This is the time of year when staff and volunteer leaders in the churches are working round the clock to product an Annual Report in preparation for the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting for Bethany will happen after our worship service on March 22.
Much is going on behind the scenes, including reviewing the past year (the written reports) and setting the stage for the following year – preparing this year’s budget, asking folks to serve on committees, groups and ministry teams and setting goals and priorities for the coming year. In my observation it is a stressful and exhausting time for everyone.
That’s why I was so delighted when Dana reminded me of a youtube video from many years ago that I have shown many times in worship services, small study groups, and meetings. But not for awhile because I had forgotten all about it.
It is from a TED Talk, and it’s called Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy. It’s just under 3 minutes, is rather tongue in cheek, and contains some things to think about.
The narrator says at the end: “Let’s recap what we learned:
If you are a version of the shirtless dancing guy, all alone, remember the importance of nurturing your first few followers as equals, making everything clearly about the movement, not you. Be public. Be easy to follow!
But the biggest lesson here — did you catch it? Leadership is over-glorified.
Yes it started with the shirtless guy, and he’ll get all the credit, but you saw what really happened:
It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader.
There is no movement without the first follower. We’re told we all need to be leaders, but that would be really ineffective. The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to follow. When you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to be the first person to stand up and join in.”
As I have been reflecting on this “wisdom” over the past 24 hours it has occurred to me that in the richness of our lives, it is likely we can identify with each of the roles named at some point in our lives … the lone nut (the dancing shirtless guy), the first follower, and the rest of the followers. I guess the wisdom comes from knowing when to assume each role.
The bottom line (as I see it) is … a movement (as the early church most certainly was … and should be now) needs all of the roles working as a team. Especially during times of change and upheaval, which, let’s face it, is pretty much all the time.
This Sunday, we explore two stories of Jesus – from Luke 7, a woman anointing Jesus’ feet at a dinner party, and his lesson to the disciples from Matthew 25 that “whenever you do this to the least of these, you do it for me.”
I will be reading the story of Emma Lazarus to the children. Emma was an American author who wrote the poem that is engraved on the Statue of Liberty “give me your tired, your poor …”
Emma's Poem: The Voice of the statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser & Claire A. Nivola
I am away from March 3-11 … Pat and I actually have time off together so will be travelling to St. Thomas to visit Alana, Matt and Murphy. We will also take a trip up to Southampton to visit my sister, (along with their two HUGE dogs Molly and Barkley) and stay at our favourite B&B (Chantry Breezes Bed and Breakfast). Perhaps we will even get a chance to walk the snowy beach.
You may get a few pictures.
Rev. Linda Yates will be guest preacher on March 8.
In the meantime … don’t forget to “Tell me something good …” and continue to fill our Good News Tree with good news … the God moments in your lives.
Blessings
Martha