Participant: Vincent Mercado, Valent Richie, and William Kangdra
The teaching ministry is conducting a workshop on "Facilitating Faith Sharing". The sessions are on Saturdays on these dates: Session 1: 5th of July 2008 Session 2: 16th of August 2008 Session 3: 20th September 2008
Reference: Sr. Nancy Kellar, S.C., Sr. Justin Wirth, S.S.N.D, Faith sharing in small groups: the vision and the tools, 2003.
Session 1
Start with a faith sharing.
Elements of small Christian groups:*
Prayer
Scripture or teaching
Faith sharing
Community building
Outreach
What is Faith Sharing?
Role of facilitator
Six Basic Needs in faith sharing for small groups:
We need to share our spiritual lives
We need to be vulnerable with one another
We need to listen to one another
We need to encourage one another
We need to speak the truth in love
We need to be patient with one another
Practical: How to start a faith sharing?
introduction
simple questions
prayer
guidelines
overview of questions
Homework: Implement sharing starter technique and give feedback on the following session.
Session 2
Review homework on sharing starter.
Guidelines:
timing
confidentiality
participation for all
no coercion
Starting the sharing questions.
facil share first
rephrase the questions
start with simplest questions
Body language
body posture
eye contacts
voice
face
Importance of praying for one another
Common difficulties and how to handle:
when someone keep on talking
when someone does not want to talk or share
when someone share out of topic
when someone give "teaching" answer
Hands on for the 4 cases above.
Homework: facilitate faith sharing and implement the technique when facing difficult situations, give feedback on the following session, distribute feedback for members and facils.
Session 3
Review previous homework.
Feedback from Facils.
Feedback from Members.
Recap lessons.
Feedback from Facilitators:
1. how did you start your sharing?
2. do you have ice breaking? what is it?
3. does it help if you start sharing first?
4. what is your question sequence?
5. any difficulties to make people share? how do you overcome them?
6. any people talk too much?
any people don't want to talk?
any people give teaching or intellectual answer?
any people out of topic?
how do you handle them?
7. do you discuss all questions? any thing you skip? why?
8. do you pray for your member?
9. after the sharing, do you know your members better?
10. share any other experience you have when facilitating the group sharing.
Vincent
1. how did you start your sharing?
I started the sharing by telling everyone that we have thirty minutes to answer all questions. I also asked/told the group that it should be enough for all of us to share. No need for introductions because they know each other quite enough to be comfortable (and I thought time won’t permit for introductions also). Followed with a short prayer, asking God’s grace for openness and wisdom.
2. do you have ice breaking? what is it?
No.
3. does it help if you start sharing first?
A lot! It gave them time to think and their answers turned out right on the topic.
No need to ask, "Who wants to share first?" The proper question is , "Who want to share next?"
4. what is your question sequence?
For one who shared that she asked someone from the community to pray for her, the question was, “Whom did you ask?”
For one who shared that she listened to a friend’s concerns, the question was, “How was the concern resolved?”
5. any difficulties to make people share? how do you overcome them?
I didn’t feel any difficulties. Since all of them are girls, no effort is needed to make them share their feelings. In addition, they seem comfortable with each other already. My job was simply to keep the conversation going and avoid “silent moments” (long pause when none speaks).
6. any people talk too much?
There is a tendency to keep on talking non-stop. You can synchronize to the person first, agree to what she says (if you really agree, nod in agreement), say you felt the say way too (if you really experienced the same situation, she may possibly nod to you in agreement this time), and then summarize her story for her.
any people don't want to talk?
Nope.
any people give teaching or intellectual answer?
No.
any people out of topic?
I don’t think so.
how do you handle them?
Listen patiently and empathize with them.
7. do you discuss all questions? any thing you skip? why?
All were discussed. The 15-minute extension helped.
8. do you pray for your member?
Yes, for all of them in general.
9. after the sharing, do you know your members better?
A little bit more.
10. share any other experience you have when facilitating the group sharing.
I asked each to read a question for the group first, then had them think which is the easiest to answer.
The group knows how the sharing works, so there is no need to explain the guidelines.
When one answers correctly and on topic, affirm their answer.
When their answer is brief, probe some more. The simplest probing question is, “So what happened next?”
Valent
1.With prayer and directly go to the questions
2.Opening prayer
3.Yes
4.2,3,1
5.Maybe people sometimes need to think about the questions and it is useful to give example of answers by start answering the sharing question first
6.a) Not really, b) no, c) sometimes it seems so, but it may be from their experience, d) no
7.Yes
8.Pray generally related to the topics for all the members
9.Yes
10.That there are times that we faced the same situation as our members and it is encouraging to know that we are not alone and other people also faced the some problem too.
William
1. how did you start your sharing? WK: Crack a joke, to make people around feel comfortable and less tense. Prayer to ask God guidance.
2. do you have ice breaking? what is it? WK: We have known each other hence the icebreaking was skipped
3. does it help if you start sharing first? WK: sometime yes
4. what is your question sequence? WK: need for community evangelization charism
5. any difficulties to make people share? how do you overcome them? WK: all are willing… maybe a bit reluctant at the beginning
6. any people talk too much? WK: Yeah, got one…. Name OKA hehehe… kidding bro… no all is good. Maybe I am a bit talkative
any people don't want to talk? WK: No
any people give teaching or intellectual answer? WK: not really. We share experience… Maybe just slight comment
any people out of topic? WK: no
how do you handle them? WK: NA
7. do you discuss all questions? any thing you skip? why? WK: We discuss most of the main topics
8. do you pray for your member? WK: hehehe…. Yeah start to day then
9. after the sharing, do you know your members better? WK: I got to know more surely.
10. share any other experience you have when facilitating the group sharing. WK: bro, can I skip this? Hehehe…
Feedback from Members
Vincent: * Can be more audible * Attentive and able to extract the topic being shared * Inviting * Atmosphere is good * Understand the question, can help people to understand the question * members are comfortable to share * good listener
William: * seems not prepare the sequence of the question, flow between question interupted. thinking on the question, looking at screen. * good in inviting people to share * friendly
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