The class schedule for this year is slightly different, because one subject will be presented in detail through the entire semester. Last February we were given a list of electives for the third year, and asked to meet with our Pastors to discuss them so that the Parish needs might be included in our decisions. The electives offered for the first semester included Catechetics, Liturgy, and Social Justice, and the electives offered for the second semester included Catechetics, Theology, and The Gospel of John. My Pastor would have preferred that I take catechetics (both semesters) because "we always need people in catechetics", which would have been OK with me since I have an interest in improving the RCIA program. I also talked to him about my interest in Bible study, which he agreed is also needed, and in the end I decided to take Social Justice followed by The Gospel of John.
Actually I seriously considered not attending this year. Everyone is supposed to meet with the director "at least once during the three year period" and I met with her before meeting with my Pastor. During this meeting she attempted to get an understanding of my interests by asking questions about my experience with ILM and my plans for applying what I've learned. It turns out that I was in a bit of a crisis regarding my participation with the program, which I also discussed with my Pastor during our meeting. My crisis really related to the fact that The Institute for Leadership in Ministry is intended to train (surprise) leaders, not followers. I am not a first person, front and center, let me lead that ministry kind of volunteer: I tend to hold back, avoiding the limelight and filling in the gaps by assisting others. I wasn't sure if I should attend another year, since I didn't (and never have) felt compelled to step into a leadership role. Essentially, I wasn't sure if I should take up space and resources that might be better used by someone more like my wife, who can't help but volunteer every time something needs to be done.
The ILM director pointed out that being a Christian meant "getting involved", saying that it wasn't intended to be a spectator sport. My Pastor noted that volunteers of all sorts are always needed, and I didn't necessarily have to take a leadership role. Before I talked to him I had already come to that realization on my own, but I was glad to have him reinforce that idea. So with that, my summer break is over and the ILM program gets under way again beginning next Wednesday evening. According to the welcome letter from the ILM staff, this year will be similar to last year with a paper due at the end of a series of weekly lectures. Again this year we were asked to sign the Learning Covenant, which is intended to clarify expectations regarding student attendance, reading assignments, written assignments, and classroom participation. The good news is that there are only four more papers to write, the bad news is that this is my last year at ILM, more good news is that as a third year student there are no Saturday classes ... YES!
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