| How to join Urban Vision community |
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Spaces of belonging and connection:Urban Vision has a variety of spaces for involvement and connection. We have a clear process for joining, but maybe joining is not for you: maybe you want to be connected in some other way?We have pretty clear spaces for belonging and involvement that try to take into account the sense of call on someone’s life, the purpose of each space and what that might look like in practice. These spaces also try to clarify expectations and intentions of each party – to minimise misunderstandings where possible. These spaces are not based on value or hierarchy in any way – but simply recognise that the closer in to Urban Vision, there are different levels of commitment, expectation and accountability. Clearly, these spaces are not making a judgment call on anyone’s worth, status or maturity – but merely on the specific sense of call to Urban Vision or elsewhere. The spaces respect and gratefully acknowledge the wonderful way people support UV through selfless acts like childcare for example; or, people offering their service for a time; or, those who live and breathe UV over the long term. Here, then, are the spaces and their descriptions. While the name for each space is only a name, the explanations will hopefully give some insight to the nature of each space. FriendsThe Friends space provides opportunity for people who want to respond to specific and practical team needs on a regular basis. A Friend of UV practically supports the life on the ground of a UV team through tangible support. There are so many wonderful examples currently – such as baking, child care, kids club help, prayer and financial gifts. Friends can live nearby or far away but still choose to be a support to UV in this way.GuestsA Guest lives in a UV household and offers their gifts and service to the life and activity of the team. While living in a UV home and taking part in many of the team rhythms, they are a gift to the movement and are not cajoled nor encouraged to join UV. This is kind of similar to a student’s ‘gap year’ or an international traveller. It’s recognised that as a Guest offers their presence to UV, they too receive a significant experience in community living and will pick up many skills and ideas that are integral to being part of team and home life. It is not intended that Guest’s continue their stay in a team home and be recruited for membership into UV – that still could happen though. Normally, the Guest would join for a year or less and are not expected to invest in the decisions and directions of UV.ExplorerThis covers anyone in the three formation years, which are each a one year commitment (see table below). Year one provides an overview of the movement, and years two and three continue to give greater depth and understanding to that focus. At the end of each year of commitment, a discernment time will ask the Explorer to consider their place of belonging for the following year.The first Explorer year starts with a new group of people exploring their involvement in UV. Explorers engage together with the values, practices and theological foundation of the movement, as well as getting to know others on an exciting journey of discipleship. An environment of action and reflection is used for the Explorer to discern if UV is to be their place of belonging. This time is spent exploring the charism of UV and letting God shape their call and vocation. In God’s upside down kingdom, disciples are those who are willing and faithful - not usually those who seemingly have everything together. People interested in entering an Explorer space in UV are encouraged to find out what they are getting themselves into. They may have experienced UV by being a Friend, Guest or through other connections but encouragement is given to find out about UV particularly in understanding UV values and how these match with their own. After discernment talks with team leadership, people wishing to explore UV are asked to spend some time with a professional counsellor to discuss issues around personal wholeness. The aim of this step is to recognise and foster a community of relatively self-aware people - rather than perfect people - who journey together in some degree of willing vulnerability. An Explorer will live in a UV home and take part in most relevant rhythms. They Covenant for that year and are invited to input into team decisions, but not usually decisions for UV as a whole. 2nd Explorer YearThere is no expectation that people need to, or should, carry on with UV - but it is lovely when people do continue on with us. This second year is another one year commitment, reviewable once again at the end of the year with a view to either moving on to something else, or continuing with Urban Vision into the third formation year.From our experience, and that of most communities round the world that we know of, this second year is often the hardest for people on their journey of community. For some reason, the second year, far more than the first, starts to really bring important stuff up for people. For instance, it is usually the year that the person has to confront any illusions they may have about community and so on. So it can be the most profound year of personal change, and when people choose to hang in there - it can make all the difference to their personal formation and discipleship. In short, it can be an absolutely crucial year for people to deepen their relationship with Jesus, their community and their neighbourhood. 3rd Explorer YearThis is the third year of UV Formation and is also a one year commitment. At the end of this year, a person will usually be pretty clear about whether they have a sense of longer-term call to journey with Urban Vision or not. By the end of this year, a person will have considered whether they will commit to a further three years with UV (become a Companion), which entails a greater level of commitment to the call of Urban Vision. CompanionA Companion seeks to embody the life and charism of Urban Vision during a covenant period of at least three years. Later, after a sabbatical year, this person may decide to continue with UV for a further six years until their next sabbatical. A Companion becomes part of the Urban Vision Council (Urban Vision movement decision-making and responsibility), which may meet at least twice a year (normally the day before each Hui). A Companion will usually exercise some team leadership and/or responsibility for weekly team and community rhythms or activities. Most Companions will take responsibility for pastoral care for those in UV formation. A Companion renews their commitment every three years and is expected to take a Sabbatical year after every six consecutive years of service. A word on FormationUV formation is one of the key ways people exploring UV learn what we about and become better equipped to serve and live a sustainable life of mission. It involves ten (or so) modules over a two year period that may include talkfests, readings, actions and hui. Topics will usually include aspects of theology, understanding a team’s context, spirituality, bi culturalism, activism, bible Study, story-telling, running community programmes, speaking to a group, non-violence (conflict resolution), personal wholeness and probably other topics too. A word on SabbaticalsThis is a very important time and is not necessarily fixed in stone for every seventh year (ie there may be significant reasons for having it a year earlier or later). We often have no idea how much we need this time until we embark on it. We’ve only recently put this kind of thing in place – many of us could have done with this some time ago! Anyway, the idea is that in the Sabbatical year the person is freed from any UV responsibilities and does not Covenant. It’s a time to freshen up and be freed to explore or study. The person is free to permanently leave UV without any expectation of coming back – though the person may well decide to come back and recommit for a further six years until their next Sabbatical.
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