MAY/JUNE 2011 Vol. VI, No. 3 margin KALEIDOSCOPE...

grace margin

MAY/JUNE 2011 • Vol. VI, No. 3

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE KALEIDOSCOPE INSTITUTEFor competent leadership in a diverse, changing world

www.kscopeinstitute.org • 800.366.1536 x 216

[email protected]

See Storytelling 2

Summer skills? KI fulfills!

Now’s your chance to learn— or improve—your Kaleidoscope Institute foundational techniques at our four summer sessions.

COURSE V

Holy CurrenciesEmergent Conversations on

Money and Sustainable Ministry

Leadership Currency of Gracious

RelationshipCurrency of

Currenc

y of

Tru

th

Currency ofWellness

Money

Currency of

Currency of

Money

Tim

e & Pla

ce

Curre

ncy o

f

Cycle of Blessings

Sustainable Missional Ministry

KALEIDOSCOPE INSTITUTEç for competent leadership in a diverse, changing world ç

www.kscopeinstitute.org

% JUNE 12–16, 2011Kaleidoscope Institute Northeast

COURSE IV

Emerging GraceMissional Ministriesin the Grace Margin

Fear

Maintenance

Holding onto Power

Grace

RelationalAuthentic

Fresh Expressions

SharingBlessings

Reaching the Emerging Generation



June 12–14: Emerging Grace: Mis-sional Min-istries in the Grace Margin. This course enables church leaders to gain a deeper un-derstanding of the values and perspectives of the emerg-ing genera-tion, people who are unchurched, relationally focused, seeking authentic spirituality, and suspicious of centralized authority. See page 15 for details.

June 15–16: Holy Currencies: Emer-gent Conversations on Money and Sus-tainable Ministry. This workshop will examine how money as a currency of ex-change has become the principal valuing system of our life, work, and ministry. See page 16 for details.

% JUNE 22–26, 2011Kaleidoscope HomecomingThis is a chance for KI graduates to return to Los Angeles to network, share, participate in workshops, and receive the latest training materials!

% JULY 25–AUGUST 1, 2011Kaleidoscope Summer InstituteJuly 25–27: Funda-mental Skills for Build-ing Inclusive Community. This is KI’s foundational course (Course I), in which participants will be guided through a practi-cal and spiritual journey towards becoming inter-culturally competent lead-ers in a diverse, changing world. See page 12 for de-tails.

July 28–Aug. 1: Media & Faith: Creating Audio-Visual Electronic Media to Build Electronic Com-munity. Learn to create audio-visual electronic media as forms of art to enhance communication of faith, engage people in meaningful dialogue, empower individuals and communities, and much more. See page 14 for details.

% AUGUST 15–19, 2011Kaleidoscope Northwest InstituteModels & Processes for Community Transfor-mation. Assist your community to move towards change constructively and faithfully in response to our diverse and changing world. This Institute will also in-clude parts of Emerging Grace, and the Intercultural Developmental Inventory (idi). See page 13 for details.

2 May/June 2011 grace margin

Please see Relationship 3

During a Holy Currencies workshop, the discussion often reverted back to mon-ey even after I had present-ed the full model with the

six currencies. We are so conditioned to think about sustainability with mon-ey as the only currency, that some find it difficult to explore beyond the limits of what money can provide. Here is a real story of a church that unstuck itself from the tyranny of money by focusing on another currency—relationship.

This church was facing a mid-year $10,000 budget shortfall. This is not because the church was not do-ing missional ministries. In fact, they were serving the neighborhood with many innovative projects. Dur-ing the coffee hour that Sunday, the pastor asked those gathered to bring out their phones, look through their directories and select five people. The church members were invited to call the five people right there, and de-scribe the ministries of the church to the community—how they spoke the truth, built leadership and created wellness. Then, they were to ask them for a donation. Let’s do some math here: If 25 church members get four out of five people they called to give $100, they will have raised $10,000. And indeed, within half an hour, they accomplished their goal.

Instead of asking how much mon-ey they had, which then determined what ministries they could do or could not do, they asked how many relation-ships they had, first. Since they were doing ministries that create wellness, speak the truth and develop leader-ship in the community, the people

with whom they have a real relation-ship will gladly contribute financially to support the ministry, even though they are not members.

So money is not the primary issue in most unsustainable churches. The deeper issue is relationships. In the cycle of blessings I proposed in the last Grace Margin, among the six cur-rencies, I would identify the currency of relationship as the most impor-tant to explore and understand if the church is to move toward missional sustainability. I would propose that we look at relationships in two catego-ries: Internal and External.

Internal RelationshipsHaving strong relationships

amongst members of the church is essential for a sustainable ministry. These relationships are primary to ac-complishing the missional ministries of the church by exchanging into the other five currencies:

1. Time and Place—Members gladly offer their volunteer hours for ministries when they have strong ties to the church community. They can also provide additional places for ministry beyond the church grounds– e.g., a church member might provide his/her home or business for minis-tries that build relationship with peo-ple in the neighborhood.

2. Leadership—Members offer their gifts and skills for ministry, not only as individuals but also working together in teams.

3. Truth—Strong relationships among members of the church allow them to speak truth to each other in love affecting healthy constructive

transformation.4. Wellness—Truthful relation-

ships enable the church members to stay healthy with the ability to work through issue and conflicts construc-tively. This will lead to wellness of the church community.

5. Money—Church members will gladly offer financial support for a church that provides them with meaningful supportive community.

In addition to building relation-ships among members of the church, denominational churches also need to maximize their relationships with area churches of the same affiliation. Having working relationships with other churches of the same denomi-nation will enable the churches to pool their resources of time/place, money, and leadership to do ministries that can be done together while respect-ing the unique ministries of the sepa-rate communities. Churches in the same area can also enable each other to see the bigger picture of the needs and concerns of the larger commu-nity and to find resources to support ministry projects that the churches can do together speaking the truth to-gether and creating community well-ness. For the same reason, churches with denomination affiliation need to have working relationships with their national and international de-nominational organizations, such as conferences, dioceses, conventions, presbyteries, and synods. These re-lationships give the church access to resources not available locally. Many denominational bodies can provide leadership training that will enable

DIALOGUE: ERIC H.F. LAW » HOLY CURRENCIES III

Breaking the tyranny of moneyIt’s not the primary issue in most unsustainable churches—the deeper issue is one of relationships, both internal and external.

May/June 2011 3 grace margin

Relationship: Investing in this currency pays off Continued from page 2

Please see 2010 4

local churches to build re-lationships, speak the truth, and achieve wellness in the local community. Some-times a denominational body may be able to pro-vide finances and a place for a new ministry.

The key purpose to devel-oping relationship internal-ly is to create wellness with-in the church community. In that platform of spiritual and sometimes financial wellness, the church com-munity can move into ex-changing that wellness for the other currencies in the cycle of blessings, espe-cially in building external relationships as the prime currency for missional ministries.

External Relationships

Building mutually re-spectful relationships with those who are not mem-bers of the church is the most important currency for sustainable missional ministries. Research on the so-called emerging generation informs us that this generation wants to belong before they believe. Therefore, connecting with this generation by build-ing relationships first is the key to reaching the un-churched. Through these relationships, we discover their needs and concerns. We learn to speak the truth with them about their own experience and about the

community they are in. The Rich and the

Poor—Having genuine re-lationships with individu-als and groups in need will give us the truth of a more complete picture of what is going on in our neighbor-hood. On the other hand, establishing relationships with individuals, groups and organizations that have resources are essential for balancing the sustainabil-ity equation. The church, through these relation-ships can connect those who have resources and those in need—challeng-ing the resourceful ones to give and serve, while hold-ing up the dignity of those who receive. This is the cur-rency of truth at work, and it flows from the currencies of relationship. Remember, we are talking about people who are not members of your church. The role of the church by having these relationships is to move the currencies of money, time and place toward blessings in the wider community, creating wellness.

Civic Leaders—Get-ting to know civic leaders is vital for the church to be recognized as an essential part of the wider commu-nity. These relationships will help the civic leaders to know the concerns and is-sues of the neighborhood, enabling the civic leaders to do a better job in represent-ing the people. Through

these relationships, the church can be an advocate in speaking the truth.

Ecumenical/Interfaith Partners—Engage other faith communities/or-ganizations in dialogue, achieving understanding, and moving toward work-ing together for issues that concern the wellness of the overall community. In-terfaith partners may also pool financial and other resources, such as time and place to address com-mon concerns. Leadership development can be done together as well.

Local Businesses—Do the members of your church know the people working in the local gro-cery stores, gyms, restau-rants, car services, hotels, gas stations, coffee shops, supermarkets, movie hous-es, theatres, amusement parks, bookstores, major corporations, communi-cation services, computer stores, communication services, cleaners, private healthcare providers, art-ists, art galleries, law firms, banks, locksmiths, accoun-tants, . . . etc.? These local businesses, large and small, are part of the fabric of the neighborhood. Having mu-tually respectful relation-ships with both owners and workers allows for listening to their concerns, letting them know the ministries of the church, and explor-ing the potential of mutu-

ally beneficial community projects.

Community and Civic Organizations—Do the members of your church know the people working in the local community center, post office, ymca or ywca, library, parks, hospi-tals, pubic transportation, health centers, senior-housing complexes, chil-dren’s services, schools, shelters, hostels, com-munity gardens, farmers’ markets, recreations facili-ties, public gardens, police departments, fire depart-ments, courts, hospices, social services, government workers . . . etc.? There are even more potential mutu-ally supportive connections with these organizations if we have relationships with the people working in them. It is impossible to have relationships with all of the businesses and com-munity establishments, but the more workable relation-ships you have, the more possibilities your church will have in creating shared ministries for speaking the truth, creating wellness and developing leadership in the community.

So take an inventory of the relationships you as a leader of the church have—both internally and exter-nally. Then ask the mem-bers of your church to do the same. You will discover where you are deficient in Please see Relationship 4


your relational currency. Develop a plan to establish new mutually respectful re-lationships in places where you are lacking. Strengthen existing relationships to make them more respect-ful and mutually beneficial in order for you to work together toward creating wellness within and with-out your church.

DialogueHere are a few exercises

you can do: 1. Invite church mem-

bers to consciously build respectful relationships with three people in the community this week—for example, get to know the gas station attendant, head librarian, postal worker, school superintendent, fire chief, police chief, corner grocery store owner, jani-tor at the school, homeless person at your free-lunch program, head of a major corporation in your com-munity, teacher in the local college, etc.

2. Gather the community to share experiences of at-tempting to start relation-ships in the community. Share the community con-cerns and issues they heard.

3. Instead of offering just money during church wor-ship, church members are invited to write the names of the people they have es-tablished relationships on

a piece of paper and put that in the offering plate as well. During prayer time, the community is invited to pray for each one of the per-sons named.

With the earthquake/tsu-nami/nuclear disaster in Ja-pan still fresh in our mind, here is a project that every church should do to build up its currency of relation-ship.

1. Invite people in your community to a gather-ing on disaster prepared-ness. Make sure you invite people from different seg-ments of your community – residents, local businesses, civic organizations, schools, sports clubs, religious com-munities, etc.

2. Engage people in a dialogue about how the re-cent disaster in Japan had impacted their lives. What are their fears? This is espe-cially important to help chil-dren to deal with their fear having seen the destruc-tions in media.

3. Invite representatives

from the local Red Cross, fire departments, hospitals and police departments to inform the gathering of what to do in case of a di-saster. If there is an exist-ing up-to-date emergency procedure, review them. If there is not, invite the community to take steps in creating these procedures—where to go, what to do, what communication tech-nology is available, etc.

4. Engage people in a dia-logue on disaster prepared-ness. Here are some ques-tions to consider:

a. In case of disaster, what resources and skills do I of-fer?

b. What resources and skills does my business/or-ganization offer?

5. Most importantly, help people in your community to get to know each other and connect locally, build-ing relationships that are mutually supportive. It is essential that church mem-bers be fully present by engaging in the dialogue, sharing what gifts they and the church bring to the community in case of an emergency.

6. Ultimately, it is the relationships that we have with each other that will get us through any disaster. In this spirit, invite people to come back, perhaps month-ly, to continue the network-ing and dialogue.

Relationship: Involving people outside the church community Continued from page 3

COURSE V





Currenc

y of

Tru

th

Currency ofWellness

Money

Currency of

Currency of

Money

Tim

e & Pla

ce

Curre

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f

Cycle of Blessings




COURSE V

HolyCurrenciesEmergent Conversa-tions on Money and Sustainable Ministry

We will be offering this course at Ka-leidoscope Institute Northeast on June 15 & 16, the only time this year it will be available. Come join us at the Trinity Conference Center in West Cornwall, Conn., for Kaleidoscope Institute Northeast, where we will be offering both Course IV, “Emerging Grace: Missional Ministries in the Grace Margin,” and Course V, “Holy Curren-cies: Emergent Conver-sations on Money and Sustainable Ministry.” For more information, see pages 15 and 16 of this issue. To download a flyer and registration form for Kaleidoscope In-stitute Northeast, please go to http://tinyurl.com/ki-ne-reg-11

NEW BLOG% Executive Director Eric H. F. Law’s new blog, “The Sustain-ist,” is updated every Monday around 1 p.m. Pacific Time. Please check in and sub-scribe. http://ehflaw.typepad.com/blog/


Please see Process 6

TRUSTT H E

PROCESSCreate a Grace Margin. Enter the

Cycle of Gospel Living. Keep doing

these, and amazing things can

happen; our journeys can become

transformational and developmental.

By Bill CruseAssociate and East Coast Program Coordinator

‘Trust the process.” That’s what Eric has been saying to me for several

years. He’s referring to the KI way and that one shouldn’t worry and get in the way of how the tools and theories work at transform-ing community and build-ing relationships. A good friend, mentor and bishop also told me the same thing about my discernment process for the Episcopal priesthood. Trusting the process is something I’ve had to make part of my way of life: like behavior modifi-cation. It might be possible for this to become part of my “rule of life” if I would take the time to create one in a disciplined and spiri-tual way.

So how have I taken Er-ic’s short phrase, or mantra, and made it my own? How does it apply to the work-shop facilitation and design that I’m doing full-time with KI? One way is by cre-ating a Grace Margin with the clients who contact me. I listen. They tell me what’s going well, and what their struggles are, and what their hopes or goals are. Together we enter the Cy-cle of Gospel Living. I am perceived as the powerful. I give up that power and listen - the miracle of the ear. They feel powerless, perhaps, and speak - the miracle of the tongue. We travel in this cycle, each lis-tening and speaking. In so doing we discover together the journey God invites us to take. Then we invite their community into the Grace

Margin, and the journey takes on a life of its own. No one is “in charge” of the outcome. That’s up to the movement of the Spirit. I share the KI tools, skills, theories and models. That’s what does the work, not me. I trust the process. I don’t think about Grace Margins and the Cycle of Gospel Liv-ing. I don’t use those terms with the people who invite me to be with them; at least not right away. I trust the process and know it will be a journey for them and for me.

When I’m working with other KI facilitators I try to create a Grace Margin for our planning and prepa-ration, too. As we discuss,

we explicitly and implicitly practice Mutual Invitation and live the gospel cycle: listening, speaking; listen-ing, speaking. We trust the process and build commu-nity that will be with us as we enter the community of the workshop. We offer by example the love of one another, loving as Christ loved us. We share Respect-ful Communication Guide-lines, Mutual Invitation and Kaleidoscope Bible Study. We trust the process and lay a grace-filled foundation and walk on sacred ground where dialogue is not just possible but nurtured.

I had the pleasure and good fortune to work with a community in transi-

tion in Connecticut. Last year the priest-in-charge of the Spanish language congregation attended the Winter Institute. In June his colleague, the priest of the English-language congregation, and two lay leaders—one from each congregation—attended KI-East. The four were ex-cited and felt empowered and equipped to share the KI tools with the commu-nity. They struggled to find ways to bring the two into one united in common mission and ministry. The mostly Puerto Rican con-gregation began using Re-spectful Communication Guidelines, Mutual Invi-tation and Kaleidoscope Bible Study and was expe-riencing new energy and transformation. The An-glo congregation was not as welcoming to the new tools. Attempts at starting vestry meetings with Kalei-doscope Bible Study were met with intense resistance. But yet the leadership trust-ed the process and used the tool at the conclusion of meetings for those who wanted to stay. Gentle signs of change began to emerge. But fear was blocking some from being “infected” with the different approach. My four wonderful friends trusted the process.

Lent was approaching and they wanted to intro-duce a series of weekly gatherings for both congre-gations together. But how and what? We exchanged emails and met via con-ference calls. A vision and


Process: Trust the tools, skills, theories, and models Continued from page 5

plan emerged. I would join them on the First Sunday of Lent for worship and then a lunch and work-shop. The congregations worshipped separately in their languages. Respect-ful Communication Guide-lines, Mutual Invitation and Kaleidoscope Bible Study were the Liturgy of the Word and the Sermon. More people shared in the dialogue process and were pleased with the approach. The lunch and workshop also gave time for more community and trust building as we explored the History Timeline exer-cise and shared strengths and struggles in the large group in two languages.

I left them that after-noon knowing that some-

thing new was emerging for them. We all trusted the process and started on a journey of individual and group awareness. My four friends planned four work-shops on weekday evenings in Lent. Sometimes they used the KI material as presented, and sometimes they modified it to fit the situation and timeframe of the meeting. By the final program something trans-formational had occurred. Here’s what they wrote to tell me:

“We decided to do bilin-gual KI Bible Study along with a game to learn each others’ names. It was re-ally fun. We rehearsed the Respectful Guidelines and then we did the name-learning game. By the time

we were finished everyone had a pretty good handle on all the names! Then we asked them to divide them-selves into groups of four with a mixture of English and Spanish speakers in each group. Worked like a charm. Somehow every single group did its study bilingually. And we didn’t even work to arrange for translators. We used the first verse of the Isaiah reading for Sunday which refers to listening and teaching and asked the sec-ond question: What role do you think listening and teaching may play for you in the future of [our parish]? We did the study then came back into plenary and gave opportunity for people to share what they had found

in the passage. Then we did a big closing circle with the two phrases: In these four weeks I have learned... and I thank God for.... Success. I, myself already feel much more at ease with the Span-ish speakers, and I know that others of the Anglos who came feel the same way. [My fellow priest] and I have come closer together while working on this. I think that although not as many people as we would have hoped attended, there is a better foundation now for the upcoming discus-sions about the future of the parish.”

When we trust the pro-cess amazing things can happen. Our journeys can become transformational and developmental.

Participants in the first-ever Kaleidoscope Institute Course IV: “Emerg-ing Grace: Missional Ministries in the Grace Margin” met March 3–4, during the Kaleidoscope Winter Institute at the Cathedral Center of St. Paul in Los Angeles.

A PRINCETON PRESENTATION

KI Executive Director Eric Law presents a workshop at the “Bring Wolves and Lambs Together” conference, held at the Princeton Theological Seminary in Princ-eton, New Jersey, in February.


The Spanish-speaking congregation of Pasa-dena Presbyterian

Church (PPC), Hogar Cris-tiano (Christian Home), expressed interest in us-ing the Kaleidoscope Bible Study (KBS) as part of their Sunday morning worship in December 2009. Its pas-tor, the Rev. Luis Madrigal, had observed the Rev. Eric H. F. Law effectively using this method when Kalei-doscope Institute (KI) was hired to teach multicultural communication skills to PPC leaders of Anglo, Ko-rean and Latino church traditions during most of 2009.

The only thing different here was that Pastor Madri-gal wanted KBS to be taught in Spanish and teaching it in a way that was culturally relevant to his multi-nation Latino congregation. KI had tried developing a Spanish translation of all of its ten modules in the past—and at best, these translations were quite literal. This means that Anglo culture

and thought processes re-main dominant in the text, even when it is translated into another language. It also makes the material sound awkward and con-fusing. Many examples used to describe the Bible study sounded irrelevant to the cultural groups of the church.

Pastor Madrigal contact-ed KI and agreed to have Elizabeth Mateo and I con-duct two training sessions over a two-week period in February of last year. We used a lecture-and-practice mode the first evening and a coaching session the sec-ond. Both Liz and I pro-vided free follow-up obser-vation sessions in May and June, 2010. Hogar Cristia-no leaders were trained on KBS fundamentals, but Liz and I incorporated cultural-ly relevant stories and train-ing examples that made more sense than what the modules emphasized.

What we noticed during the two days of training last year was the congre-

gation’s struggle to accept a method not rooted in straight lecture or a free-for-all group shoutout about the Bible. What held the internal struggle in place was realizing that order was kept throughout the study and that everyone felt included. During the first coaching session, Liz and I witnessed much ca-tharsis from church mem-bers who felt liberated to express themselves and be heard, especially Latina women. Many participants

cried during the discus-sions. Eric suggested later that allowing this to hap-pen during KBS was good; healing was a necessary component to learning more about Scripture and the God we worship. While some leaders later adapt-ed KBS to their particular learning or teaching style, most attempted to follow the method as it was origi-nally taught.

Spanish KBS was in-corporated following the

Inculturation, not translationThe Pasadena Presbyterian Church uses KBS, but the training sessions for their Spanish-speaking congregation were adapted with culturally relevant references, instead of using direct translations of the original English.

By Oswald “Oz” Pérez

Lucía Maldonado-Medina Grace Margin

Participants at the Kaleidoscope Bible Study training at the Spanish-language congregation of the Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Please see KBS 8


Spanish 10 a.m. Sunday service. Groups were orga-nized and the study usually lasts 45 minutes. Members will then share a commu-nity meal prepared by the church and will head home for the day. Altogether, the three hours they spend in worship, community and study creates a healthier perspective for the week’s activities. Latinos undergo much stress during their daily lives.

After following this schedule for most of 2010, Pastor Madrigal again con-tacted KI for additional training. This time Ho-gar Cristiano had grown in membership and in strength to learn how KBS could be put to use in specific church situations where some difficulties had developed. We looked at different dates and chose April 10 and 17, 2011 to pro-vide the training.

There were some differ-ences from the year before. The training would take place on a Sunday morning immediately after worship service when KBS is usu-ally held. The first Sunday of training was scheduled in an adjacent classroom of the San Francisco Theo-logical Seminary (which is on the same church cam-pus) and would include a new group of leaders. In 2010 we trained eight leaders; this time thirteen people participated. Eliza-beth Mateo could not ac-company me this year, so I chose Norma Guerra (who had recently trained at KI’s Winter Institute 2011 in Los Angeles, as did Pastor Madrigal). The second day of training on the follow-ing Sunday was scheduled at South Hall, their usual meeting place after ser-vices. Norma and I would coach the leaders into se-

KBS: Inculturation lecting their groups and following the method we taught the week before.

The first day of training turned out to be both excit-ing and rewarding. Hogar Cristiano leaders had many questions about how the KBS method works. Nor-ma and I answered them as we demonstrated how KBS skills apply to their questions. Other partici-pants wanted to know how to respond when someone spoke out of order or did not limit their participa-tion to a few minutes. We offered several options on what to do, but always em-phasizing that group lead-ers maintain the respect and integrity of their study group. Leaders also liked the idea that empowerment was not about being dis-courteous.

The first day of training we were accompanied by Pastor Madrigal and was completed in about one and a half hours. A mo-ment of great significance took place after the train-ing, when all thirteen lead-

ers and Pastor Madrigal surrounded themselves in a circle of prayer to offer support to one leader who had just been diagnosed with cancer. There was a strong sense of relief and inner healing in the person we prayed for. One week later, I caught up with her at the coaching session and she literally glowed from the experience of the week before.

On the second Sunday, Norma and I met the lead-ers, along with the rest of the congregation, in South Hall to oversee each leader directing a study group. Groups of 3–4 people con-verged all over South Hall and began KBS with much enthusiasm. As it is cus-tomary, some leaders were ready to jump right into the material and correctly follow the steps outlined in the study. A few needed more direction in getting started. Once this was done, all groups began a very fo-cused study of Matthew 21:1–11.

Continued from page 7

Please see KBS 9


The Kaleidoscope Institute is a not-for-profit organization, a sub-sidiary of the Corporation Sole of the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Board of Directors:

ç Clare Bangao-Zabala, Treasurer

ç The Right Rev. Diane Jardine Bruce, President

ç Nancy Bullock, Secretary

ç The Rev. (Bishop) Grant Hagiya

ç Bill Hawkins

ç The Rev. Norman S. Hull

ç The Rev. Dr. Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook

ç The Rev. Eric H. F. Law

ç Daniel Valdez

ç Bill Wood

840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026-4209

www.kscopeinstitute.org [email protected] 800.366.1536 ext. 216

Where are KI folks going in the next few months? April 30–May 3, 2011: “The Leading Edge”: Middle Collegiate Church, New York, N.Y. Associate: Eric LawMay 3: Clergy Conference, San Pedro, Calif. Associ-ate: Eric Law May 6–7: Riverside Presbyterian, Big Bear, Calif. Associate: Eric LawMay 10: Kaleidoscope Board Meeting. Associate: Eric LawMay 12–14: “Behold! We Are Many, We Are One: An Intercultural Conference,” Vancouver, B.C. Asso-ciate: Eric LawMay 18: L.A. Diocesan Meeting, Los Angeles, Calif.Associate: Eric LawMay 18–19: Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, N.J. Team: Eric Law & Bill CruseMay 20–22: School of Theology, Sewanee, Tenn. Associate: Eric LawMay 22: Princeton Theological Seminary, Prince-ton, N.J. Associate: Bill CruseMay 25: PTS, KI Facilitators’ Meeting. Associate: Eric LawJune 3–4: Chicago Presbytery, United Church of Christ, Chicago, Ill. Associate: Eric LawJune 9: Deanery 3, Diocese of Los Angeles, Los

Angeles, Calif. Associate: Eric LawJune 12–16: Kaleidoscope Institute - Northeast, Trinity Conference Center, West Cornwall, Conn.Team: Eric Law, Bill Cruse, and local KI Associates and FacilitatorsJune 22–26: KI Homecoming, Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles, Calif. Team: Lucky Lynch, Eric Law and local KI Associates and FacilitatorsJuly 2: United Church of Christ, Tempe, Fla. Associ-ate: Eric LawJuly 11–15: Vancouver School of Theology, Van-couver, B.C.: “Blessings Beyond Borders: Missional Ministries in the Grace Margin.” Associate: Eric LawJuly 25–27: KI Summer Institute, Los Angeles, Calif.: “Fundamental Skills for Building Inclusive Community.”July 28–Aug. 1: KI Summer Institute, Los Angeles, CA: “Media & Faith.” Team: Eric Law, Lucky Lynch, Ed Lynch, and Horatio LawAug. 15–19: Kaleidoscope Institute Northwest, North Bend, Wash.: “Models & Processes for Commu-nity Transformation,” & “Missional Ministries in the Grace Margin.” Team: Eric Law, Stacy Kitahata, Kristina Gonzalez, Marcia Patton, and other KI Facilitators.Aug. 25–26: Virginia Theological Seminary, Alex-andria, Va. Team: Eric Law, Bill Cruse, and others

It was satisfying to see most leaders keeping the usual thirty-minute sched-ule, but everyone complet-ed the study and prayers within 40 minutes. Better still, all expressed feeling empowered in hearing and discussing Scripture in a different way. Norma and I will visit Hogar Cristiano af-ter Mother’s Day and hope to see further progress. We can also expect additional questions to spring forth out of their experiences.

I want to thank Pastor Luis Madrigal for giving us the opportunity to train

and develop his leaders. Thanks and kudos to Nor-ma Guerra for being an outstanding facilitator and teacher. Finally, my grati-tude always to KI staff— Lucía Maldonado-Medina’s divine gift of photography, Desiree Glover for her fan-tastic administrative work supporting these efforts and Eric Law for sharing the gifts of his wisdom and knowledge in creating KI basic skills (such as KBS) so more people can experi-ence a deeper understand-ing of Scripture in their lives.

KBS: Last year, this year Continued from page 8


As of July 2010, KI has celebrated its fourth birthday. That means we have gone through a three-year cycle of studying the Gospel lessons. Starting in Dec. 2009, in Advent, we invited our readers to begin a new cycle of studying the Hebrew Scripture lesson for the next three years. If readers want to stay with the Gospel lesson, they can go to our newsletter

archives on our website. For questions tied to the Gospel for Year A, please review this section in the 2008 newsletters. (The questions for the Season of Easter actually use the texts from Acts, not the Hebrew Scriptures.)

Kaleidoscope Bible Study QuestionsSUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR MAY 15–JULY 10, 2011

May 1 (Easter 2):: Acts 2:14a, 22–32% As you reflect on this passage, what comes to mind about what is required of today’s Christian witnesses?

May 8 (Easter 3):: Acts 2:14a, 36–41% What do we learn from this passage about how to be true to God’s promise?

May 15 (Easter 4):: Acts 2:42–47% As you consider the description of the early Christian com-munities described in this passage, what similar actions and sentiments do you want to cultivate in your community?

May 22 (Easter 5):: Acts 7:55–60% Where has your faith community witnessed injustice?

May 29 (Easter 6):: John 14:15–21% Where in the life of your community do you experience the presence of God’s Spirit?

June 5 (Easter 7):: Acts 1:6–14% What question would your community put to Jesus in person?

June 12 (Day of Pentecost):: Acts 1:6–14% Does your faith community need to listen to others or speak to others? Why?

June 19 (Trinity Sunday):: Genesis 1:1–2:4(a)% What is being created in your faith community?

June 26 (Proper 8):: Matthew 10:40–42% How could your faith community be more welcoming?

July 3 (Proper 9):: Genesis 24:34–38, 42–49, 58–67% How does this story challenge our understanding of love and marriage?

July 10 (Proper 10):: Genesis 25:19–34% What did you learn from the relationship between Esau and Jacob?

We suggest that you st udy one of the lectionary texts for the following Sunday. This way, the participants will go to church on Sunday having already listened and

reflected on one of the readings for that Sunday. These questions are suggestions only. As a leader of the Ka-

leidoscope Bible Study process, you need to keep the theme of the biblical text and the context of the participants in mind as you determine what is the most appropriate reflection ques-tion for your group. (Go to our website at www.kscopeinstitute.org to download the Kaleidoscope Bible Study process.) There are also Bible Study questions available at Eric H. F. Law’s new blog, “The Sustainist,” at http://ehflaw.typepad.com/blog/

Questions for May 1–15 by Lucky Lynch; May 22–June 26 by John Pomeroy; July 3–10 by Eric H.F. Law

Princeton Seminary launches new initiative in cultural proficiency

Princeton Theological Seminary has launched “Navigating the Waters: Pathways to Embrac-

ing Diversity,” a three-to-four-year cultural proficiency and diversity competency initiative that will in-clude all of the institution’s constitu-encies. The seminary, through its Office of Multicultural Relations, has been researching cultural proficiency and methodology programs and orga-nizations that address diversity com-

petency, and has contracted with the Kaleidoscope Institute of Los Angeles to facilitate the program.

Cultural proficiency is a “way of be-ing that allows individuals and orga-nizations to interact effectively with people who differ from them,” says Victor Aloyo, the seminary’s director of multicultural relations. “In any or-ganization, it is the policies and prac-tices, and the values and behaviors, that enable the organization or the

individual to work and live together effectively in a culturally diverse en-vironment. Cultural proficiency is reflected in the way an organization treats its employees, its clients, and its community.”

Aloyo says that Navigating the Wa-ters is the first and to date the only intentional, comprehensive cultural proficiency and diversity competence program among theological seminar-ies of the Presbyterian Church (USA).


When conducting a workshop re-cently, there were

questions about Mutual In-vitation. This group of loyal practitioners of the Kaleido-scope skills and tools want-ed to clarify exactly when and how to use Mutual In-vitation. When considering my answer to them, the im-age that came to my head was that of a choreographer. The artist of dance under-stands the rhythm of the music and incorporates ap-propriate steps and move-

ments. Our meetings have a certain rhythm that in-cludes speaking and listen-ing. For a vestry and church council meetings use MI for your first item. Then select a few other agenda topics where you know it is essential that everyone’s in-put is included.

“But when can we have crosstalk and ask clarifying questions?” they inquired. After everyone has had an opportunity to “weigh in” on the topic, open the conversation up for fur-

ther considerations and questions. If some people are impatient and aren’t comfortable with waiting until everyone has initial-ly voiced their thoughts, encourage them to write down their thoughts and questions until everyone has had a chance to share. The use of Mutual Invita-tion is not easy for many of us who thrive on the verbal energy created by lively ex-changes. This tool does not eliminate lively exchanges, it simply asks that a few

people resist dominating the conversations and no-tice those who have not been included. It is always interesting to hear from members of groups who fi-nally get an opportunity to contribute.

Take on a choreogra-pher’s mind and consider the rhythm of the sounds of speaking and listening. You may discover that your meetings become more fluid and you will have cap-tured the diverse voices of the community.

By Lucky Lynch

Mutual invitation: Listen to the rhythmMUTUAL INVITATION » PART 2 IN A SERIES

Eric, I am home from the Course 1 that fin-ished today. I told

Lucky I thought it was better than any of the three weeks I did last year. Lucky and Bill C. did a fantastic job of en-gagement with the 30 partic-ipants. They were very ably supported by Elina Rodri-guez and Shenandoah Gale. Nine were from Our Savior’s and there was a member of the bishop’s staff (Greater Milwaukee Synod elca). The Methodist from Minne-sota also added a great deal. I hope to be present in person for the May board meeting and also to attend the re-union.

—Bill Wood

Hi Eric,I hope you are do-

ing well. I am so hap-py to see your ministry grow-ing and expanding.

I’d like to ask you to give me permission to use your resource for my ministry in Ladysmith, B.C. I am going to use the short play, “A dia-logue between two children of God” in our worship ser-vice on Sunday, and I am going to use “Module 9: Are the ministries of your church balanced?” for our congrega-tional retreat on April 2nd. This is an ongoing retreat to make our church to be more welcoming and inclusive community.

I found that my congrega-tion appreciates your ideas

Recent letters to KI and resources very much.One of the good things

that is happening in my church is that our Board decided to [implement the]

“Respectful Communication Guidelines.”

Both my wife and I are go-ing to [the] “Behold” (confer-ence at Vancouver School of Theology in May), and we are so excited about the event. Thank you for your leadership and gifts for the United Church.

Blessings,—Min-Goo KangLadysmith First United

Church, United Church of Canada, Ladysmith, B.C.

Dear Eric: A note of profound

gratitude for your presence and guidance with us on Tuesday. What a gift

you brought to the gathering. Your insights were tremen-dously helpful and you fed us in such a deeply meaningful way. Your words, insights, and thoughts were alive in the room for the remainder of the time. ...Thank you so very much for working with us by Skype and iPhone—and for offering your servic-es at no cost. We are actively exploring ways to continue partnering with you... There is so much we can gain from you as we continue to strengthen our multicultur-al ministries. I’m looking forward to connecting with you in the near future. With gratitude

—Rev. Alicia R. Forde Program Coordinator for Multicultural Congregations Identity-Based Ministries and the Office of Racial and Ethnic Con-cerns , Unitarian Universalist Assn.

12 May/June 2011 grace marginKI 2011 CALENDAR: COURSES

In a fast-changing and diverse world, what skills do leaders need to prac-tice in order to create more inclusive

environment in which people of diverse backgrounds and experiences are wel-come and no one person or group is dis-advantaged? In this foundational work-shop, the Kaleidoscope Institute staff will guide participants through a practi-cal and spiritual journey toward becom-ing interculturally competent leaders in a diverse changing world.

Topics to explore:

% What is culture, and why are there cultural differences?

% Cultural differences and their im-pacts on our leadership

% Theological reflection on multicul-tural leadership

% Skills, models and processes for building inclusive community

% Developing a spirituality for leader-ship in a diverse, changing world

% Power dynamics in multicultural environments

% Intercultural Sensitivity Develop-mental Theory

% Small group ministries using KI skills and processes

(This course is used by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles to satisfy the anti-racism training requirement for all leaders in the diocese.)

Come to one of our training institutes offered across the United States this coming year.

COURSE I

Fundamental Skills for Building Inclusive Community

COURSE I

Fundamental Skills for Building Inclusive Community

Mutual Invitation



Respectful Communication

Guidelines

KaleidoscopeBible Study

DialogueMedia

PowerAnalysis

Gospel Cycleof Living

InterculturalCompetency

July 25–27, 2011Kaleidoscope Summer Institute

Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles, California

Register online at www.kscopeinstitute.org

May/June 2011 13 grace margin KI 2011 CALENDAR: COURSES

Based on our Executive Director’s experiences in working inten-sively with over 300 churches

in the U.S. and Canada over the last 15 years, the Kaleidoscope Institute staff will teach the two principal models for assisting local communities to achieve faithful change in response to a diverse, fast-changing environment.

Participants will gain an in-depth un-derstanding of the “Grace Margin” in which community members can ex-plore new ideas and fresh expression of ministries in a gracious environment.

Participants will also learn and prac-tice the principal congregational con-sulting tool, the Process for Planned Change, and how KI resources and other processes can be incorporated into this model to create the most ap-propriate consultation design.

For the KI Northwest workshop, we will spend significant time exploring the use of the Intercultural Develop-mental Inventory and the Develop-mental Model of Intercultural Sensitiv-ity, and how it impacts the utilization of our transformation model.

COURSE II

Models & Processes forCommunity Transformation

August 15–19, 2011Kaleidoscope Institute NorthwestRainbow Lodge, North Bend, Washington

In addition to Course II, this Institute will include parts of Course IV: Emerging Grace, and a reflection process using the

Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI)

Prerequisite: Course I, or the equivalent

To register online, please visitwww.kscopeinstitute.org

COURSE II

Models and Processes for Community Transformation

Assisting your community to move toward change constructively and

faithfully in response to our diverse and changing world.



GraceMargin

Process forPlannedChange

For more informationon any of the courses listed on these pages,please call 800.366.1536, ext. 216,or e-mail [email protected]

14 May/June 2011 grace marginKI 2011 CALENDAR: COURSES


COURSE III

Media & FaithCreating Audio-Visual Electronic

Media to Build Inclusive Community


connecting cyberspace with sacred space

high touch

high tech

Enhance Communication of FaithCreate Illuminated Space for Worship

Empower Communities

The goal of this 4½ day workshop is to create audio-visual electronic me-dia as forms of art to:

1. Enhance communication of faith;

2. Engage people in meaningful dia-logue;

3. Create illuminated space for wor-ship;

4. Empower individuals and commu-nities; and

5. Build more inclusive communities.

This practical hands-on workshop, coupled with theological and ethnical reflection on the impact of computer technologies on media, art and com-munity, will give participants a strong foundation for increasing their compe-tency as a leader in our diverse and fast- changing world. We will explore how we can use audio-visual electronic me-dia as forms of art. Just as the church had used paintings, stained-glass win-dows, sculptures, music, and archi-tectural forms to create sacred spaces, we can use electronic media to do the same. Questions to explore:

% How can we bring together the gifts of both older and younger generations for Christ’s ministry using electronic media?

% How can we re-vision our fellowship to include reaching into cyberspace where the younger generation forms communities?

% How can we connect cyberspace with physical sacred space where people of all generations can move from a “high-tech” virtual community to a “high-touch” fellowship of Christ?

July 28–August 2, 2011Kaleidoscope Summer Institute

Cathedral Center of St. PaulLos Angeles, California


May/June 2011 15 grace margin KI 2011 CALENDAR: COURSES

COURSE IV

Emerging GraceMissional Ministriesin the Grace Margin

Fear

Maintenance

Holding onto Power

Grace

RelationalAuthentic

Fresh Expressions

SharingBlessings




This course is a series of dialogue ses-sions engaging local church com-munity leaders to:

1. Gain a deeper understanding of the values and perspectives of the so-called emerging generation— unchurched, relationally focused, seeking authentic spirituality and suspicious of centralized authority;

2. Address fears from church mem-bers if their community is moving towards becoming missional;

3. Create a “Grace Margin” for church members to emerge out of their old paradigm into a missional way of thinking about church;

4. Generate ideas and support fresh ex-pressions of their ministries out in the Grace Margin;

5. Learn how to be authentically them-selves as they interact faithfully with the emerging generation; and to

6. Share blessings across the genera-tions.

To invite a Kaleidoscope Institute fa-cilitator to come to your church to fa-cilitate this dialogue program, contact us at [email protected] or call 800.366.1536, ext. 216.

You can also come to one of our train-ing institutes to learn how to facilitate this program in your own community.June 12–14, 2011

Kaleidoscope Institute NortheastTrinity Conference Center, West Cornwall, Conn.

Prerequisite: Course I, or the equivalent

August 15–19, 2011Kaleidoscope Institute Northwest

An abbreviated version of this course will be presented at the KI Northwest Institute, Rainbow Lodge, North Bend, Washington



16 May/June 2011 grace marginKI 2011 CALENDAR: COURSESCOURSE V





Currenc

y of

Tru

th

Currency ofWellness

Money

Currency of

Currency of

Money

Tim

e & Pla

ce

Curre

ncy o

f

Cycle of Blessings




This workshop will examine how money as a currency of exchange has become the principle valuing system of our life, work and ministry. We will name money as a prin-

cipality and power that seeks to be a god and steers us away from the God of truth and grace. In order to recall money to its original calling, to serve and support human community interchange, we will engage participants in dialogue about other kinds of currencies that support the Kingdom of God:

% Currency of time and place,% Currency of gracious leadership,% Currency of relationship,% Currency of truth, and% Currency of wellness. How do these currencies connect with each other and

with money leading to sustainable ministries? We will take our clues from the Bible and from the revolutionizing world of “freeconomic” and “freemium” financing sparked by the innovation of the internet and the World Wide Web. We will move toward utilizing what we called “GracEco-nomic” to create sustainable missional ministries.

To invite a Kaleidoscope Institute facilitator to come to your church to facilitate this workshop, contact us at: [email protected] or call 800.366.1536, ext. 216.

You can also come to our training institute to learn how to facilitate this program in your own community:

June 15–16, 2011Kaleidoscope Institute NortheastTrinity Conference Center, West Cornwall, Conn.


KI’s 2011 CALENDARJune 12–16 at Trinity Center in West Cornwall, ConnecticutKI Northeast % “Emerging Grace: Missional

Ministries in the Grace Margin,” and “Holy Currencies: Emergent Conversations on Money and Sustainable Ministry.”

June 22–26 in Los AngelesKI Homecoming % A chance for KI graduates to

return to L.A. to network, share workshops, and receive the latest training materials.

July 25–27, in Los AngelesCourse I: See page 11.

July 28–Aug. 2, in Los AngelesMedia & Faith See page 14.

Aug. 15–19: North Bend, Wash.KI Northwest % Courses II, IV, & the “Development

Model for Intercultural Sensitivity.”

To register, please visit www.kscopeinstitute.org and click on the “Donate/Register for upcoming courses” button.

MAY/JUNE 2011 Vol. VI, No. 3 margin KALEIDOSCOPE...

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