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Program: WISDOM OF GANDHI |
Note to Ministers
We strongly encourage you to make the fullest use of in-home spiritual study groups in the “Wisdom of Gandhi” series. The study groups can be facilitated by lay leadership within the church and do not require “experts” to guide group process. Study group participants are asked to complete each weekly reading assignment in Eknath Easwaran’s book, Gandhi the Man, and to reflect upon the weekly study questions (published in the Sunday Bulletins) in the light of their own personal life experiences.
The In-Home Spiritual Study Group format enhances the seven-week series in several ways:
- Study groups are a form of “small group ministry”; and provide members with a sense of belonging to a smaller group community, which in turn, helps them to stay engaged in the larger church community.
- Study groups offer a second avenue (in addition to the minister’s talk on the weekly theme) for in-depth exploration of the Wisdom of Gandhi. Study group discussions of weekly reading assignments and study questions lead members not only to a powerful understanding of the spiritual wisdom embodied in the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, but to the next step: incorporating the wisdom of Gandhi into daily spiritual practice. As Gandhi himself said, “I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.”
We recommend that in-home spiritual study groups meet for 1 1/2 - 2 hours each week and involve no more than 10 members per group; allowing everyone time to share in the discussion.
The Facilitator’s Guide for In-Home Study Groups for the Gandhi series includes:
- Seven sets of weekly study questions plus extensive facilitator notes to assist in leading the group discussions.
The notes focus on the key concepts from the reading assignments, giving participants a deeper insight into the themes in the Series as well as some practical spiritual “tools” for transforming their own lives. On some weeks the reading assignments are so rich that there may be more Study Questions than can be addressed in one meeting. In that case, groups will need to choose the questions that are the most important to them to discuss at their gathering.
Again, the group discussions should be based on the reading assignments and participants own reflections. At the close of each meeting, we recommend that you distribute copies of the weekly study questions with facilitator notes to all study group members to give them material for further thought.
- Selected materials to aid group facilitation – Creating the Sacred Circle Experience, Ground Rules, Facilitation Hints and Listening.
The above materials do not constitute a complete guide to facilitation of small groups.
You can also obtain a Facilitator Training Manual developed by Patricia Keel at www.spiritmatters.com .