by Joan Winchester, L’Arche USA
L’Arche Tahoma Hope is embarking on the discernment of a new mandate – a five-year plan that will help the community name their hopes and dreams for the future. In L’Arche, we believe that collective discernment leads us to a place of naming goals that are realistic and reflective of the needs and desires of the whole community. This process will include prayer, careful listening, wise questions, honest dialogue, and trust in the communal choice.
Mandate discernment will be a focus over the next several months. The process has already started, with the naming of the discernment team, which is a group of diverse community members led by the Federation Representative (that’s me). Our goal is to complete the mandate in March.
The steps include:
- A mandate survey that captures how well the former mandate was achieved and what new priorities are surfacing.
- Reflection – dreaming together, based on what we learn from the survey. This will happen in small groups across the community over a period of about six weeks. The draft mandate will be written based on what we’ve learned in these first two steps.
- Review of the draft by community members. This review includes questions relating to the leadership gifts required to lead the new mandate.
- Board approval of the recommended mandate. The Board holds primary responsibility for community leadership discernment as well.
- Celebration! The process concludes with a Discernment Day, when the mandate is publicly affirmed and leadership blessed. We usually have cake, too.
Tahoma Hope has much to be proud of – a true sign in Tacoma and beyond of meaningful community that transforms lives. Feel free to reach out to me with questions or concerns at [email protected]. I ask that you hold your community in your thoughts during these intentional days.
