1. Community When you are not here, you are missed and we are less. Faith and Light International Formation 2010

2. 2 What is Community? Community is a unique way that humans have of coming together – Different from other types of groups or organizations A living reality – Born in time, needs care and nourishment, grows – Can die

3. 3 A human need – We all need a place of acceptance and belonging where we are known, cherished and encouraged to grow to our fullest through exercising our gifts for the good of others

4. 4 What makes Community? We share common vision, values, vocation, vulnerability – We are looking for the same things – We are inspired by the same principles and ideals

5. 5 – We believe that we have been brought together (not by chance nor by our efforts alone) for a purpose bigger than ourselves – We share our limitations, needs and weaknesses as well as our gifts, our fears as well as our dreams

6. 6 This humility and vulnerability are the hidden strengths of a community. These hold it together and allow it to come through difficult times with more life than before – Whatever is built on pretense or falsity will not last – I know that I cannot do everything by myself and I can ask you to help me I am here as I truly am

7. 7 We share a common mission – We find meaning and value in sharing what we have been given so that others might live, opening out beyond ourselves, bearing fruit in some concrete way – A community that closes in on itself, becomes irrelevant to others and dies as a community, even though the group may continue to meet for years

8. 8 The Experience of Community What does Community “feel like”? – It is right and good to be here – It is good that you are here with us – It is good for me to be here, I have a valued place here – It is good for us to be together – It is sometimes hard to be here, but I want to be here

9. 9 What does Community require? An impetus to begin – a “spark” – a connection Commitment – Each one’s “Yes.” “I choose and commit to be here with you.” Meeting as persons – A regular pattern of coming together to be with one another

10. 10 Fidelity, Honesty, Respect and Authenticity – There is a core group of people who will be present over time – We speak the truth reverently to one another – We can be as we are with one another – with genuine concern for one another

11. 11 Gifts and Skills – Generosity and good will are beginnings, but, by themselves, they are not enough to help all members to face difficulties and to grow – Everyone’s gift is needed to fulfill the mission

12. 12 Structure and organization – To fulfill our mission, true to our vocation and values, now and into the future, we need wisdom, a framework, guidance, coordination, and means for communication

13. 13 And every community requires work – Community does not happen by accident. There needs to be planning, preparing, facilitating and evaluating – Foundation stones - people who will unlock the door, set up chairs and tables, clean up, make phone calls…

14. 14 Belonging, Inclusion and Acceptance In community there is no “them” and “us”. In community there is only “us”!

15. 15 Belonging, Inclusion and Acceptance The community belongs equally to all members – No one “owns” the community All members belong equally to the community – There are no “classes” of membership

16. 16 We all share responsibility for the life, growth and mission of our community – No one “controls” the community – No one is exempt from service We all have different roles of responsibility

17. 17 We welcome each one who comes who desires to share the same vision, values, vocation, vulnerability and mission, as they are Not everyone who comes belongs to this particular type of community This community may act as a bridge to another type of community or group

18. 18 What distinguishes a Christian Community We identify that what brings us together is our common call from God

19. 19 God has created a bond (covenant) between us – Our lives, brought together by God, are somehow interwoven into a network of relationships – What happens to those in my community, what happens in their lives, makes a difference to me – What happens to me, in my life, makes a difference to those in my community

20. 20 This is a gift/grace to be lived in the Spirit of Jesus To bring about the Reign of God in some concrete way by becoming (incarnating, embodying) the Good News – A place of conversion / transformation for all members

21. 21 A loving presence of Emmanuel, God-with-us A manifestation of the Body of Christ – Unity through diversity – We are captivated by the same Spirit, but we are not clones of one another – All the parts are needed

22. 22 Forgiveness – We have been forgiven, so we are opened to forgive and forgive again Celebration – As followers of Jesus, we can celebrate everything - even death and our “defeats,” because God has the last word

23. 23 Faith and Light Community A specific call to be discerned – There are many organizations that promote good – Not every group or community with persons with intellectual disabilities is Faith and Light or is called to be Faith and Light

24. 24 Counter-cultural everywhere – In a world of individualism, egoism, accomplishment, deceit, self-promotion and rivalry and that uses violence as a solution to problems; we offer a viable alternative

25. 25 Trios / Triads – A corporate, public witness to the value, place and contribution of persons with an intellectual disability at the “heart” of our community – A network of supportive relationships for family members – The presence of friends who have no “reason” to be here, yet have been invited and drawn into this “alternate world” of faithful friendship

26. 26 What we do – Simple, “foolish” difficult to explain “Being with” not “doing things for” No accomplishments or “good works” to point to

27. 27 – We invest in relationships of friendship – We create an atmosphere of welcome and acceptance that favors growth for all members – We gather to share who we are, to pray and to celebrate in the midst of true joy and deep, irremediable suffering

28. 28 Mutuality and Reciprocity – We have equal value. We all have gifts to contribute. We all have needs and we receive from each other. – The energy that binds us and moves us is God’s love

29. 29 Part of a big, worldwide family – We are one local expression of a much larger reality – We live a solidarity of spirit, prayer, support, friendship, structure and resources – Charter and Constitution, Statutes, Guidelines…

30. 30 Our Mission – To witness to, to become, and to announce the Good News that God loves everyone equally - No Exceptions and to be living proof that it is possible for people with very great differences, seized by a broader vision, to be together in unity, harmony and peace through the grace of God

31. 31 An Icon for Faith and Light – The child in his suffering linking his mother to his faithful friend – to be there for one another – when nothing else can be done – Com Passion

32. 32 Image of the Trinity Family members/ Parents - image of the Father, who believes, cares and provides for, watches over, guides, Persons with intellectual disabilities - image of the son, wounded, vulnerable, marginalized, who loves deeply and to the end Friends, especially the youth - image of the Spirit, who brings life, youth, energy, renewal and regeneration

33. 33 “ No one of these Persons acts alone. They are turned towards each other in love. Their dance is perfectly mutual and exhibits in each an others-towardsness, a loving ‘enjoyment’ of their reciprocal ‘in-flow’ and ‘out-flow’ eternally. A mystery beyond comprehension, yet imaged in no small way by Faith and Light communities of persons with disabilities, their families and their friends, especially young friends.” (Jim Corkery S.J., Lourdes 2008)