"Let's Talk About It" with Rev. Nancy Conklin
On Sunday, September 20th at 7 p.m. we will gather via zoom for a refresher course on how we can conduct healthy and constructive conversations about challenging topics.
Whether it's at the dinner table, a pool party, a family reunion or a night out at friends, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, inevitably the conversation will turn to talking about the state of current affairs. Hopefully, it's not always the case, but often the conversation becomes quite contentious as differences of opinion flare. Wherever and whenever we gather as a family, as friends or co-workers or as a church family we do so, each with different experiences and perspectives. Yet, in the midst of our differences, it's our conversations that connect us as individuals and sustain us as a community.
How we communicate determines whether those conversations will wound or offer healing. If we simply dismiss each other's perspectives we will erode rather than strengthen our relationships. The purpose of healthy dialogue is to better understand each other’s experiences and viewpoints. The aim is not to prove points, convince others to change or to always reach agreement. Instead, constructive conversations provide an opportunity to discover, share, and learn, creating understanding and hopefully, finding common ground on which to build stronger relationships.
We all long for a more civil discourse in our world. Civility, in our world of change, is about moving forward while being different and even continuing to hold profound disagreement. We can do this through the work of the Holy Spirit at work within and among us that unites us in all our diversity.
So, let's talk about how we talk about our differences e they about social issues or our differences of opinions that may surface as we move forward together into the future God is creating for us.
For a link to the Zoom meeting please call the church office or email Lindsay Gottwald at lgottwald@thechpc.com.