The Our Lord’s Transfiguration Parish of Palo has envisioned to organize Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) in the different barangays in Palo in order to ensure the existence of the Kingdom of God in the Parish wherein the parishioners will establish stronger and meaningful relationship with God as well as with their families and with the people around them.

Several activities have been conducted geared toward the BEC since the early part of 2007. Most of these activities were focused on creating awareness, although there were some BECs that started to be organized. Considering that much had been done for the BEC by the Core Group, there is a need to assess the activities conducted to affirm those who were instrumental in making the identified activities successful; to identify those activities that should be continued and/or improved so as to meet the expectations for a well-organized BEC. There is also a need to identify other activities that will help the Core Group as well as the existing BECs to really establish a community that can be considered as a Kingdom of God with whatever characteristics it entails. Thus, this Planning Workshop is being conducted.

However, the assessment and planning to be conducted should also take into consideration the vision/mission of the parish so as to ensure that the BECs are really part of the Kingdom of God which the Parish Really wants to happen.

General Objective: To assess the extent of the organization of the BEC in the parish and to develop a work plan on how to improve the organization of the BEC as a community of God enlivened by the Holy Spirit.

Specific Objectives: At the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to:

• Gain more knowledge on the BEC
• Describe the activities conducted in relation to the BEC that they are proud of and those that they are sorry about.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses in the organization of the BEC.
• Discuss the activities that they will undertake to make the BEC a Kingdom of God.
• Identify the opportunities that will help them carry out the activities to make the BEC a Kingdom of God.
• Describe some of the threats that may hinder in the carrying out of the activities to make the BEC the Kingdom of God.
• Develop a one year plan for the organization of the BEC as a Kingdom of God with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• Strengthen teamwork among them.

Brainstorming, Group Discussion, Plenary Discussion, Mini-Workshop

Notebooks, ball pens, coupon bond, manila paper, pentel pens, rulers, transparency pens, transparencies, masking tape, overhead projector

BEC Core Members, Representatives from the BECs.

Day One

Activity 1: Opening Prayer

Activity 2: Introduction of Participants

Request each participant to introduce himself/herself by using an adjective that best describe him/her that starts with the same letter with that of his/her name. Example: I am Loida. I look lovely.

Activity 3: Team Building Activity - My Dream House

• Step 1:  Divide the participants into five groups by counting 1,2,3,4,5; 1,2,3,4,5; 1,2,3,4,5; etc. Request those participants with same number to group together. Give each group Manila paper and pentel pen.
• Step 2:  Let each member of the group imagine their dream house but should not discuss his/her dream house with anybody. Without talking with one another, let each member of the group draw his/her individual dream house at the same time on the Manila paper while holding together one pentel pen. Reminder: Nobody should talk while drawing his/her dream house with the other members also drawing their dream house at the same time. (Let the group do this in five minutes)
• Step 3:  Let each group present their drawing to the big group. The reporter should explain why they have such drawing.
• Step 4:  Process the activity by asking the following questions:
  • How did you feel drawing your dream house? Why?
  • What were done by the other members of the group?
  • What should have been done in order to really draw your dream house?
  • What lessons have you learned from the activity?
  • How will you apply the lessons learned in real life situation?
  • How about in our BEC?
  
  

Activity 4:  Leveling of Expectations - Hopes and Fears

• Step 1:  Divide the whole group into three groups. Give each group 6 strips of Manila paper. Request each group to discuss among themselves what they hope to happen in the workshop and also their fears of the workshop. Request each group to write on the strips of paper three of their hopes and three of their fears.
• Step 2:  Request each group to present their hopes and fears to the big group.
• Step 3:  Process the activity by asking the following questions:
  • How did you feel doing the activity?
  • What are common among the hopes for the workshop of the three groups?
  • What are common among the fears of the three groups?
  
  
• Step 4:  Give a short overview of the workshop and present to them the objectives of the workshop. Let them compare the objectives of the workshop with their hopes of the workshop. For those hopes not addressed in the workshop, inform them that these will be tackled in other workshops.
• Step 4:  Ask the participants what they can do to allay their fears for the workshop. Then request the participants to identify some norms they will observe so as to have a smooth conduct of the workshop. Request volunteers who will act as the host team of the workshop. Inform them of the responsibilities of the host team:
  • To assist the facilitators in keeping track of the attendance of the participants.
  • To assist the facilitators in the distribution of needed supplies, handouts, etc.
  • To lead in the unfreezing activities.
  • To serve the snacks (if there is any).
  • Timekeeper
  
  

Activity 5:  Prouds and Sorries

• Step 1:  Let the participants go back to their three groups.
• Step 2:  Distribute 4 metacards or ½ size coupon bond or colored paper to each of the members of each group. Request each member of the group to think of two activities related to the BEC that he/she is proud of and two activities that he/she is sorry about. Let each member write his/her proud and sorries on the metacard. Request the members of the group to: write one idea on each metacard; use only five to seven words; write big; use simple words.
• Step 3:  Let each group discuss among themselves their prouds and sorries. After each has shared his/her prouds and sorries request each group to select from those prouds and sorries presented five prouds and five sorries that they will present to the big group.
• Step 4:  Request each group to present their output.
• Step 5:  Process the activity by asking the following questions:
  • Why do we consider these activities as something to be proud of?
  • How were we able to accomplish them?
  • If asked to do these activities again, will you still do it? Why?
  • Why do we consider these activities as something to be sorry about? Why? What could have been done to have better results that we can be proud of?
  
  
• Step 6:  What resolutions do we have to avoid doing the activities that we will be sorry about?

Activity 6:  Strengths and Weaknesses

• Step 1:  Ask the group that considering that we have several BEC activities that we are proud of, what do you think were our strengths that we were able to do such activities? What were the weaknesses that may have affected in carrying out our activities?
• Step 2:  Give each group Manila paper and pentel pen. Request each group to write their strengths that help facilitate in carrying out BEC activities and their weaknesses that hindered or were obstacles in carrying out the BEC activities. (ten minutes and write in bullets)
• Step 3:  Request each group to present their group output to the big group.
• Step 4:  Ask the participants: What strengths are common among the three groups? Weaknesses?
• Step 5:  Process the activity by asking the following questions:
  • What are we going to do with our identified strengths?
  • How about our weaknesses? Why?
  
  

Day Two

Activity 1: Opening Prayer

Activity 2: Unfreezing Activity - Action Song

Activity 3: Team Building Activity - Building A Tower

• Step 1:  Divide the big group into three groups by counting 1,2,3; 1,2,3; etc. Let those with same number group together.
• Step 2:  Give the task to these three groups:
  • Task: Your group will build a tower. In building it, you will only use any available material that is found in this room. Your tower should meet the following criteria to serve the following purposes: to hang a bell and for the barangay to hear when the bells rang every 6 in the morning and afternoon to pray the Angelus and to call the people in the barangay for the Holy Mass during Sundays:.
    1. The tower should be the tallest of the three towers.
    2. The tower should be sturdy.
    3. The tower should be creative and innovative
• Step 3:  Let the participants select from among them 3 judges or if there are available persons who are non-participants, let them do the judging. Let each group work on their tower for a maximum of 15 minutes only.
• Step 4:  Let each group present their tower to the big group.
• Step 5:  Let the judges announce the results of their judgment.
• Step 6:  Process the activity by asking the following questions:
  1. How did you feel building your tower? Why?
  2. What was the best thing that you did? Why?
  3. What should not have been done?
  4. To get a better result, what are the important things that you should do?
  5. What lessons have you learned from the activity?
  6. How will you apply the lessons learned in our BEC?

Activity 4: Reorientation on the BEC

• Reorient the participants on the BEC. Give emphasis on the following:
  1. How it started?
  2. It's purpose.
  3. It's framework.
  4. How should it be organized?
  5. Who are the key players?
  6. Its characteristics.
  7. What it is not?

Activity 5: Where did we come from?

• Step 1:  Let the participants go back to their group.
• Step 2:  Request each group to list down all the BEC activities conducted before this workshop?
• Step 3:  Request the participants to identify the activities which they think were beneficial to the BEC. Request them why they considered these beneficial. (Use one color of pentel pen to mark the chosen activity)
• Step 4:  Request the participants to identify the activities that they think were not necessary or could have not been conducted? Let them explain their reason for identifying such activities. (Use another color to mark these chosen activities) the activities
• Step 5:  Request the participants to identify activities that ought to be continued and let them explain why?
• Step 6:  Of the activities to be continued, ask them if there is a need to improve the carrying out of these activities and how these can be done.
• Step 7:  Tell the participants that in the previous activities, they have been sharing their feelings towards the activities they have conducted in relation to the BEC. Remind them also that they came up with a simple assessment of the activities conducted and identified activities that they want to be continued. Then ask them that based on the assessment that they have made, what do they think were the obstacles encountered in carrying out the activities. Ask them also the facilitating factors that helped them to carry out their activities.

Activity 6: Where are we now?

• Step 1:  Ask the participants: Based on the discussion we had on the BEC, on the previous activity, in a scale of 1 to 10 wherein 10 is the highest and 1 is the lowest where are we now in our BEC? Why do we say so?
• Step 2:  If we are to move on, what possible threats do you foresee that may be considered as obstacles in helping our BEC to be the Kingdom of God? Why do you say so?
• Step 1:  Are there opportunities that will help us to assist the BEC to become a Kingdom of God? What are these? Are they readily available to us and the BECs? Why do you say so?

Activity 7: Where are we going?

• Step 1:  Considering the threats and opportunities you have identified, how are we going to continue our discipleship in making the BEC a Kingdom of God.
• Step 2:  What do we plan to do?
• Step 3:  You have mentioned some of the activities that you plan to do to help our BECs to be the Kingdom of God. To develop a road map on what we plan to do, let’s try to use this matrix: (Present the matrix below)

Note: The Core should have their own plan. The organized BEC should have their individual plan.
• Step 4:  Let each group do their work plan. (Give them a maximum of 1 hour to do their plan.)
• Step 5:  Let each group present their plan to the big group for comments and suggestions.
• Step 6:  Give the groups time to revise their plans based on the comments and suggestions given.

Activity 8: Next Steps

Step 1:  Ask the participants that now that they have developed their plans, what are their next steps after the workshop?>

Activity 9: Closing Ceremony

• One of the activities of the closing ceremony is the so called Celebration. The participants will celebrate what they have done for the BEC for the past year (or past 9 months) and also for the successful development of their work plans. In recognition of what each one had done, each one will write a note on the cut-out heart to anybody (can be more than one person) he/she wants to affirm and give this note to the person/s he/she had written to. Give the participants time to read their notes.