Awake Leaders Reflect on the “Good Fruit” of Centering Survivors—and Plan for the Year Ahead
Last weekend, a group of 32 Awake leaders and committed volunteers continued the annual tradition of gathering online and in person to connect, build community, and consider big picture questions for the year ahead.
Awake’s staff members (l to r) Catherine Owers, Esther Harber, Sara Larson, and Meghan Fiebelkorn gathered in person last week in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
The in-person attendees of this hybrid meeting gathered at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, while the group of remote attendees joined from their homes across the United States. They included members of Awake’s Survivor Advisory Panel, Board of Directors, and Leadership Team, as well as other committed volunteers. The day began with everyone introducing themselves to the group and offering one or two words to describe what they value most about Awake. Adding to the challenge of settling on so few words, participants were also challenged to choose words not selected by anyone else.
Attendees used the following words to describe what they appreciate about Awake: compassion, intentionality, collaboration, dedication, care, prophetic role, diversity, joy, healing, support, hope, connection, independence, community, bridge-building, prayerfulness, empathy, necessary, survivor-centered, brilliant light, freedom, safe, fellowship, outspoken, accompaniment, well-informed, voice, lay leadership, attunement, and speaking truth.
Celebrating, Praying, Looking Ahead
The hybrid meeting included Awake leaders and committed volunteers from across the country.
Executive Director Sara Larson led an activity she called the “Good Fruit Report,” named for this scripture verse from John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
This was an opportunity for staff and volunteers in the Awake community to share specific positive outcomes of their work with Awake, which included many expressions of hope and gratitude from people who have experienced harm in the Catholic Church but are finding support through Awake programs.
As usual, attendees prayed together. One prayer opportunity was a Lectio Divina reflection of the Good Samaritan reading from the Gospel of Luke. Later, attendees broke into small groups to discuss Awake’s Strategic Vision and how existing programs—such as Awake’s Courageous Conversations, prayer events, communications, and blog—can best express those priorities in the year ahead. The day concluded with attendees sharing some of their personal goals for furthering Awake’s mission.
Awake is a community that strives to be compassionate, survivor-centered, faithful, welcoming, humble, courageous, and hopeful. We thank you for choosing your words with care when commenting, and we reserve the right to remove comments that are inappropriate or hurtful.
