEN OUR EYES, LORD

HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

THEY'LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE

Saturday

GLORIFY THY NAME

ALLELUIA NO.1

FREELY, FREELY

I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE

HAVE YOU SEEN JESUS MY LORD?

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR

BORNING CRY

HOW GREAT THOU ART

LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING

Sunday

THE KING OF GLORY

CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS

PRAISE TO THE LORD

OUR GOD REIGNS

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

HERE I AM, LORD

WEAVE US TOGETHER

BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS

SURELY THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

LIFT HIGH THE CROSS

JOYFUL, JOYFUL, WE ADORE YOU

Anne Spitler

9620 Hillside Drive

Roswell, GA 30076

404-992-9842 (H)

404-998-5429 (O)

Dear Anne,

I surely appreciate your contribution to the

1993 annual meeting. As vice-president of

outreach, it has been my pleasure to be a part of

the transcription of those remarks.

The intent is to publish those valuable

workshops from the last three years. To that end,

I will ask you to edit your remarks, and return

them to me.

I anticipate that the Publications Committee

will subsequently be in contact regarding

permission for publication.

Thanks for your good work,

Randy Mullin

Anne Spitler September 6, 1995

9620 Hillside Drive

Roswell, GA 30076

404-992-9842 (H)

404-998-5429 (W)

Dear Anne,

Hope that your trip to England was wonderful.

I really think that you should take a physician

with you next time you go.

Please put your red pen to the enclosed copy

and return it to me at the address on the

letterhead.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Your brother in Christ,

Randy Mullin

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