Thursday, March 28, 2013

Servant Leadership


Are You A Servant Leader?

Place a check in the box of each of the following questions that you would answer with a “yes.” 
If you can check more than seven of these, you may be well on your way to becoming a servant leader.
  • �  Do people believe that you are willing to sacrifice your own self-interest for the good of the group?
  • �  Do people believe that you want to hear their ideas and will value them?
  • � Do people believe that you will understand what is happening in their lives and how it affects them? 
  • � Do people come to you when the chips are down or when something traumatic has happened in their lives?
  • � Do others believe that you have a strong awareness for what is going on?
  • � Do others follow your requests because they want to as opposed to because they “have to?”
  • � Do others communicate their ideas and vision for the organization when you are around?
  • � Do others have confidence in your ability to anticipate the future and its consequences?
  • � Do others believe you are preparing the organization to make a positive difference in the world?
  • � Do people believe that you are committed to helping them develop and grow?
  • � Do people feel a strong sense of community in the organization that you lead? 
Servant leaders have a natural desire to serve others. This notion of having a calling to serve is deeply rooted and value-based. Servant leaders have a desire to make a difference for other people and will pursue opportunities to impact others’ lives — never for their own gain. A servant leader is willing to sacrifice self-interests for the sake of others. 


Servant leaders are excellent listeners. They are receptive and genuinely interested in the views and input of others.

 Servant leaders can “walk in others’ shoes.” They understand and empathize with others’ circumstances and problems.


Servant leaders are people who others want to approach when something traumatic has happened. They have developed a remarkable appreciation for the emotional health and spirit of others. They are good at facilitating the healing process and others gravitate toward them when emotional needs arise.

Servant leaders have a keen sense for what is happening around them. They are always looking for cues from the environment to inform their opinions and decisions.

Servant leaders seek to convince others to do things rather than relying on formal authority. They are naturally very persuasive and offer compelling reasons when they make requests.


Servant leaders nurture the ability to conceptualize the world, events and possibilities.

Servant leaders have an uncanny ability to anticipate future events. This is not to say they are psychic or always right, but they are adept at picking up patterns in the environment and seeing what the future will bring.

Servant leaders often are characterized by a strong sense of stewardship. A steward in an organization is responsible for preparing it for its destiny, usually for the betterment of society.


Servant leaders have a strong commitment to the growth of people. They believe that all people have something to offer beyond their tangible contributions.


Servant leaders have a strong sense of community spirit and work hard to foster it in an organization. They believe that an organization needs to function as a community.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

... heavy sigh ...

I have realized the injustice that was done through the SPRC committee in regards to the way we all handled (or failed to handle) the Adam Flores situation that arose at this time nearly three Easters ago. It's hard to believe it this will be the  third Easter  - the hurt is still so raw to me personally. The mention of the name Adam Flores still causes my heart pain and my stomach to flinch. I still see red after all this time. And what is worse is the part that the SPRC committee played, inadvertently played but played all just the same.

What SHOULD have happened was that Adam Flores should have been fired for indecent proposals/propositions to a lay member directly under his supervision. What SHOULD have happened was that charges on behalf of the lay member should have filed. What SHOULD have happened was to not let the attorney on the behalf of the church settle the case. THAT action let Adam Flores off WAY too easily. Adam Flores should have been prosecuted under the law and his records should ever more show that he IS a SEXUAL PREDATOR!

But alas.

Shame on us...all of us.

And now, three years later, there are members of our congregation that are "pining" for the "good ole days" of Adam Flores. There is one in particular, one who SHOULD even KNOW better, who is stating clearly to Pastor Roy that she longs for the return of Adam Flores. SERIOUSLY?! Trish, do I slap you around NOW? YOU of all people should know the damage he has done to not just one woman but a couple of women; ONE who lives  with you RIGHT NOW - who is so messed up that she is in the depths and bowels of depression, eating herself into obesity, and wallowing in self-loathing and self-pity. WHY?! Why, Trish, would you go to Pastor Roy and pine for Adam Flores?! For a SEXUAL PREDATOR!?!!!!???!!!

And me, me who was on the SPRC at that time, can say NOTHING to her. NOTHING! Remember how this blog started so many years ago - censured? Well, now I am censured again. Some stupid legal bullarky that states that we, as SPRC, cannot talk about the release of Adam Flores. Is SPRC a hat that I can NEVER take off? Is this something that I will NEVER be able to vent about, EVER?! Will I be prohibited from telling Trish what a goomba she is being for ever and ever amen, even when I'm not ON the SPRC?!??

This iS LUDICROUS!!!!

I did do a very VERY bad thing. I did go to someone who works for the Hampton City School Division and tell her, "if you EVER see the name Adam Flores come across your desk, do NOT hire him. Adam Flores is a SEXUAL PREDATOR and young girls do NOT need to be exposed to this man!" Was I wrong? I don't know. My heart tells me that what I did was right. That THAT man would even consider working as a teacher is just beyond my scope of understanding. He has been let go at three United Methodist Church's now ... his records SHOULD have a black balled mark, a huge stamp across his face, a horrible disfiguring check mark that forever travels with him in whatever career pursuits he endeavours upon.

But no ...

sadly, no ...

So I vent here...it doesn't help. I am still seeing red, seething inside, desiring revenge that includes not only emasculating the man but also turning him into an eunuch.

heavy sigh ...

... heavy sigh ...

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 42: What you can do today
What if - in advance of Hurricane Sandy - the churches along the east coast of the United States had embraced their calling as harbingers of hope in a climate crisis world?  What if they had recognized the critical role they are called to play as promoters of resilience?  Once again, Peter Sawtell's reflection, which draws from The Atlantic Magazine, David Roberts from Grist and the World Bank offers guidance for the church:  http://www.eco-justice.org/E-121102.asp

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 41: What you can do today
Reflect on the fact that the richest 20% of the world's population consumes 80% of the world's resources, and those who contribute least to the causes suffer most from the effects of climate change.  Pray for people living in poverty and affected by climate change.  Visit Peter Sawtell's eco-justice ministry website and review his March 2013 newsletters on Worship http://www.eco-justice.org/E-list.asp.  Consider how your worship can incorporate some of these suggestions, and how you can tell your community what you're up to.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 40: What you can do today
Take a shower instead of a bath, and try to limit your shower to less than 5 minutes.  If you already shower, consider taking a "shipboard shower" - turn the water on only to rinse.  Look into getting a more efficient shower with a "low-flow" showerhead.  An average bath uses 40-60 gallons of water; an average shower 17 gallons; a shipboard shower less than 5 gallons.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 39: What you can do today
Celebrate Earth Hour TODAY with millions of people around the globe by turning off your lights for one hour, beginning at 8:30 pm.   For more information, seewww.earthhour.org/.
Take it one step further by organizing or attending an Earth Hour event in your community through www.meetup.com/earth-hour-global.  For extra credit, get your city or town involved by joining the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour City Challenge.  Learn how at www.worldwildlife.org/focusearthhour.   More than 7,000 cities and towns in 152 countries and territories switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2012, sending a powerful message for action to save the planet. This year, more than 200,000 individuals accepting I Will If You Will challenges on YouTube to turn their symbolic action for the planet into an ongoing commitment to a sustainable future.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 38: What you can do today
World Water Day is observed today.  Learn about the global scarcity of safe water and sanitation and the effects of climate change on water athttp://water.epa.gov/.  Learn, too, about the collective, hopeful efforts to find solutions that affect millions of vulnerable people.  For example, consider this program coordinated by  International Relief and Development (IRD).  

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 36: What you can do today
Say no to bottled water and drink tap water.  Buy a refillable washable bottle to use instead.  More than 150 billion liters of bottled water are sold worldwideevery year. This contributes significantly to landfill and transport emissions.  To learn more about the environmental impact of bottled water, please seehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0 andhttp://www.allaboutwater.org/environment.html.  To eliminate undesirable chemicals and additives in your drinking water, purchase a low cost filtering system.  Did you know that the Grand Canyon has banned disposable bottles in the park?

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 35: What you can do today
America's national parks, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges are a treasure.  But only 1/3 of public land is protected from commercial development.  Click here to read how drilling is now permitted on land the size of California and Florida combined!  And don't tell climate hero Tim DeChristopher that one person can't make a difference.  Watch trailer for film "Bidder 70" and ask what you can do for our children's future: http://www.bidder70film.com/#!trailer/cxbx.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 34: What you can do today
Plant a tree.  One tree will absorb about a ton of carbon dioxide over the course of its lifetime.  Trees also provide shade that could reduce your air conditioning bill significantly.  The UCC's Mission 4/1 Earth effort includes planting 100,000 trees world-wide.  Find out how you and your congregation can participate:
http://www.ucc.org/earth/purchase-and-plant-trees.html.
MACUCC Green Congregations item (Level III, #13)

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 33: What you can do today
Don't eat any meat today, and see if you can cut down on the amount of meat you eat each week.  Meat production has a large carbon footprint, with 2.2 pounds of beef producing the equivalent amount of CO2 as an average European car driving 155 miles.  It takes 2,500 gallons of water and many pounds of grain to make one pound of beef for your table.  It's been estimated that if Americans were to reduce our meat consumption by 20%, it would be the equivalent of all Americans switching from a standard sedan to a Prius.  (See "ReThinking the Meat Guzzler," by Mark Bittman, New York Times, 1/27/08.)  For hundreds of free vegetarian recipes, visit http://www.bestveg.com/.  Also, see Anna LappĂ©'s Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do about It.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 32: What you can do today
With 350 parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere recognized as the sustainable limit, what is the "vocation of the church" now that the world is at 396 parts per million and headed to 450pp or much more?  In the 1950's and 60's the vocation of the church was to advocate for civil rights.  The engagement of the church changed the laws of the land.  What is God calling the church to do, to be, to become, to claim, to proclaim now?

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 31: What you can do today
100 years ago Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer expanded the Golden Rule
to include all living things.  Think of it as "Golden Rule 1.7."  Now, the fundamental ethical challenge for our generation is to recognize that future generations are no less our neighbors than those who live next door to us today.  Think of it as  Golden Rule 2.0.  If we treated future generations as our neighbors, it would be unthinkable for only six generations of humans to have burned over half the oil and gas reserves that nature took tens of millions of years to create.  How will your church live out Golden Rule 2.0?

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 30: What you can do today
Consider making creation care / earth stewardship / sustainability a focus for both adult education and Sunday School.  Earth Ministry  in Seattle has collected numerous helpful resources.  Consider using an environmental curriculum for Sunday School written by the environmental ministries team at the Congregational Church of Weston Massachusetts, UCC; or consider the Lenten Bible Study on Creation from the Anglican Communion.  Once again, the National Council of Churches of Christ has a terrific collection of resources that can be studied by your congregation.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 29: What you can do today
 Host a party with friends and neighbors to watch and discuss one of these films:
Carbon Nation: http://www.stonyfield.com/climate-change-movie-about-so-much-more 
Journey of the Universe: http://www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/ 
Forks Over Knives:  available via Netflix - our dietary choices affect not only our own life but the environment as well.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 28: What you can do today
Though it may be challenging to contemplate, think about greening your "final arrangements." Visit Greenamerica.org  or Greenburials.org for more information.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 27: What you can do today
How will your congregation mark Earth Day on Sunday, April 21?  Consult these resources from the National Council of Churches:http://nccecojustice.org/earthday/PastEarthDayResources.php.  How frequently does your worship emphasize creation care and invite earth advocacy as a spiritual practice?

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 26: What you can do today
Find the lowest carbon impact method of getting to church today (walk, bike, take public transportation or carpool).   Learning to reduce the amount of miles we drive is one of the most effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint.  The average person makes 44 car trips a year which are under a mile.  Calculate your carbon emissions from driving.  Try to maximize efficiency by doing shopping on your way home from work or somewhere else you have to go. When possible, walk or share rides with friends.  When you need a car, consider a local ride-share service such as Goloco or use ZipCar.  Consider the advantages of walking: a four-mile round trip by foot keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe (WorldWatch Institute).


Friday, March 8, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 24: What you can do today
Take some time to read Yale Divinity School graduate Scott Claassen's blog about his 11,500 mile bike ride across the country - documenting, talking and praying about climate change: http://carbonsabbath.org/.


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 23: What you can do today
Learn about http://climatesummer.net/  and  http://rideforthefuture.org/.  If you're in New England, find a way to help.  If you're elsewhere, discover something similar in your area or consider initiating a similar program.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 22: What you can do today
Learn about, use or start a local bicycle sharing program as has been done in Tulsa, Miami, Boston, Vancouver and other communities around the world.  To find out more, please visit: http://sandvault.com  

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 21: What you can do today
The number of innovative ideas about transportation available at theSierra Club's transportation page is unlimited!  Apply what you learn to reduce your personal carbon footprint.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 20: What you can do today
This is a hard one:  Keep your highway driving speed between 55 and 60 mph today.  For most vehicles, 55 mph is the most fuel efficient highway speed and will save you up to 20-30% in fuel costs compared to driving at 75 mph. Automobile emissions are one of the leading causes of greenhouse gases.  Don't idle your car at traffic lights and drive-up windows.  If you have to stop for more than 10 seconds, you will save gas and reduce greenhouse emissions by turning off your engine.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 19: What you can do today
Environmental justice has been a concern of people of faith since at least 1987, when the United Church of Christ's Commission for Racial Justice published a study, Toxic Waste and Race, and coined the term "environmental racism". Read more about environmental justice.


Saturday, March 2, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast


Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 18: What you can do today
War is harmful, costly and opposed to life in so many ways that its obviousness as a threat to a sustainable eco-system makes it at once redundant to state and easy to overlook. Today - be an advocate for peace - by any life-affirming means which feels right to you.  To learn more about the specific harm to the eco-system caused by war, read something by Michael Klare:http://www.tomdispatch.com/authors/michaelklare/  

Friday, March 1, 2013

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 17: What you can do today
One month from today begins Mission 4/1 Earth - a shared resurrection witness for Planet Earth during 50 great days of greening up, powering down, and shouting out. http://www.ucc.org/earth/  Initiated by the United Church of Christ, this campaign is open to all Christians.  Spread the word and make plans to engage the three goals: 1,000,000 hours devoted to Earth care; 100,000 trees planted worldwide; 100,000 advocacy letters written to elected officials and the media.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 16: What you can do today
More than likely, you know someone who is already affected by fracking. Spend 30 minutes learning about fracking:  http://thinkprogress.org/tag/fracking/.  Have a look at Yoko Ono's poster: Imagine there's no fracking . Learn how fracking releases methane, a greenhouse gas between 72-105 times as powerful as carbon dioxide.  Watch the movie Gasland: http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/


Lenten Carbon Fast

Annual Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Day 15: What you can do today
Keeping carbon in the ground - not just a personal fast from carbon but ending society's dependency on coal, oil and gas - "Is not this the fast that I choose...?" (Isaiah 58:6).  Since August 2012, a movement to divest from fossil fuel companies has taken off among colleges and universities and in December 2012, the Mass. Conference of the United Church of Christ voted to bring a divestment resolution to the UCC's national gathering.  macucc.org/divest   How can you support this? How can you prompt similar action in your faith community?