FACILITATOR’S Conversation Agenda

Introduction
These instructions are written for a small group of 5-8 participants gathered for two hours. If there are more participants, break the large group into groups of 5-8 and ask each group to follow your directions independently. If you will gather for less than two hours, strive to achieve the following: (1) reach consensus on the focus of the conversation, (2) discuss the selected issue so all have a clear understanding of the issue or understand what is not known about the situation, (3) reflect on the issue in the light of scripture and Catholic social teaching, (4) and discern what each participant and the group are called to regarding the issue; all in a prayerful way.

If the group comes to the gathering already knowing the issue to be addressed and preferring to take collective action to address it, consider skipping the issue identification, selection and situation sections below and move directly to reflection and discernment. Then, as part of discernment, include the process Building an Action Sandwich a description of which can be found at Keeping the Faith in Rural America at www.ncrlc.com. Upon completion, move to the closing prayer.

If the group has a community development focus, consider skipping the issue identification, selection and situation sections below and move directly to reflection and discernment. Then, as part of discernment, include the process Quick and Simple Asset Mapping, a description of which can be found at Keeping the Faith in Rural America at www.ncrlc.com. Upon completion, move to the closing prayer.

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Greetings, introductions and overview [approximately 5 min.]
1. Greet participants and ask each to make a name badge or tent, pick up an agenda (refer to Conversation Agenda) and help themselves to refreshments. Pass around the sign-up form for participants to indicate their name and email address. After all are present and seated, welcome all and lead self-introductions.
2. Please refer to the Conversation Agenda as I walk us through an overview of this conversation.
3. [State] We are called together this evening by our Lord. We join hundreds of others across the nation who gather around food from October 27 – November 11, 2007, to begin a conversation about food, where it comes from and who provides it. Organized by the National Catholic Rural Life Conference to celebrate its 84th anniversary, these gatherings are being referred to nationally as Keeping the Faith in Rural America: A local and national conversation. Our conversation here will focus on a related issue we select, that is important to us and, perhaps, this place, this community. We’ll examine the issue in the light of scripture and Catholic social teaching, and we’ll discern what our faith and the Spirit may be calling us to do collectively and personally about the issue. We’ll share our decisions with the National Catholic Rural Life Conference who will then synthesize the results of gatherings like this all over the nation and spread the word among us and others gathered during this time, with governmental leaders, other organizations. And, Catholic Rural Life will use the information as a way of planning its own future and programming. Are there questions about what we’re about today?

Opening prayer [1 min.]
1. As you light a centrally located candle, ask all to join you or your designated leader in the opening prayer (refer participants to Conversation Agenda)

Prayer for this New Beginning

Spirit of God, fill our hearts with a desire to seek truth and rejoice in beauty.

Help us to know what is pleasing to you
and to understand what is right and good in your sight.

Give us the spirit of learning that we may please you
by our thoughts and love you in your creation.

Give us your constant encouragement and guide us in this good work.

Spirit of God, make us effective witnesses of your truth
to all whose lives we touch.

We ask all of this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Amen

Issue Identification Process Overview [5 min.]
1. I will ask you to name issues that you think should be considered for discussion during this conversation. We will then vote on (or rank) each suggested issue without discussing them. The issue ranking the highest will be the focus of our conversation today. After selecting the issue we will focus on, we will share our personal understanding of that issue. We will then reflect on the relationship of scripture and the issue; then examine the issue, as best we can in the time we have, in the light of Catholic social teaching. We will then personally discern what, if anything, our faith tradition calls us to regarding the issue. Following that, we will discern together what we as a group or through other organizations are called to through our faith regarding the issue. We’ll conclude the conversation with prayer.

Clarifications [2 min.]
1. Are there any questions?

Issue identification [15 min.]
1. [State:] "The National Catholic Rural Life Conference has identified some general issues we may wish to consider this evening. (Refer participants to the appropriate handout.) But, perhaps, we can draw from those suggested, more locally specific and related issues we may wish to consider talking about this evening. Write on each of the small pieces of paper one issue that you think we should consider talking about today. Please be as specific as possible. Better than writing ‘water’ as an issue, you may wish to consider ‘the bottling and sale of groundwater that is a common good’ or ‘lack of town government action on global warming.’ Please list three to five issues and place them in the center of the table."
2. Ask a participant to collect the pieces of paper and to read them to you or another person who will write each issue on the flip chart (or similar) paper, large enough for all to read and number them consecutively. After each is written on the large paper, read each aloud and ask if each participant understands the issue. Tell participants that this is not a time to debate the issues, but simply to make sure each understands the issue listed. If someone is unclear as to what the statement means, ask whomever suggested that particular issue to briefly clarify it. When everyone understands all the issues listed, ask if there are issue listed that are so similar that they should be combined into one issue. Make it clear on the paper by editing or crossing out those that are being combined into another. Move on to issue selection.

Issue selection [5 min.]
1. Ask each participant to move one at a time to the list of issues and rank five that they think should be the focus of the conversation indicating the most preferred by writing #5 above it, #4 above the next most preferred, and so on through #1.
2. That issue which receives the greatest total value may be that issue upon which the conversation will focus. However, you may find that one or more individuals will feel very strongly that they CANNOT focus on that issue. If that is the case, you may wish to ask the group if all would be willing to address the issue with the second highest value. This process is only to narrow the list to those most preferred, not to be a hard and fast selection process. Move on to "The Situation."

The situation [30 min.]
1. Invite open conversation about the selected issue drawing from the participants their impressions and understanding of the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the issue. You may wish to ask, "What do you think are the two or three root causes of the current situation? Are their regulations, policies, practices that affect this? How does this situation and its causes affect people, their relationships, their environment? Are people being denied basic rights? What is not known about the situation that should be understood?"
2. Ask, Who might be considered poor and vulnerable in this situation?"

Reflection [25 min.]
1. Refer to the resource Scripture and Justice Reference and select one or more passages that you think most relate to the issue chosen as the focus of discussion and invite one or more people to read the passage(s). Then ask participants to silently reflect on the relationships between the passage and the issue. Ask, "What is God saying about Gods-self and this issue?" Share insights and responses among the group.
2. Verbally review A Catholic Rural Ethic which encapsulates Catholic social teaching. Then ask participants to silently reflect on the relationships between principles of Catholic social teaching and the issue. How does Catholic social teaching illuminate the issue? Share insights and responses within the group.

Discernment [10 min.]
1. With your understanding of the situation and after reflecting briefly on scripture and Catholic social teaching, consider prayerfully and silently how you might proceed to address the issue of this conversation. Consider direct service, self-help, education, organizing, advocacy for structural or situational change.
2. As a group, brainstorm without passing judgement on any single idea, alternative ways of addressing the issue of this conversation. After listing several alternatives, continue to #3.
3. Discuss as a group, the various alternatives. Ask "What do they do FOR the poor and vulnerable? What do they do TO them? And, What do they enable poor and vulnerable people to do FOR THEMSELVES?

Personal Action [5 min.]
1. Ask each person to complete the personal Action Response Form. Read aloud the statement to be completed…. "Upon reflection on what I learned today and my previous life experience, I believe my faith tradition calls me to the following action regarding the issue discussed today." Please encourage each participant to specify what they will do and by when they intend to do it. This will be most effective if you commit to following up with them by the date they specify to see how things are going… not to pass judgment, but to see what, if anything, you or others (including NCRLC) could do to be of assistance. Please ask each participant to place their Action Response Form in the basket (or other container for this purpose.) and collect and send them to NCRLC as suggested in the "Check List of Things to Do."

Collective Action [15 min.]
1. Come to a conclusion after discussing the following questions. "What can this group do to move toward the resolution of the issue discussed today?" What will the group do within the next two months to begin." Please complete and return the Collective Action Response Form as suggested in the "Check List of Things to Do."

Closing prayer [2 min.]

1. Present a small packet of seeds (preferably, but necessarily, mixed varieties) to each participant. And ask them to pray with you…

Blessings of Seeds

Dear Lord, You are wonderful in everything you do. In marvelous ways You take the full, rich life of the plant and carefully fold it into tiny seeds. You form the seeds according to many different shapes and sizes and colors, so that we can know what kind of growth will come of them. When they are placed in the earth they may look dry and dead, but when they are watered by the life-giving rain and nourished by the warm sun, they lose their lifeless look and grow in an almost miraculous manner. By the power You gave them, they take the dead minerals of the earth and build up the nourishing, tasty foods that are needed to sustain our lives.

These seeds that we hold in our hands, Lord, will not be planted in your fertile soil, but rather will be kept prominently to remind us always of this gathering, our commitments, and the life-giving promise we hold within ourselves. In marvelous ways, you take the full, rich experiences and knowledge of our lives and fold them within ourselves into germs of ideas waiting to spring forth when nourished and, like seeds, grow in miraculous ways never before imagined.

Dear Lord, accept these seeds of ideas and actions that You have given us. Bless them, and watch over them, and bring them to the full growth and rich harvest that You wish to bless us with.

But, should You not allow them to come to full harvest, we accept Your will humbly. We trust that You will nevertheless watch over us and make the seeds of grace that You have given us grow to flower and fruit in the full Christian life that You intend for us here and hereafter. Amen

-- Adapted from The Rural Life Prayerbook, National Catholic Rural Life Conference

Your support of Keeping the Faith in Rural America is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Bishop Ronald Gilmore, president, National Catholic Rural Life Conference