Explaining the issues and the process to the congregation.
This article is being published in church life and sent out on the church listserv.
Brief information will be offered during worship about the issues and process.
Providing an opportunity for the congregation to provide input.
Three members of the Working Group - Matt Kaiser, Laura Heaven, and Martha Geores -
are going to facilitate the gathering of views from people in the congregation who want to have input.
As the culmination of this process, short papers will be developed explaining the reasons behind each of the options:
continuing with Jinocuao,
closing the relationship with Jinocuao,
continuing participation with Kairos,
not participating with Kairos.
These will be prepared by people who want Session to adopt the particular option in question.
These papers will be provided to Session members and also made available to
members of the congregation. If you would like your views and/or concerns to be considered,
please directly contact either Matt Kaiser, Laura Heaven or Martha Geores.
Session will reach a decision at a special meeting in late April - early May using a structured process.
First Session members will hear a presentation on each option being put forward, and have the chance to ask questions.
The discussion that follows will use a practice called Mutual Invitation that Session has found to be particularly valuable
when topics are difficult and it is important for everyone to be heard.
Session will then vote on each option.
The potential outcomes are
continuing with both Jinocuao and Kairos (but separately),
continuing with only one and not the other (Jinocuao and not Kairos, or Kairos and not Jinocuao),
or
not continuing with either one.
Session will devise a forum for describing and explaining its decision to the congregation.