I was watching Fr. Robert Barron's Catholicism Series, and among all the interesting things I have learned, one line stood out to me the most:
"You judge a spiritual act by its fruits."
It makes me look back and question the past year of StAY. What have been the fruits of StAY or where have I seen these fruits in 2016?
In FORM
Friends of Refugees Melbourne has undergone a tremendous change in the past year. It has addressed one of the key concerns that have been raised up more than two years ago by one of our former leaders, Andrew. It was about making the focus of FORM more on building relationships with the refugees than providing material aid.
The year 2016 showed itself to be the right time and environment to do this. As FORM coordinated with other organisations with regards to Moving Days, it became obvious that there are already a lot of organisations out there who are also conducting their pwn Moving Days in perhaps a bigger and wider scale.
With this change, we saw the birth of the School Holiday Program, which has focused on building relationships and bringing refugee families together. Home Visits, Detention Centre visits, and the Christmas Hamper Drive still continues.
The fruits of the ministry is not just limited to its activities, but to the people as well. The new leader of FORM, Mario, brought with him a breath of fresh air in one of the oldest and longest ministries of StAY. FORM still continues to bring new faces into StAY, contributing to our growth in numbers. It was also amazing that the ministry did not just cater to the needs of other people, but more importantly, to their own journey and experience through the much-needed retreat that the FORM leaders had last year.
In the Music Ministry
The Music Ministry is sadly one of the existing ministries of StAY that have been "put on the side" by the leaders, if I might say so (and I am guilty of it as well).
I remember the time when there would be a leader or two who would be there helping or singing in the choir. Now, we don't actually have a clear idea who is the leader of the Music Ministry. And it wasn't anyone's fault. Individuals have moved on to other suburbs and even interstate for various reasons.
For me, this is a reflection of one of the issues that have been brought up time and again in StAY: transition of leadership.
First of, we don't really have a method or process in doing so. After all, transition of leadership was never an issues when StAY was "reborn" because there were just very few of us! And with the growth of StAY, we have seen people coming and going, leaders included. There it started to sink in that we cannot do this forever; we have to find a way to pass the "baton". This handover has been brought up meeting after meeting, but there was not a lot that has been done with it.
I, for my part as StAY Leader, am at fault, as I have failed to address the elephant in the room and ask other leaders if they are still willing and capable of leading the ministry or not. It seems like a simple question to ask, but very uncomfortable. With the majority of the leaders shifting focus to the vocation or marriage or not even able to come to Cell Group anymore, the necessity for transition of leadership is becoming a reality and an urgency.
The lack of leadership in the Music Ministry leads to failure of giving credit where it is due. Despite of the lack of leadership, the Music Ministry vividly thrives, thanks to the initiative, willingness, and effort of the few people, who have been consistently raising their hands up and stepping in as the need arises. The Music Ministry has also seen an emergence of fresh faces in the past year, fresh faces who have notably been consistent and committed to the activities of the Music Ministry. It is my hope that 2017 will see new faces stepping up, not just in the Music Ministry, but in StAY as a whole.
In Cell Group
Cell Group was, and remains to be, my "baby". Leading the ministry is one of the highlights of my journey in StAY and is a role I would gladly take up again. Letting go of Cell Group leadership have been a tough journey for me, teaching me to let go, let others take control, and the humility of being a participant instead of decision-maker.
Amazingly, being a participant has allowed me to see as a spectator how the Holy Spirit has moved in the ministry. It's amazing what I hear and witness about other people's journeys, the Holy Spirit is on the move in their lives and situations, even if most of them don't realise it just yet. It's in these individual experiences that I see the fruits of what Cell Group does, how it is an avenue of change and growth.
New faces have come the past year, some have moved on, and some have stayed, regularly coming every Tuesday. Surprisingly, not a lot shares in the open, but they come every week, rain or shine.
The past year has also seen a couple of individuals step up to accept Cell Group responsibilities and some new faces taking the initiative to lead small groups. It is my hope for the new year that Cell Group not only be conducive to fellowship but also to leadership.
The past year has been a shaky ground in terms of leadership in StAY. Our once 7 ministries are down to 3 ministries, due primarily to the fact that there was no transition in leadership, and thus, no one took over and continued the respective ministries. But despite that, the fruits have been seen in the remaining ministries, with its activities and its people. With the fresh faces showing commitment in the existing ministries of StAY, it will be interesting and exciting what StAY will be capable of in 2017.
Patricia Fernando
