History Giving and Faith Sharing
History Giving and Faith Sharing is facilitated by a trained facilitator selected by the team’s CSD in collaboration with the Continuation Committee. The following notes may be helpful to the HG/FS Facilitator.
The process is designed to begin building this community by getting acquainted on a deeper personal and faith level, so that the process of forming the team into a Christian Community of love and service can continue.
This part of the formation process has 3 significant aspects, and is designed to develop three very important ministerial skills. There is the relating of your story, the sharing of your faith, and the affirming of you as a person. As we do this, the team develops the ministerial skills of sharing, listening, and enabling.
The process of History Giving allows each one to share your story:
· First we will go around the room, and begin with simple sharing, like we did with introductions on the weekend.
· Then we will go back and fill in the details of our story. Add some basic biographical data (like the what, where, and when of your history), and some interpretive information (like the how and why of who you are today.)
This personal history giving is essential to relationship. It is the door through which we pass to know and be known by each other. You will discover that taking risks is OK, and that trust and acceptance are possible. You will NOT be giving a witness during this process. You will not be sharing your entire history. Recommend limiting the time and no more than six per night.
An essential part of this segment is Faith Sharing. Faith Sharing takes your story to the next level. It is the sharing of our religious roots, our spiritual pilgrimage, and most significant spiritual experience of our journey. We are now going to walk that spiritual journey together for a while, and it is natural to share your previous experiences. Without this dimension of our sharing, it will be community building – but not Christian Community. This sharing helps us to be free to share our faith with others. By sharing my experience of my relationship with God, I begin to experience being a sister to his other children.
The last part of this process is affirmation. Affirmation is our loving response to one who shares their story. Your story is you – a gift you offer. Affirmation is a thank you for that gift. Instead of getting criticism and negative feedback, you get support and positive feedback. Some examples: I affirm your gift of . . . I admire you for . . . I am motivated by you . . . I thank you for . . . The acceptance of yourself for who you are will slowly overcome the negative feelings we may have had fed to us. Each one of us is gifted by God, and is a gift to each other.
This process will help develop the ministerial skills of sharing, listening, and enabling. Sharing yourself and your relationship with Christ is the beginning of witnessing, and we are all called to witness for Christ. Listening is a key skill needed for the ministry of the Renewal Weekend. A caring community is a listening community – listening to others and listening to the Lord. We learn to forget ourselves in loving concern for others. Enabling is our response that flows out of loving listening. We learn to respond to others needs before our own. Affirmations allow us to see the best in others, call them forth, and encourage it to grow.
It essential that there be trust and respect for everything that is shared with the team. Whatever is shared from our hearts, must stay in our hearts, and should not leave this room.
Procedural Advice
Share as much or as little as you like
Be sensitive to length of sharing
Do not prepare your story while someone else is sharing
Always be attentive and attending to the person sharing. Maintain eye contact and avoid distractions
Keep hands free of Bible, papers, etc.
Do not interrupt during an individual’s sharing
Do not question or probe after a sharing is finished.
Do not give advice or engage in dialogue with the one who has shared
Keep affirmations brief and to the point
In order to facilitate our sharing, we have asked that you keep your story to about 30 minutes. There will be MANY other times to share during formation so everything doesn’t need to be told at once. After about 20 minutes we will place a card reading “Alleluia” on the desk, to let you know that you have about 10 minutes left. After 25 minutes, the card will be flipped to read “Amen”, to let you know that it is time to finish for this session. NO SHARING WILL EVER BE CUT OFF. These are merely guides to help keep our sharing focused.