Group+A

=Group A= 

Please keep in mind that only one person can edit this page at a time. It is recommended that each of you choose a colour of font and use the same one throughout.

As you work on your social action project (committed to 12 hours of dedicated time to giving service to others) plus responding in a Wiki format with your group of three, you will answer the following question: In light of your understanding of ministry, what does it mean to minister to others through your project? You will share your thoughts and observations and actions of setting up to kinds of things you did to what you observed or saw to the final pieces of your project. At the end of your project (Dec. 2 or what you have completed thus far), your group will come up with a group response to what is ministry based on your social action journey.

Let's start answering this question    tonight.

//What does it mean to you to minister to others? What is ministry? I haven't yet been able to volunteer in the community, however, I felt that it was important to start ministering to others a little closer to "home". As you may or may not know, I was just transferred to a new school this year, I love it, however, I have noticed that there is very little sense of community with several of the staff. So I thought, "what better place to start than here?" Apparently the staff room has become nothing more that a place to sit and eat lunch and check to see if there was any mail in the mailboxes., there very few conversations and there seemed to be a division among staff - teachers/EA's. The first day I walked into the staffroom and sat at the table it was pointed out to me that I was sitting with only EA's. I believe my reply was "Oh, nice to meet you and I can't wait to work with you". Then one of the EA's I've known for years said that most teachers don't sit with the EA's. I couldn't believe it!!! During my first week there, I felt "homesick" for the staff I left behind and I felt like something was missing. Then as I sat there eating lunch in an awkward silence it hit me - there is very little sense of family or community on this staff. I felt that I needed to try to build a sense of community without being averbearing, considering I am the new girl on staff. So I asked myself, how can I minister here? Well, a good place to start is with being hospitable. Who doesn't like to sit and have a cup of coffee or tea and just relax and chat? This made me think of the book we are reading with Karen and the discussions we had in our groups around the first chapter. I couldn't believe that there was no coffee pot in the staffroom -isn't having a cup of coffee (or tea) together similar to standing around a water cooler? I just started a "Coffee Club" this week. there were 14 of us that signed up and now when I walk into the staffroom there is laughter, people sitting at the tables and engaging in conversation, even if the conversation is school related at least people are communicating with each other and smiling. I have also asked the principal for a white board so that there is a way to communicate with each other in the staff room. There is currently nothing available for sharing information or anything. I know this isn't really what the expectation was, but I felt that I needed to share this with you. Ministry to me at this time means making people feel comfortable and building a sense of community. I am in the process of setting up a food drive with the student council so I will keep you posted on how that is going. I've also been talking with a gentleman who organizes the Out of the Cold program and I will be helping prepare hot meals and if I can get a sitter for my children, then I will go and help there as well. Talk later! Tammy What does it mean to you to minister to others? What is Ministry? **I've really been stuggling with this question. I think that's why I STILL haven't picked my ministry commitment... I've gotten so caught up in the idea of doing something meaningful that I am doing nothing. Ironically, this isn't just a problem today but a problem that I have struggled with for many years. I have the best of intentions to do something good! It is the "big question"... how do we find meaning? How can we make ourselves useful to others? How can we use our God-given talents to better society? Since I don't have current experiences to draw from other than teaching - for this week, I'm going to tell you how I ministered in the past. I love art. I love to paint. In highschool when I was required to complete community service hours- I felt compelled (much like I do now) to do something that was out-of-the-ordinary. I wanted to challenge myself to do something that was personally meaningful and that I could feel good about and get something out of. I know that I brough this up in class how I've also struggled with the fact that "I want to get something out of it"... that makes me feel a bit guilty...but anyways... In highschool I loved to paint so I went to the local hospital and asked if I could paint the ceiling tiles in the children's ward. This turned into a large project wherein I painted about 10 tiles that hung over the bed's of sick children and in the play area of Hotel Dieu Hospital in Windsor. I had no idea what an impact this would have. But I soon came to realize- not only from the response by staff but also people who talked about it in the community that in my small way I had made a difference. This is a special memory for me because it reminds me that we all have different tallents and that if we can use those talents to help better the lives of others than that is a beautiful thing. It's interesting... but just in having written this reflection--- I think I now know what i'm going to do!!! : )**

What is ministry? We just wrapped up our Thanksgiving food drive at the school. It was really exciting to see the students of the school as well as those on student council take an active role in contributing food for this cause. The food was going to the area food bank which was in desperate need. The students were trying to come up with incentives to motivate each other to bring in as much food as they possibly could. Some were giving out ticket ballots for a lucky draw at the end of the week..some were trying to bring in a specific amount for a class pizza party...others were competing against each other for bragging rights. When all was said and done, we collected, as a school, a total of 52 boxes of food for the food bank. The students also had the opportunity to talk with the lady from the food bank and were amazed to hear how their hard efforts (which really weren't that much of a hardship) were helping people in their own community (from babies to elderly). They then decided as a group that this wasn't enough. We have a teacher who has gone to Tanzania to help build a school and get things set up through a group called Heart to Heart Africa which was founded by another colleague's mother. They decided that any clothes left in the lost and found after the classes came down to claim any belongings should be packed up and set to Tanzania for those children who aren't able to have the basics of what they need. It was really interesting to see these young students take such an interest and leadership role in helping others. They are now planning events for the Christmas food drive to try to beat the amount we just raised for the Thanksgiving food drive. Since this last wiki, I have volunteered to be the faith embassador for the school. I felt this opportunity tied in perfectly to what we are doing in this course. As far as the sense of community in the staffroom, we know have 20 people in the Coffee Club and the white board is being used faithfully by not only myself, but others now. It has really helped to open up the communication lines among staff. There still are, and I'm sure always will be, some that rarely frequent the staffroom, however, now there are classroom doors open and friendly waves as people walk by the classrooms. Things are definitely moving in the right direction!!! Stay tuned for more Ministry explorations!!!! Tammy

Most of the time when you consider ministry you think that it is freely given and taken. We take for granted that when we are ready give that others are ready to receive our services, but this is not always the case. In my last entry I mentioned that I had decided what I wanted to do for my act of ministry. I had hoped to continue the work that I did in Windsor by painting in the local hospital. The reason I chose to do this is because I believe that we minister best when we are using our God-given talents. I love to paint and thought that this would be the best way to contribute to my community. I went to the hospital last week to sell my idea of painting in the children's ward. I discovered that my local hospital doesn't have a floor or area dedicated to children. I suppose the could be positive (perhaps there aren't enough sick children in Midland to warrent having their own floor- wonderful!) or it could be negative (perhaps we have many sick children but they don't have an area in the hosipital). Either way, there is no service needed for a ward that doesn't exist. My next step was to call the hospital and offer my services in general. Last year I took on a mural project for the Huronia Hospital Fundraiser and I hoped to help in some way again. When I called however, I found that the did not need my services.I talked to the hospital rep about and painting they may need done in the hospital but unfortunately they are going through a transition period with the Penetanguishene hospital and don't require my services right now. So I decided to focus locally. Our school recently hung the cross from Faith Day in our foyer. The wall around it is quite bare. I approached my principal about creating a mural to compliment the cross, the words on the cross and tie in St. Theresa's famous quote, "Doing small things with great love". I have been informed that I may create a proposal/preliminary sketch for a mural that can then be approved by the board. I never realized that offering ministry can in itself be a challenge... Something that came to mind when going through this process was an episode from Oprah's "Big Give". The concept of the show is when people try to do altruistic acts. One man tried to help a family by throwing thema party. He lost in this episode because although he did something nice for the family, what he failed to do was ask them what their needs were... I guess the moral of the story is, sometimes when we want to minister we have to be less focussed on what WE WANT to give and more focused on what the recipient WANTS/NEEDS. Until Next time..... Tannis
 * What is Ministry? October 27, 2008

(SORRY THE SPACING IS ALL MESSED UP!?!)

Novermber 9/08** // Since my last entry I have talked with several students about creating a mural for the front foyer around the cross given to us at Faith Day. Many were excited about the prospect of being involved in such a project. I took these student to the space and made it into a learning opportunity. I went through the design process with them pointing out iimportant questions and details that they would have to ask or answer if/when they were ever commissioned to do a work of art for a charity, company or community. It was wonderful seeing how they made connections between this project and using their abilities in the real world. I will be working closely with a small group of students to prepare the proposal for our school. If the proposal is accepted by the board. We will make whatever revisions necessary and they I would like to make it a meaningful ongoing experience by getting as many students involved in it as possible so that they can feel that they contributed special at St.Theresa's through their God-given talents. Tannis Tannis (Entry 4, November 28, 2008) Final words on: What is ministry? Through this project I’ve realized that ministry isn’t something we do only in passing. Real ministry, life changing ministry is like a lifestyle. It takes practice, dedication, time and energy. Ministry isn’t a one-time-deal, it’s something that takes determination and follow through. I had really good intentions at the beginning of this project to do something big, something meaningful, something life-changing. I think my expectations may have been a little bit high. I’m frustrated, because I was excited and started a project that I’m having difficulty with due to the lack of time and energy I have. (The mural proposal still isn’t complete!) It’s upsetting to think that this wasn’t as big of a priority as I’d hoped it would be. In fact, it makes me feel guilty that I wasn’t able to put 100% into it. But I’ve learned some powerful lessons. I think we all want to minister and do good. I think that we all want to feel like we made a difference in the lives of others (one of the many reasons I became a teacher!). What I’ve learned is that I may never do something big. It may be because I lack the energy or consistent motivation that is needed. Here’s the kicker, the big eye opening lesson: my BIG project was to create a mural for outside of the chapel (which doesn’t seem so big but it’s actually become a difficult undertaking). When deciding what to paint we thought it might be appropriate to quote our patron saint: St. Theresa. Her most famous motto is: "Do small things with great love". So all along– it’s been RIGHT THERE. I don’t have to do something BIG to make an impact. It’s funny how God sends us messages in mysterious ways. Eventually I will get the mural done but I’m going to take my time. I think maybe next time, I’m going to follow St. Theresa’s advice!! I’m going to focus my ministry on the small things so that I can give them my full attention and energy!!

 What is Ministry? In all of the volunteer work that I've done both at school and outside of school in the community these past few months, I have come to the conclusion that for me ministry means to help others wholeheartedly. I have tried several different volunteer places, but because my heart wasn't completely in it, I was unable to give 100 percent of myself and found it very difficult to remain commited. I didn't want this project to become something that I did only because I had to. I have continued to volunteer where children are involved...coaching figure skating, helping out with the Sunday school program at St. Ann's Church on Sundays and I have recently inquired about becoming a Big Sister in the Midland and Penetang area. I have decided that given my own personal journey and where I am with the ages of my children that as easy as it sounded at the beginning, volunteering is so much more difficult when I have to arrange daycare for my children. Because of this, I have chosen to help others in a way that my daughters can be involved and perhaps gain some appreciation from these experiences. I agree with Tannis when she says that "Real Ministry is life changing which becomes a lifestyle". It does take practice, dedication, time and energy. I can only hope that I can continue to have the motivation to make a difference for others when I am finished this course. I have really enjoyed the volunteering that I have been doing and that is because it has meaning. But does my motivation make the focus of my ministry selfish ? Thanks again! Tammy

Final definition of what ministry is...

After reading the entries submitted by both Tannis and I, I think it is safe to say that we both believe that ministry doesn't have to be some big act, it needs to be genuine and heartfelt. Ministry is life changing and becomes a way of living. It is action put into practice and something a person is committed to and dedicated to. It is being there for others in their time of need, either as a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen or just as a strength and comfort of being present. Ministry is something, that as teachers we do on a daily basis with our students and with our colleagues as well as with family, friends and neighbours.

Ministry can be fulfilling for both the person who gives and the person who receives.