Core Group minutes

Website Minutes of Manresa Link Core Group Meeting Thursday 9 November at Manresa House

Present: Nuala Graham (chairing)John Price, Maria Price, Caroline Homan (note-taker) Gerard Sutherland, Marina Manassei. Apologies received from Elaine Hutchinson. (It was a joy to welcome Marina to her first meeting. Juliet Fletcher was present until the end of item 3)

1.  We were led in prayer

2.  Minutes had been agreed previously

3.  Website and social media issues:

The conversation to include:

a)     The purposes of the website

b)     Future developments

c)      Social media

We wanted to consider how we could be helpful to the website manager, especially as we are so grateful for that work.

Purposes: 1. For present members to be informed

                    2. For people who did not know us to find out about our work and our training. (We heard of numbers who contacted  either about RiDLs, now sometimes individual ones or training through website)

It was helpful to have links with other groups both locally & in Ignatian world.

We were encouraged us to think through structures, especially those that would help those responsible for maintenance.

This would include receiving Core Group minutes, accepting that those going onto website had to be anonymised; dates of Core Group meetings to know when she might learn of new work, details of events, and any documents speakers were happy to share on website after meetings.

Newsletter goes to every member from but should there be an archive on website?

Prompts to look at website are helpful, these go on every newsletter

In members area, good to have spreadsheet of members including names, addresses, email & phone contact. We would investigate a report that when contacts list is viewed, the information is split over different pages – can it be set out on one page.

Good to have videos on website (They come through our You Tube account) and good to hear that the age, gender and ethnicity are being updated to be more inclusive.

We queried whether there should be a place on website listing up-coming RiDLs – dependent on host churches/ groups being comfortable with this

We were very grateful for the work that had done on Facebook, at present there was no-one to take this work forward after her resignation.

4.  Feedback from Autumn Gathering:

We were grateful for the emails of thanks received and for the list of the suggestions made in the plenary of the day (sent round again with minutes).

We were grateful to our guest speaker, especially when there were travel and technical problems, appreciating her non-threatening way of helping us to engage.

We revisited the ‘one thing at a time’ seeing this as not limiting ourselves to one are of bias but starting with one and spreading on so that our whole outlook was of growing to see all people as God sees them

5.  How do we share the experience of the Autumn Gathering:

We noted that many members did not attend and want to broaden our conversation:

It was important to have something similar, perhaps next year so that we could take further steps to become a more inclusive and diverse ML.

It would be good to include something on diversity and inclusion in the training course.

Also noted that The Forum is putting on a morning at St Paul’s Convent, Selly Park, on 22 June 2024 on Black Spirituality. It will be open to ML members, and this fits as part of our move towards awareness/inclusivity?

 6.  Preparations/ suggestions for future meetings:

We remembered that our Spring Meeting was a time to look at our inward journey and our Autumn Gathering a time to include some training.

We wanted to look at our use of imagery and about how we see the people we meet, based on recent similar input by  another forum.This would continue/develop our work on looking at our unconscious bias. Two members of the Core Group volunteered to take this forward.

Suggested venue Selly Park Convent

Suggested date: Saturday 27 April

 

7.  Reports:

i. From John: accepted with amendment to Fr  request that churches were to ensure follow up to a retreat should be that churches are encouraged to have follow up (report sent round with these minutes).

ii. From Caroline: accepted (report sent round again with these minutes)

8.  Discussion on check in practice:

Agreed to have a brief check in at the beginning of each meeting and that it would not be a time of discussion

Some notes from the St Beuno’s Conference on Spiritual Conversation to be circulated

9.  Portable Sound system to be purchased

10.  Dates of meetings 2024:

8 Feb, 16 May, 8 Aug, 7 Nov (all 7.30 – 9.00, all in Manresa House)

11.  AOB – We were asked if anyone had info on any RIDLs being planned beyond Queens, Hall Green and maybe Bearwood – there were none.

The meeting closed with prayer