It's been busy lately (it's always busy in case you haven't noticed), because we have been preparing for our annual 3W Staff Meeting. All of our Three Worlds team comes to Berlin in September to discuss our team strategy, ethos, and vision for our region. It's always a fun time. The Simpsons are here from Bulgaria, the Oldhams flew in from the USA (and will be going to Egypt for the first time with Jamie on Friday to see their future home), and The Philips and Varners are here too. We've also invited special guest stars-Zach and Audrey from America via Liverpool where they work with the church in Birkenhead. It's a full-house.
Jamie and I lead the meetings which cover a number of very important issues ranging from strategy, 3W ethos, future recruitment, changes in policies, mental health issues, finances, media communication, and much more. We start at 9AM and go until 5pm for two days with 1 hour for lunch and two 10 minute breaks.
We have a very united, peaceful team that works very well together. This doesn't happen by accident. It has to be intentional and structure, direction, accountability, and regular communication and engagement with each other is a necessary part of making that happen. One year into this, and we are very glad that our region is in a team approach. On a number of levels, we all help in each other to do our jobs better. It's not just a cliche--we are able to do so much more together than apart. That is played out constantly here at 3W.
The Varners and the Philips worked at the German teen camp which helped raise money for the Bulgarian youth to have their own camp.
The Simpsons helped us put on our Paris 3W Seminar. The women of the team joined together to put on a conference in Istanbul. The Philips helped host our 3W intern Gina. The Varners helped to host our Emerging Leaders the Adwalpalkers. The list goes on and on and on. In many ways, in many different geographical locations, this team is doing a great job of supporting each other and adding value to each others work.
In the future the team will grow. At times, the team will shrink. But we hope to continue going forward with this team approach regardless of who is on the team at any particular time. That means we look for team players that are consistent and dependable--ready to put team above themselves.
At the "top" of this are Jamie and I as team leaders and Regional Coordinators, but by creating a team approach (with real team processing) we make ourselves accountable to our home bosses and our team here on the field. So no one, not even us, operates on their own. We are even more accountable, and with the creation of our 3W Roundtable later this year consisting of donors, we will have even more people watching what we as leaders do. This is how we prefer to operate.
Too often in Christian organizations there is a lack of organization and a blind trust that it will all work out. But teamwork, unity, and transparency are not easy to come by. It takes effort. So we thank your team for doing such a fantastic job this past year. They've accomplished so much--I think even they are surprised. It's an honor to work with them.
Photo by Aaron who wisely knew I would forget to get a photo for the website. See that's what I mean. It just all works better this way.