Highlights of Talk Given by Joe Egan at the Annual L’Arche Canada Human Resources Meeting in Montreal November 2011

No one L’Arche entity can be an island unto itself. We must all actively belong to something bigger than ourselves if we want to live, grow and be faithful over time to our mission.

I am reminded of the first time I met Jean Vanier many years ago at Daybreak and he asked me a simple question: “Do you pray?”  His point was that we must have a source greater than ourselves if we hope to live L’Arche well and for a long time. It is not possible to do that on our own “power” alone.

So a key question that is always with us, both personally and as communities, is simply, “Are we willing to change?”  That question is often a real tough, if not impossible, challenge by ourselves. Why?

James Hunter in his book on “servant leadership” says it is because we must be willing to do the necessary work, take the necessary risks, and suffer the necessary pain in order to close the gaps between where we are today and where we need or want to be tomorrow.

I hope you know more and more how critical your role is for the health, growth and development of our communities.

We have always known from day one that there is no L’Arche without the Core Members. We also discovered in later years that there is no future for L’Arche without committed assistants. But what we still need to claim and deepen is the truth that our basic identity as L’Arche is as an intentional community where as members we create and build a common life together.

Just yesterday online, I saw a job ad for L’Arche, which said: “We are looking for people to live and work as residential support workers” But, unfortunately, we usually get only what we are looking for!

As you may know, we have learned a lot through the L’Arche International Commitment & Belonging process so far: 

• Belonging comes from being valued and appreciated.

• Belonging is a feeling which is experienced inwardly (or personally) while commitment and membership is expressed and affirmed outwardly (communally or publically).

• Being trusted, feeling valued, having my gifts recognized, making a contribution, participating in decision making, being given responsibility helps to create belonging and commitment.

• Members found more than they expected in the joys and challenges in living L’Arche.

• Yet we must continually be making an intentional choice to live and build community together.

• Perhaps there is some naivety about the challenge of what we’ve chosen to live as intentional communities– but are we still choosing it day after day?

• Are we still inviting and supporting members to live L’Arche as a calling or vocation and not just a “job” to be done?

If L’Arche ever becomes just a “job” for you and me and others, L’Arche will lose its identity and eventually die. But where is the tipping point?

We must be clear: membership is the key structure that allows people to belong to community and not only be employed by it. Membership is key to commitment and a sense of belonging. We must continue to implement the membership document and its vision if we want our communities to grow as L’Arche communities.

I hope that we are on a journey together where mutual relationships and membership are critical to that common journey. We must make the choice and claim that desire to belong, have it affirmed by the community through membership and be faithful together to our Mission over time.

As we know and have experienced ourselves, L’Arche has the power to change and transform us and our world, but only if we make a choice, claim that choice, nourish that choice and finally transmit that choice to others.

That is exactly what Jean Vanier has been intentionally doing for over the past 10 years now. I was one of 35 people at St. John’s Gospel session with Jean in September in Trosly for 10 days.

Jean is being very intentional in passing on to us the treasure of this gospel, which has so deeply shaped his choices and nourished his life. He is offering to us his understanding of the fundamental spirituality at the heart of his life and at the heart of L’Arche. Buy these talks, encourage people to listen to them, use them in formation and send people to Trosly.

We also plan to invite Michael Marie & Trish Reynaud from L’Arche Cuise in France to Canada next year to talk about Pere Thomas, whose story we need to know better in Canada as he too was at the very beginning. We need to be more rooted in our Founding Story.

Without all of this spirituality, L’Arche will die.  We must all know what makes L’Arche, L’Arche. We must all know the connection between what was and still is today in the heart of our founder and how that connects with what is in our hearts today. In the end, we cannot sit on the fence. We create our life together by the choices we make as members.

We must be convinced that living and building an intentional community life together, based on mutual relationships and trust in God, is a much needed sign of hope for our broken world today. May we be given that great grace to choose that risk together.

Advent is a never-ending invitation to us to prepare, to do some inner work and reflect more on our lives:

o To be open to receiving;

o To trust the desire in our hearts;

o To trust and hope in the promise of God that something new can be born in us and in our communities; and

o In the end, to say “yes” once again to our call to bring the love of God into our world today in a real and concrete way through L’Arche.

The Human Resources Workshop—Danielle Thibeault

From November 22 to November 25, 2011, 23 participants from 22 L’Arche communities (Western Region: 6 communities; Ontario Region: 8 communities; Quebec Region: 5 communities; Atlantic Region: 3 communities) in Canada attended the 2011 Human Resources Workshop, as well as, one Vice-Regional Coordinator and the National Vice-Coordinator. 

On the first evening together the participants were asked to come up with a slogan that would best describe the Human Resources Workshop 2011.  Here are the two winning slogans:   "Learning Together To Serve You Better" and "T.S.Z.".  As well that evening, Joe Egan gave an introduction to the group regarding our work together as human resource leaders.

The first full day began with a session on Teamwork called, "Developing Skills to Build Stronger Teams", which was led by two consultants, Amanda Hudson and Maggie Aurocco.  The participants appreciated the valuable tools given to them on how to give feedback.  The second session that day saw Peggy Keaney presenting to us the Leadership Development Project – Stage One and the latest findings following the surveys done in the summer.  For the final session of the day, Danielle Thibeault led a workshop where participants worked on a role description for House Assistants as well as desirable competencies for potential candidates.

On the second day, Denyse Burns, Professional Trainer, led a session on coaching.  The participants benefited from learning about their communication styles through DISC assessment and how they could use it when they coach others.

The final day saw Marie-Andrée Régnier, HR Specialist, lead a session on the interview process.  Participants had the opportunity to practice interview techniques.  In the afternoon, Danielle Thibeault led two sessions:  one where the participants reviewed the Application Management System, and another where they discussed the technology used today by people in L'Arche communities.

To conclude, the participants remarked that the topics covered were pertinent and that they were well delivered, especially the one on coaching, by Denyse Burns.      

Gratitude:

We wish to express our gratitude to Carl MacMillan, community leader and to the Daybreak community for hosting the recent International board meeting.  The board was grateful for the warm welcome and hospitality they received.  It was also an occasion to say thank you in person to Jean Christophe Pascal and Christine McGrievy, our International Coordinators for their service to the Federation.

Marni Davis, a confirmed member of L’Arche Greater Vancouver, has agreed to be the interim Vice Regional Coordinator for the Western Canada region until July. 

Many thanks also to Beth Porter and Jenny Prosser and others for all their creative work over many months on the iBelong/Jai Des Amis website.

We need your help:

As you are aware, the iBelong/Jai Des Amis website has been launched.  This news has been circulated widely throughout L’Arche and other organizations with which L’Arche Canada has links.  The reaction has been very positive.  The French Society for Down Syndrome is very impressed with the site.   We do need your help to spread the news of this website.  Please make the associations, organizations and schools, churches, government ministries and any other appropriate group in your area aware of its existence.  The message of how to create friendships is one that is desperately needed by so many!  Please spread news of this website!

New Websites:

With the help of Jean-Louis Munn, Jean-Immanuel Allard and Bernard Lebleu, the Foundation website has a new look. You can see it for yourself if you go to www.larchefoundation.ca.  Nathan will be writing a blog about once a week on this website so you may wish to subscribe to it.

Also, with the help of the above team and Jonathan Boulet-Groulx, L’Arche Haïti has a new website that was launched on December 3rd, the International Day of People with Disabilities : www.larchehaiti.org  By going to this link, you can have a look at it. 

Change is a certainty in life:

Nathan Ball recently announced that after months of reflection, he and his family will be moving to St. Louis, Missouri, his wife’s hometown in order to be closer to family.  This is a big decision for them as a family.  The L’Arche Canada Foundation has a committee exploring the possible options.  Dean has been in conversation with us regarding the impact that this has on us.  We will keep you posted as things unfold.

Sue Mostellar will soon be living a significant change.  Here is an excerpt from her note:

Immediately after Christmas I will be moving to a small convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Toronto.  Even though it’s my 40th year at Daybreak and I’m galloping towards 80 in a little more than a year, I find it hard to imagine not coming home here to my deep roots at Daybreak.  I love this place and I have nothing but profound gratitude for all that I have been given by the people here and in L’Arche everywhere.  Still in good health, I do however feel a need for more support for my daily living, and I realize that things will not get easier for me – or even perhaps for Daybreak – with time.   So, with prayer, the affirmation of my long-term accompaniers Mary and Joe Egan, the support of our Community Leader, Carl, and my Congregation, I will follow the deep conviction of my heart to make this necessary transition.

Sue will be attending four-month Scholars in Residence program in Collegeville, Minnesota starting in January where she hopes to write.  She has been in touch with Amy Demoulin, the community leader of L’Arche Toronto to begin her connection with one of the L’Arche homes in the area.

Prayers are requested:

Throughout the year, we have carried many people in the day to day of illness as well as through prayer.  There are several people whom we wish to ask for your prayers as they undergo treatments for cancer:  Landys Klyne, the vice regional coordinator of Western Canada; Jane Burke-Robertson, one of L’Arche Canada’s board members; and Lock Mawhinney, whose long history with L’Arche includes being the founding community leader of L’Arche Comox Valley.  Please carry these three people  in your prayers as they fight for their health. 

Another prayer request we bring to you is the Québec’s region work with the government to understand L’Arche and its impact so that they might received increased funding for the communities.  As we write this letter, they are launching a public campaign.  There are other communities in Canada which suffer from insufficient government funding such as L’Arche Comox Valley and L’Arche Saint John.  They, too, would benefit from our prayers as they continue their dialogue with their government bodies.

Personal comments

We have found these two years to be life-giving as we have served as your national coordinators.  We are grateful for your call to continue leading L’Arche Canada for the next two years.  We are grateful for the sense of collaboration that we have experienced with you in the past and we look forward to building L’Arche Canada together in the next two years.

Conclusion

Above in Joe’s talk, he spoke of Advent as a time where we are invited to open ourselves up to the invitation to receive God’s love in new ways and to say yes to sharing that love with those we know and those we don’t.  From the beginning of the story of Jesus’ life on earth, the phrase ‘Do not be afraid’ is said repeatedly to Mary, Joseph and many others.  As we accept this invitation and as we live it out, remember the phrase ‘Do not be afraid’ is for us today also.

Peace to each of you,

Joe and Hollee