Over the past four months I have had the privilege of learning from the wisdom and experience of people who have been working in disability ministry all over the country. I have gained insights into the priorities and the strategies that these experienced professional have shared with me. I have also had an inside look into how committees work and how professionals communicate with each other in order to work toward a common goal.
During my rotation I have been able to be present for meetings for a committee that is just starting out, one that is ending, and a long standing one that is continuing to work together. From committee that is just starting out I learned the importance of defining your role as a group. On one hand when so many people come and work together, they bring a lot of very good ideas that can really help to accomplish the goal. On the other hand, with a lot of good ideas it can be easy to stray from one or a few specific goals. Being able to listen in on the brainstorming was an amazing experience, one that I will probably not have again in the near future. Being able to listen to a committee tie together all of these amazing ideas and prioritize them into a list and then sorting them into subcommittees was even more amazing as all of these ideas will one day soon be carried out. I think it is a true skill to be able to work on a committee and it is a true gift when a large group of people can listen to each other and be respectful of each other's ideas. It takes passion for the cause, respect for others, and good communication skills. I am thankful that in this stage of my professional growth I was able to witness this in a real way and to have professional examples of how to come together and work as a team.
