Listening Team

THE LISTENING TEAM

In 2021, three members from Diocesan Council: Kim Arakawa, Tim Bostock, and Phyllis Miller, formed the Diocese's Listening Team. Their intent was to provide a grace-filled space to "listen" and discover emerging concerns and innovative ideas, as well as celebrate joyful successes around the Diocese, especially during critical times triggered by the pandemic.

From April 2021 through June 2022, they conducted 63 listening sessions across the Diocese. They spent time with 36 clergy and 177 lay participants who reflected and shared thoughts on seven open-ended questions centered on loss, call, support, spiritual food, identity, community, and joy. In addition, the sessions offered participants the opportunity to wonder together – What is God Calling us to do? Who is God Calling us to be?

The Listening Team then spent weeks analyzing and poring over the hundreds of pages of data – identifying areas of consensus on what respondents feel is working across our faith communities, where they see systemic stressors, what we, as a Diocese, may be missing or not affirming, and helpful “a-has.” That report was presented at Spring Training 2023 held in March, where participants were invited to take part in more exercies and activites with a relationship theme. (See Bishop's letter below.)

Below are links to the Listening Team's full report conducted in 2021-2022, and results from participant activties at the Spring Training event (Relationship Theme).

From the Bishop:

Diocesan Listening Sessions - Overview & Findings (Chronicle, March 9, 2023)

At Spring Training on Saturday, the Diocesan Listening Team (Kim Arakawa, Tim Bostock, and Phyllis Miller) introduced the full report of their findings from the listening sessions they conducted with all the vestries/bishop’s committees and parochial clergy of the Diocese from April 2021 through June of 2022. These findings can be viewed HERE.

Further, we will soon provide opportunities for continued Zoom conversations with the leaders of congregations to discuss the findings and to discern God’s mission for the Diocese. In addition, I will ask all congregations to invite our members to take the Innovation Culture Index (ICI), a short ten to fifteen-minute survey, to help us discern our collective willingness to take risks and to engage mission. These efforts will allow us to engage in some important dialogue about the future of the Diocese.

For now, I hope you will review the information from the Listening Team and raise your questions and concerns. Be on the lookout for additional opportunities to join the conversation about engaging God’s mission by God’s people in the Diocese of Hawai’i.

Send us your your questions or comments through this jotform HERE.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus,
+Bob

The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick
(Pronouns: he, him, his)
Bishop Diocesan
The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i