How to build Diaconal Identity in our staff? How to implement diaconalvalues in everyday life?

How to build Diaconal Identity in our staff? How to implement diaconalvalues in everyday life?

Eurodiaconia AGM 20.-22. juni 2017

Conny og Svend Aage Hjelm, deacons

Eurodiaconia AGM 20.-22. juni 2017

Conny og Svend Aage Hjelm, deacons

”at Karens Place””at Karens Place”

In a daycare center – ”at Karens Place” - do they alwayscelebrate the birthsday of the guests if they now about it. The way they do it has been ritualised. Some on knocks on a glassand say ”Happy Birthsday” loud and clear, so everyone knowswhat is going on. The birthsdaycandle is lit and everyone arequiet for a short moment, while they in their mind are sending all their greetings to the birthsdaychild. Finally is said: ”We have lit this candle to celebrate your birthsday. You may take it back home and you can lit it in the year to come to bring you hopeif you are feeling sad or lonely.”

Example: Implementation of diaconal values

BackgroundBackground

1. Denmark has a long tradition for faith based organizations. Most of them established between 1880 and 1920, inspired by revival movements in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, such as Inner Mission. Often inspired by similar movements in England or Germany.

2. A variety of free, faith based organizations – tied up in laws and regulations by the government. (Don’t feel too free).

3. Nearly all organizations have a variety of centers: day care, long time care for elderly, foster homes, work training, hospices, kindergarten, homeless, etc. etc. You name it – we have it.

4. With a few exceptions they are supplements to public centers, run by state or municipality. And they are often smaller than the public ones.

5. Those who have cooperation agreements with state or municipality are working under the same conditions as similar public centers. Finances, wages, methods, neutrality in political, religious of sexual preferences, profession background of the staff, etc.

BackgroundBackground

6. The difference between public and faith based services has been described as “the added value” – or rather “the different value”.

7. Denmark is a secularized society. Although around 75 % of the population are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church there are a great deal of psychologist and social workers, who consider themselves as non-believers.

8. According to coordinating agreements does the faith based organizations have to give priority to candidates to vacant positions who have a formal relevant education rather than personal qualifications.

9. A specific service, for instance a shelter for homeless people, has very often a pastor as chairman and often more board members, who have a Christian belief.

10.Do the objectives of the center, chairman and a director ensure that a faith based centre is acting as a faith based centre?

BackgroundBackground

Discussion

Where do you have diaconal values in your everyday work?

What do you think creates a diaconal institution? What is needed to be a diaconal institution?

What role should Christianity have?

Diaconia in the public spaceDiaconia in the public space

In a danish society the religion is not a part of the public space.

How can deacons/diaconia work in this public space without loosing the relation to christianity?

Diaconia as a subject/professionDiaconia as a subject/profession

Definition of diaconal profession(Conny Hjelm, deacon Ph.D. student)

“The profession of diakonia belongs to the action dimension of Christianity and has the sole task of confirming unconditional humanity.”

It means among other things:• Diakonia is an independent profession in addition to professions as nurse,

social workers, teachers ect.• The aim is not conversion into a Christian belief• The aim is to restore equality, dignity and self esteem for those who have

been oppressed by society, circumstances or their own nature

Ritualisation as a method to implementdiaconal values in everyday life?Ritualisation as a method to implementdiaconal values in everyday life?

1. Ritualisation carries not in itself christian or diaconal values. It depends on the context. The values in the context colors the contents of the ritual. What is the content in a christian or diaconal ritualisation?

2. What requires to be a diaconal method?a. The possibility of a transcendent dimensionb. The christian view of human nature

i. We are created for community (not to be alone)ii. We are created to be different (diversity)iii. We are created to do ‘something’ – be active

c. The ritual has to contain the life as it is, not as it should be.d. The values of Christianity (Jørgen Husted, Danish philosopher)

i. Every single person has an essential importance (Math. 25, 31-46)ii. You have to set your life into action and to risk it (Math. 25, 14-30)iii. We all have the possibility to live a qualified life, some from the beginning of their

life, some from the middle and some just before closingtime (Math. 20, 1-16)

HospitaletHospitalet

I receptionen på hospitalet har man indført, at personalet over for enhver som henvender sig, løfter blikket og ’ser’ vedkommende og siger: ”Goddag, hvad kan jeg hjælpe med”? De ansatte havde længe talt om at kunne ændre på arbejdssituationen, således at de ikke følte sig som ansat i et maskinelt oplysningsbureau, men at de tilbød meningsfuld hjælp til de mennesker, man mødte. Man besluttede derfor at ritualisere den måde, som kontakten etableredes på.

What happens during ritualisation?What happens during ritualisation?

Rituals have 3 gifts: order, community and transformation (Peter la Cour, Danish Ph.D. , Specialist in Health Psychology by National Health Board)

1. The order of the rituala. It means: A structure is created where no structure isb. The situation takes shape and creates a way out of chaos, often by well known words or

action.c. “The ritual makes something unknown or unfamiliar known and familiar”

2. The ritual dimension of communitya. It means: The individual feeling of chaos is transformed into a common experience. b. You are no longer alone, but part of a group, who shares a common situationc. “The ritual makes a path in the wilderness”

3. The ritual make transformation possiblea. It means: It creates the hope for new things to come.b. You are no longer only locked up in your own fear or sorrow but connected to a

community of people who shares the experiences. A person may say or do something which may inspire you to do something.

c. “The ritual makes a footprint as one can follow”

A friend of ours, Aslaug Austbø, was a pastor in the cathedral of Stavanger in Norway back in those days where a bomb was brought to explosion in Oslo and almost a 100 young peoplewere shut down and killed in a summercamp at Utøya.The town was preparing a foodfestivL, ”Happy Meal”. Large banners on the main street announced the festival. And then came the terribly news about what had happened.The people behind the festival changed the message on the banners. They now announced”The Happy Meal festival is cancelled. The church is open”.People of Stavanger came to the cathedral, they quede up outside the church. Children, youngsters, parents, old ones waiting to go inside to lit a candle. The crowd grew larger and larger. The staff suddenly found themselves on the way to shops to buy more candles – and more candles. Books where you could sign up and write a little prayer were bought. Or theyfound themselves on their knees scraping melted candlemass from the floor.Here well known and proved elements from daily life in the church were instinctivily choosen and used as a way to transforme the individual experience of chaos to a new order.

”I am not alone anylonger because another human being is along side with me and in the mild face of this human being I see traces of God” (Diakonhjemmet)

Case: Stavanger 23.Case: Stavanger 23.Case: Stavanger 23.Case: Stavanger 23.----24. juli 201124. juli 201124. juli 201124. juli 2011

DiscussionDiscussion

1. Do you think ritualisation could be a method to implement diaconal values in everyday life? Why? Why not?

2. Can ritualisation used as a diaconal method in a diaconal institution (not church related) be a bridgebuilder to Christianity? Why? Why not?