NOTE: My long blog silence is attributed to the service I was doing for the Workshops Committee in preparation for FGC's 2007 Gathering in River Falls, Wisconsin.
What follows below is the evaluation of the quote-unquote "workshop" I seemed to have been given by the Spirit as the week of Gathering played out. What I came to know as "my workshop" was, it turned out, a series of assignments that God was giving me--to support Friends through unexpected events, to be faithful despite my own tiredness, etc.
I hope to write other posts about specific events and topics--the interest group with Robin M and myself; God's reward after a long day of faithful service; the YOUniverse, the MEniverse, and more--as time goes on. -LizWorkshop Evaluation - Gathering of Friends 2007
Participant's Name . . . Liz Opp
Workshop # . . . ALL... and none at all
Title . . . Being a Servant*
Workshop Leader . . . God
*not offered among the general listings of workshops.
For numbers 1-8, please answer YES or NO.
1. Did the workshop cover the topics that you expected?NO
comment: The topics were very unpredictable!
2. Did the workshop stick to the subject?
NO
comment: It changed every day.
3. Was the workshop a safe place for you to share?
YES
4. Was the workshop spiritually nurturing?
YES and NO
comment: "Nurturing" is not the word I would use!
5. Was the workshop fun and/or interesting?
YES and NO
comment: FUN? unsure ...INTERESTING? YES
6. Was the Advance Program description accurate?
(left blank)
comment: What Advance Program description?!?
7. Did you use the information posted on the website in making a workshop selection?
(left blank)
comment: God doesn't seem to give long descriptions.
8. If you used the website, was the information helpful?
N/A
For questions #9-13, please answer using ALWAYS, SOMETIMES, or NOT AT ALL.
9. Was the quality of worship within the workshop appropriate?ALWAYS
10. Was the leader prepared and knowledgeable?
ALWAYS
11. Was the leader appropriately flexible?
SOMETIMES
12. Did the leader interact well with the group?
WHAT GROUP?! If you mean "participant," the answer is SOMETIMES
13. Did the material speak to your condition?
ALWAYS, but I usually understood that too late to appreciate it in the moment.
Questions 14-17 are multiple choice.
14. To what extent was the amount of worship and/or worship-sharing in the workshop appropriate for you?__ Not enough
XX About right
__ Too much
15. How much daily worship and/or worship-sharing do you expect in a workshop?
__ Less than 20 minutes
__ 20-40 minutes
__ More than 40 minutes
What?!? With this sort of workshop, when am I NOT in worship?!?
16. Would you recommend this workshop to a Friend if it was offered again at a future Gathering?
__ Yes
__ No
Only with a strong caution about what the Friend might be getting into!
17. Is this leader skilled enough so that you would take another workshop offered by him/her, if the topic were of interest?
XX Yes but I think what this question really is asking is if I would take another ASSIGNMENT from this leader!
__ No
For questions #19-27, please answer with a short comment.
19. Comment on the workshop leader.Good assignments, but I could have used more direction!
20. What was the best thing that happened during the workshop?
Seeing the fruits of my faithfulness.
21. What, if anything, troubled you about the workshop?
Some group members were not cooperative in the assignments.
22. Were there ways that the workshop did not meet your expectations?
I'm learning to let go of my expectations with this leader.
23. If there was a guest speaker, field trip, video, or some other "special event," please comment on it.
The "listening session assignment" was particularly powerful--but only because it seemed to have turned out satisfactorily for everyone.
24. What new skill, knowledge, or understanding will you take home from this workshop?
That when I yield to the call and be of service, the workshop leader takes advantage of me and knows how to put me to work!
25. How has this workshop affected you as a Friend?
I have been given a strong reminder that being of service can bring unforeseen joy and energy.
26. What other comments do you have for the workshop leader?
Thanks for the helpers you sent my way, for speaking clearly, and for giving me just enough sleep!
Blessings,
Liz
PDF
4 comments:
This is wonderful! Thank you, Liz!
Thanks for your response and it was sooooo nice to meet you!
I think it is ok I didn't get a chance to speak, I think it would have been out of emotion and not Spirit Led. I think it was better for me to listen at that point.
I also appreciate your comments in response to why those may have problems with programmed Friends. Organized religion can def. be painful and our early experiences with religion can def. have such a huge impact on the rest of our lives.
Oh honey. Sometimes I think that life is one long workshop of service. Maybe you could offer a list of readings that would be (were/would have been) appropriate for this workshop.
I myself found that the afternoon children's film I went to was an important part of my week - a good, long cathartic cry, in a relatively safe environment. You know, since it's a children's film, that her parents are eventually going to let her keep the dog, everything's going to be all right, it's not like a movie about Darfur where it's just not going to turn out okay, but the chance to grieve along with the little girl and to be frightened along with the mother, and to be exasperated along with the father, this was all very good for me. Like a bathroom break in a morning-long session.
I haven't been able to post yet since I got home, but I will tonight, I think. It was so good to work with you again.
Thanks for sharing this! I look forward to your other posts on the Gathering.
I haven't yet figured out if I'm going to start a Quaker blog, so I'll just send you to my knitting one.
Post a Comment