Achieve transformative leadership in BECs

“What is the image of a leader servingas BEC?” was the question asked by Msgr Manuel G. Gabriel, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines BEC Executive Secretary to the BEC members before he discussed the challenges in achieving transformative leadership.

The 10th Renewed Servant Leader ship Forum Series of the Diocese of Novaliches Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC Nova)was held at St Peter Parish Shrine of Leaders last October 18, 2018.

The priest calledon community leaders to focus on their rolesin parish transformation as servant leaders and disciples. The author of many books on BECs then delved on cultural and biblical servant hood and cited several models of the Church that define some roles BEC plays in the community. Importantly, he put emphasis on two models that define the breadth and depth ofa BEC member.The Church as Servant, he said, translates to “a redeemed people who have them and ate to establish in this world Christ’s king ship of peace, justice, love and reconciliation.”He added that the Church as a School of Discipleship, on the other hand, means “theprocess of learning (disciple means learner),the ‘job description’ of the Church.”

At one point, he urged his audience to read with him an excerpt of Pope Francis’ Angelus Address in February last year thataccentuated the roles of servant and disciple according to Jesus himself, as “salt of the earth,” and “light of the world.” “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one an other’s feet,” he quoted and added that the servant is not greater than his master and vice versa as he highlighted Bible passages on the Washing Of The Feet Of  The Apostles and the Good Samaritan, amongmany others.

The parable of the Good Samaritan, he continued, shows us “the Church’s accompaniment of the wounded and lost.”“It is accompanying people, just like the Good Samaritan,” he said, reiterating that BEC is “not an activity but accompaniment,helping people start on their own.”

“Ang sagot sa mga napapalayo sa atin ayang BEC,” he said. “BEC makes the Churchpresent to those hurting; it is the answeramong the excluded and makes the Church present to those who are hurting.”

“The BEC is involved in ecological preservation. It heeds the cry of Mother Earthand the poor,” he said.

The BEC Nova Renewed Servant Leadership Forum was launched this January in line with the theme of the Year of the Clergyand Consecrated Life.

At the end of everyforum, participants are requested to assessthe talk they had just heard and its effect orrelevance to them as BEC members.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online