2013 Summer Missionary Conference
ACCOMPANIMENT NARRATIVE DISCUSSION SUMMARY
THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2013
WHAT “AHA!” MOMENT HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS THAT
INFLUENCES YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF ACCOMPANIMENT?
Group 1:
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“Sin against origin”
Differentiation: Separation of feelings, thoughts, moods
- Look at origin stories and ask, “Who am I in light of my narrative and
the others?” We don’t need to be limited to what stories say we are.
Global Church vs. Global Mission
- Language seems to imply mutuality instead of an active imperative.
Walking the wrong way in the Road to Emmaus story
Body remembers
How to accompany in seeing and identifying
- How to enter into a conversation w/ another community
Thinking about how little we think about origin/destination narrative
The name “missionary” is problematic
- Not enough dissonance from missionary
We change our language, but forget to ask our companions how they
see it
Challenge of accompaniment where there is such a large power
dynamic
Group 2:
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Salvation as creation healed changes everything
- Enlarges from personal salvation
Original sin – sin against our origin
Salvation
- FROM forgiveness of sin, individualistic, eternity
 Communal
 Holistic healing
 Now
 Concrete
Origin stories can be reinvented; Therapists help people rewrite their stories.
Group 3:
Accompaniment (we/they) is a journey. The ones who think they’ve got it are
the ones who stumble the most.
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Barbara Rossing – The stranger walking with people in the wrong direction
The couple ending service in Papua New Guinea [Rod Nordby and Nancy
Anderson] talk of the country being a patriarchal society, challenging
feminism in them.
Ending service means that they are not alone, people walking with them
in it.
Puerto Rican origin statue, (saw the statue at first, but never analyzed it) –
The fountain, mixture of 3 races and how they joined the journey in Puerto
Rico. The history of terrible violence, first to the Indians, then bringing
Africans in as slaves. Europeans benefitted from oppressing others.
Accompaniment as a work-in-progress, not a fixed document handed
down.
Walking alongside
One sees himself in Central African Republic almost as “neo-colonials” …
very rich, two cars
End of service from Tanzania: accompaniment works for “me” until it
comes to money. The understanding of what money is for, and how it is to
be used! The taking from one source (starving it) to do something else, if
that section had a crisis.
Group 4:
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Image of apple
Jesus walking with disciples in wrong direction
Group 5:
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Walking in circles
Jesus walking in the wrong direction
Stories of the mind
Where is the name?
Metanarrative
What is building the apple story now?
Group 6:
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Orientation & Rafael’s conversation
- 99 and the 1 lost sheep
 Emphasis: the 99 were not whole without the one
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 Shifted view on the 99, perception
 We need them
 We are missing something, they enrich us
Accompaniment on the condition that our companions follow our
guidelines, our proposal process vs. following our companions on the
wrong path as Jesus did
Translation of eternal life as life that lasts vs. the destruction narrative
Greek meaning of saved – means saved and healing
- Salvation is more of a destination in the after-life, but a process of
healing (not just emotionally, but physically, of the earth, our
relationships)
As the stereotypical oppressor (white straight male), what is my role in
accompaniment? How can accompaniment be played out by me
(network, research, sharing)?
DO ORIGIN/DESTINATION NARRATIVES IMPACT ACCOMPANIMENT? IF SO, HOW?
Group 1:
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Origin/destination impact how you see the world/church, if not make you
aware of the narratives of others, or maybe core issues that we talk about
differently
Attitude changing
- Attitude is everything – ATTITUDE = 100%
- Need an attitude of humility and respect
Can’t just accompany people, you want impact
- Sounds passive at times
Where we find our identity impacts accompaniment
Origin/destination is core to what we do
Origin impacts how you address problems/work rewards to goal
- We have to ask if we have the same origin narrative, if not…are they
compatible?
Origin/destination narratives serve as motivation
- We’ll never be on the same page, find how to learn to live and work
together
- It’s challenging to hear the silenced voices
Learn from other people and change, don’t see people as objects
Not cultural competency, to lean cultural humility
Ability to learn openness
Group 2:
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Salvation – Understanding: WOW!
Was disconnect…
Makes you enlarge your worldview, take responsibility
From individualistic  communal
Want more stories of how God is working
Swahili: “Bega Kwa Bega” – “Shoulder to Shoulder”
We’re already doing it!
Group 3:
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In Central African Republic origin narratives of slavery, colonialism, neocolonialism and economic colonialism impact everything
- People are stuck in their narratives
Tanzania in 14 years has experienced what people of color experience
here in USA
- Other people assign to “her,” “her” own narrative
- “She” was seen as rich
(Yes they do and left)
You can break the assigned narrative only with your family circle, not
more than that
Toni talked of the resemblance she shared with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,
president of Liberia, and her experience in Liberia
- Everyone thinking she is related to the president
- Toni was made to show war amputees that you can lead a productive
life
Colonialism and slavery
Desert wanderings
- No food
- Give us food to eat
Destination should be that we get there on our own two feet. The rich
uncle has died.
Group 4:
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For me, accompaniment has always been about narratives
- Relationship precedes the telling of narratives
The question is backwards – relationship must come first in order to share
stories and origin and destination narratives
- Accompaniment precedes these narratives
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Accompaniment is the relationship, origin and destination narratives are
the glasses/filters that impact how we treat…
- Origin and destination narratives are different for everyone and impact
how we enter into relationships
Hard not to think very specifically of our location where narratives are very
short-term
- Not clear what will happen within two years
- Maybe we have something to learn from that
There are some things that we cannot share – stories that the other will
never understand
- Stories, memories, history, customs
Perception in the U.S. that we have responsibility to intervene
Group 5:
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Filter…
Encourage a vision
Narrative  destination not too far ahead
Always a part…
Relationship…
Shape life….
Group 6:
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Maybe no, never thought about how the world came to be and how that
influences approach to accompaniment
Origin narrative as our background which gives us a cognitive dissonance
in our perceptions
- Approach to accompaniment may hinder or enrich our discourse,
action, perspectives
Personal origins have made a huge impact, but not necessarily origin in
the mass scale
Does it impact perception?
 Yes.
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Destination narratives encourage good behavior, serving the
earth/people
- We may not have to adopt each other’s narrative, but can still walk
together in the wrong path
Cannot separate cosmic from personal; macro shapes micro
From a U.S. perspective, our relationship with God is very individualistic
(God loves me, chose me), but God loves all, even those that have not
found him
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Destination – concentration, if you just find those few isolated people
that have not found God, the last components of our path on this
earth will fall together
- But how do you accompany in other matters: environment, society…
If we are walking in accompaniment, are we Jesus? Do we have the
answers? Are they walking in Jesus’ path? Is Jesus walking alongside us?
Japanese integration/interpretation:
- Born Shinto
- Married Christian, white dress by a priest
- Died Buddhist, funeral by a monk
Even when you don’t want to follow their path, there is something to learn
to enrich culture, faith, ideas
- The other way may not be wrong, but different
WHAT CHANGES FOR YOU NOW IN YOUR PRAXIS?
Group 1:
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Openness to hear others’ stories and be questioned/challenged
Cultural humility
Truly respect others
Owning one’s story/awareness of our own story
Figure out how to live, be vulnerable (without hiding who you are)
Why does being a Pastor in the U.S. have such a stigma?
Group 2:
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Post-colonial critique
- But we need to expand beyond accompaniment
Urgency
Origin narrative
- That all are precious children of God
- Each individual is important
- Americans need to hear more communal, they are too individualistic
Accompaniment – Emphasis is on human
- Need to have sense of transition
- Accompaniment doesn’t emphasize the transforming part
- Transformation: Real world hunger, poverty, justice
Action in the HERE and NOW
Local churches still have…..
Group 3:
Our group says that we hold on to God as our leader. We do not know
what the destination is.
Group 4:
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Narrative Theology in pastoral care
Group 5:
What hangs from your rear view mirror or your refrigerator door?
Group 6:
When getting to know someone, language is a huge component
- Having little/insufficient knowledge of language…it is hard to have
these deeper conversations
Before: Went on mission thinking our western medical knowledge is what they
need, want to hear. Was I imposing? Invited?
Now: Wait for invitation, listening to their concerns, what they are concerned
with.
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