Groups come together to find common ground
“Turning Conflict Into Community” was the title and purpose of an event recently hosted by four churches, collaborating as partners with Charter for Compassion International and led by Pam and Charley Rogers.
The four pastors — the Rev. Mark Stanley of Trinity Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Jim McKinley of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville, the Rev. Richard Weidler of First Congregational United Church of Christ and the Rev. Darlene Strickland of Unity of the Blue Ridge — as well as four congregation members, created this secular communitywide gathering to bridge divides through dialogue.
“Because of today’s political tensions, there is a critical need to connect, decrease anger and increase mutual understanding. The moment is upon us to find a way to deeper relationships. Having the courage to dialogue with someone who holds a different political view is a powerful first step,” said Stanley.
There were 36 participants, both Republican and Democrat. To set the stage, an opening activity revealed their first patch of common ground — being Americans. After the group experience, each person chose a partner from the opposite side of the political spectrum. The partners were seated facing each other and two questions were posed throughout the course of the event.
Each of the two questions was crafted to prompt the speaker to deeply share their personal story, for 10 minutes, while the listener only listened, fully. They then reversed roles and repeated the experience. All pairs were spread throughout the room and shared simultaneously, therefore, privately.
Compassionate listening is a skill that was developed many years ago to bring Israelis and Palestinians together, and since has been used for a variety of relationship-building purposes. The Rogers have been trained in and have facilitated the activity for many purposes during the past five years.
“Compassionate listening is a unique form of connection,“Pam Rogers said. “The best description is this quote: ‘The shortest distance between two people is story.’ We are continually awed by the power this tool holds for turning enemy into friend.”
The two-hour event ended with an evaluation of the experience and a discussion of possible next steps.
“The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Several folks said they had real breakthroughs,” said McKinley. “They were hopeful that now Hendersonville might feel less divided to them and more like the connected caring community they thought they had known. Everyone urged us to do more of this and make similar Compassionate Listening events available to our community leaders, our schools, and other gatherings.”
For more information, contact Pam and Charley Rogers at .
source: http://www.blueridgenow.com/news/20170419/groups-come-together-to-find-common-ground
