Guest Blog - Debra Buenting from YWAM's International Communication Network

Miranda and I have been in meetings this week as part of an ad-hock YWAM Global Communication Team. We are working to advise and lead YWAM in issues surrounding communication in our mission. Miranda invited me to submit a guest post to her blog, so I welcome the opportunity to briefly consider communication with you.

The word communication comes from the Latin word, "communis." By looking at other words that come from the root, we get an insight into what communication really is. Common, communion, communicable, commitment, committee, community.

Communication is the primary means we have for connecting with others, for creating and maintaining relationships. We have at our disposal complex forms of language (which includes both spoken and written), as well as the language of gestures, facial and other physical expressions, non-verbal vocal sounds, and as our choices in clothes, cars, art, furnishings and many other things that reflect our unique personalities and communicate who we are.

In the beginning God spoke the world into existence. Just as God communicated and the world came into being, so we create realities when we communicate. As communication scholar Quentin Schultze (2000) wrote in his brilliant book, Communicating For Life: Christian Stewardship in Community and Media, “When we communicate, we create, maintain, and even change shared ways of life…Every time we communicate we creatively exercise God’s gifts by contributing good or bad practices of culture.”

It is helpful to view communication as THE tool for building relationships. The Bible is a record of God relating with individuals and societies and them relating with Him. It is often called God’s love letter because it is a primary tool we have for learning what He is like and how He relates to us.

We know that Jesus was a great communicator. He was unimpressed with the power structures of His day by those who used communication to dominate and conquer. Jesus demonstrated alternative a lifestyle as He loved those that society considered unlovely. He touched. He spoke words of forgiveness and healing. He encouraged. He gave up power to model servanthood. And instead of writing systematic volumes of theology or trying to implement His ideas through religious or political power structures, He told parables. Parables are nothing more than compelling stories that rely on indirect communication to share ideas and facilitate redemption.

Jesus used the technologies available to him during His time on earth. Remember when we took the boat a little way out so He could address the crowd? He was using the water as His megaphone to amplify His voice.

Jesus healed people’s bodies and spirits. When He healed the deaf and dumb, He was also healing their ability to communicate in a culture that made it difficult for people with physical challenges.

God created you to be a communicator. When you do it well, you are being who God made you to be and are helping redeeming a central element of the universe.

Blessings, Debra Buenting

I can't say it any better

I (Miranda) am at the Global Communication Team meetings in Harpenden, UK, this week. I will post more in the next couple of days about what this team is all about and some of the issues we are discussing.

In the meantime, do check out this post from a friend currently in Zimbabwe. She summarises some of the communication challenges for people working in a country in crisis such as this. Remember: we still have YWAM staff working in Zimbabwe!

EuroCom meets in the Netherlands

This week Martial has returned to Cape Town from Kigali, where he was teaching on the School of Communication Foundations ... more from him in a little while. In the meantime, Miranda has been attending meetings at YWAM Heidebeek in the Netherlands. People from the International Communication Network have come over from the States to be with YWAM communicators from all over Europe to discuss the ongoing development of EuroCom, the communication team for YWAM Europe. She writes:

EuroCom came together 3 years ago, starting from a very different point to the one AfriCom experienced 3 years before that. Whereas we started with a core team in one location and now have the challenge of building the network around the continent, they started with a group of communicators located in different parts of Europe and now need to create a core team that can coordinate a common communication strategy for the whole field. This week's meetings have been crucial because Jeff Fountain, the Field Director for this part of the world, is transitioning out of his role in the next 12 months and we want to have EuroCom in a solid place before the next director is in post.

The discussions started out a little 'murky', as is often the case in situations where a number of different players with different perspectives first come together. But as we worked through the agenda we found some clarity. One of our main goals was to develop greater understanding between the communicators and the leadership and in this it was very helpful to have those from ICN bring their perspective and paint the bigger picture of YWAM's communication strategy. It helped for me to describe the journey AfriCom has been on since 2002 and to highlight the main lessons we can draw from the way our Com Team has developed. Our other main goal for these meetings was to identify a core team coordinator for EuroCom and to describe the structure of the network across Europe. This we also succeeded in doing, identifying Rodney Blevins here at Heidebeek as the coordinator. The strength of having him in this role is the good working relatonship he already has established with Jeff.

There were a number of very techie people at these meetings. This is a great strength of the particular group of communicators we have in Europe and there is potential for them to help enormously in finding technical solutions to some of the communication challenges we have in other parts of the world. For a big picture person like me I tend to find the tangents of detailed discussion surrounding IT solutions a little tedious; I like to keep everyone focused on why we do what we do. But hey, we need both and we had a very talented group together for these meetings ... I for one am inspired to keep plugging away at helping YWAM to communicate more effectively!

AfriCom at UniQuip

This week AfriCom has been participating in a UniQuip event being held at the Muizenberg training center. UniQuip is a University of the Nations initiative to help develop YWAM staff around the world by offering a series of training modules as well as corporate teaching times. At the event this week, hosted by Maureen Mernard, we have trainers from the International DTS Center and other experienced teachers offering modules in subjects ranging from public speaking to running a successful outreach.

Events such as these are great opportunities for a Com Team such as ourselves to network with others to help strengthen YWAM staff. Large gatherings are also an ideal environment to catch up on stories coming from the various ministries represented. This week Miranda is helping to run a module on Marriage, Family & Ministry - a look at how to balance the needs and demands of parenting and marriage within a ministry context. The group is a wonderful mix of African, Asian and Western staff members and leaders, which has led to colourful discussions about how we see the roles of men and women when it comes to family commitments. By the end of the week we hope to walk away with some deliberate changes in mind to help both men and women function in more of the fulness of what God has called them to as individuals and as a family team (well, that's the plan!).

And while we are energized by these meaningful and important discussions, Martial is in Kigali, Rwanda, teaching on the School of Communication Foundations. He's having a great time with the small group of 7 students. We are excited about this partnership with YWAM Burtigny, a base well known for their communication training, and with YWAM Kigali, a strategic center in East Africa.

Southern Africa Conference

At the end of September 220 YWAMers from over 20 bases or ministries gathered together to attend the YWAM Southern Africa mainland conference. These meetings are geared to strengthen, encourage and motivate through teaching, worship and fellowship.
Evelien attended the conference on behalf of AfriCom and found that her conference experience gave her a great opportunity to meet with God, and with other people. The bases and ministries represented all gave presentations that together created a wonderful picture of what is going on in the mainland region of YWAM Southern Africa. There is a wide variety of ministries spread throughout South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana, all with great stories to tell ... so keep reading the blog for more! The venue at the Kruger Park base was beautiful, peaceful and close to nature.

Sarah Lanier was the guest speaker for the week. Sarah is the author of "Foreign to Familiar", a book which focuses on intercultural communication; her teachings were extracted from both the pages of her book and personal experiences.

Staff members who attended the conference each took something home with them - a story from another location that inspired, encouraged and motivated; a teaching that brought clarity on working cross culturally; or a reminder to stop and evaluate one’s ministry. We hope they also took home a sense of excitement about the upcoming School of Field Journalism and Communication Consultation (CRIT) … and that, when back in their respective locations, they look at their pretty promotional postcards, are reminded of Evelien’s presentation and seriously consider joining us for one of these great opportunities!