SRI LANKA WORKSHOP ON TSUNAMI WORK LED BY LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF STAFF MEMBER, PRABHAT FAILBUS
Baltimore, March 10, 2005 -- In the midst of the relief work of the tsunami catastrophe in Sri Lanka, Lutheran World Relief staff member, Prabhat Failbus, led a workshop to talk about vision and mission in tsunami efforts with the National Council of Churches of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International.
Taking a couple of days out of a busy schedule, some 25 staff members of NCCSL/ACT gathered to talk about vision and mission. The two-day long workshop was a necessary pause after a heavy two-month workload brought on by the tsunami that struck Sri Lanka on December 26 last year. The workshop gave staff the necessary time to relax a bit, but also to work on building staff capacity. "We need to serve the people, and we need the capacity to do it effectively and efficiently," said Failbus.
In leading the workshop, Failbus challenged the participants to think about vision and mission. At the end of the first day, he summarized the areas on which participants needed to focus. The first was the individual level: "Who am I and why am I working at NCCSL/ACT?" Secondly, participants were asked to discuss the organizational level: "The importance of having a vision and knowing what we are doing." Competence levels were the third topic of discussion: "What skills do I need to do the work?" Finally, participants discussed the reality of the society within which NCCSL/ACT serves: "We have to justify what we are doing."
The secretary general of NCCSL/ACT, the Rev. Jayasiri Peiris raised important issues related to the council's work at the beginning of the workshop last week on March 3, encouraging everyone to reflect on the question of how Jesus met the poor and those in need.
"He became a servant," said Rev. Peiris. "We might be doing a lot of good things, but now is the time to make sure that we do not miss the goal. And make sure that we don't make people more dependent on donors than they were before the tsunami."
Rev. Peiris pointed out some necessities to reflect on: fellowship, learning from each other and the necessity to focus on a vision.
The two days saw many discussions related to the values of why people do what they do and the way in which the work is done. Personal values and how it should correspond with values in the workplace were explored, while the participants were asked to reflect on reasons why they worked specifically for NCCSL/ACT and whether the answer was that their own values were practiced within NCCSL/ACT.
"Sometimes we stand at a crossroad and don't know where to go," said Failbus, "but with a clear vision and mission based on our non-negotiable values we should know the way."
LWR is a member of ACT, Action by Churches Together International, a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
Jan-Åke Thorell, ACT field communicator, contributed to this report.
WAVE OF GIVING™: The need for relief is undeniable. The need for long-term assistance also is a necessity. Lutheran World Relief launched a long-term rebuilding effort for the countries of South Asia affected by what some people have termed the worst disaster in history. The initiative seeks to raise at least $5 million dollars to rebuild lives, create livelihoods and restore dignity to millions affected by the tragic events of December 26th.
WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
For more information contact Emily Sollie at esollie@lwr.org or 410-230-2802.
