What is our BEC Culture?

The BEC is not just an activity or programme. It is a way of life. It has its own culture.

Nov 17, 2018

The Seven Pillars of BEC Culture
The BEC is not just an activity or programme. It is a way of life. It has its own culture.

Community Culture is defined as a way oflife which includes patterns of interaction, behaviourand the underlying values, beliefs andworldview. It is the kind of environment thatprevails in a community.

Community culture therefore:
-- includes the rituals, symbols, creed, andcode of ethical conduct.defines what behaviour is right and wrong,appropriate and inappropriate.
-- defines patterns of relationship — whetherpersonal/intimate or impersonal/functional.
-- defines the boundaries.
-- defines how leadership is exercised, andhow decisions are made.

A BEC without a clear culture cannot grownor can it be sustained.

What are the elements of BEC culture?What follows are the seven pillars of BEC culture.

1. Awareness as Renewed Christians(metanoia)
2. Communion (koinonia)
3. Word of God (kerygma, catechesis)
4. Prayer and the Eucharist (leitorgia)
5. Social Action (diakonia)
6. Option for the Poor (anawim)
7. Participative Membership and Servant-Leadership

1. Awareness of self as Renewed Christian — metanoia
--We are renewed Christians
-- We have accepted Christ as our Lordand Saviour.
--We have turned away from sin and areliving a new life.
-- We have become aware of the presenceof the Spirit in our life, the Spirit that renewsus, unites us and empowers us formission.
-- We have gone through a process of conversionand commit ourselves to live astrue disciples of Jesus in community, andcontinue his priestly, prophetic and pastoral mission

Communion — koinonia
--We are family/community, we are closeto one another, we live as friends, we carefor each other, we share with each other,we take care of each other.We regularly spend time together todeepen our relationship.
--
--As we strive to be close to one another weobserve proper boundaries and respect foreach other. We will never exploit or takeadvantage of each other.
-- We are a community of equals and we recognise our diversity of temperamentsand gifts.When conflicts arise we will always strive together for dialogue and reconciliation.
--We are connected to other BECs in the parish, we are part of the bigger community— the parish, diocese, universalc hurch.
--We will never isolate ourselvesfrom the wider Church to which we are connected. ln view of this we affirm our solidarity with our pastors — the priests,bishops and our Holy Father, the successo rof St Peter.
--We are open to a dialogue of faith and life with people of other faiths and religious traditions — especially other Christians belonging to other denominations and with Muslims.

3.Word of God — kerygma, catechesis
--The Word of God as recorded in the Bibleand reflected in the tradition and teachingsof the Church is the guide of our life.
--We come together regularly to listen tothe Word and share it. We allow the Wordto challenge us and to continually transformour life.
-- We continue to study to deepen ourknowledge and understanding of theWord and the teaching of the Church.We proclaim the Word to others and togive witness to it with our life.
-- We uphold the teachings of the Church inmatters of faith and morals — includingits social teachings that promote peace,justice, freedom, human rights and respectfor life.
-- When necessary we will speak outagainst any manifestation of evil and cultureof death in our midst — i.e., abortion,war, capital punishment, injustices, oppression,corruption, violation of humanrights, ecological destruction, etc.

Prayer and Eucharist — leitorgia
-- Prayer expresses and deepens our relationship with God and with one another.
-- We come together at least once a week for community prayer or liturgical celebration (Bible-service).
-- We gather regularly as a community to celebrate the Eucharist (depending on the availability of a priest).
-- We celebrate communally the liturgical seasons — Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.
-- We fully and actively participate in the liturgical celebration in our community and the parish.

5 Social Action — diakonia
--We believe that faith without good works is dead.
--As a community we are concerned about our brothers and sisters who are in need and we show our love and care for them concretely.
-- We meet regularly to assess our concrete situation — social, economic, political, ecological. We identify the problems, issues and needs that we have to respond to as a community.
-- We actively participate in the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating programmes and projects that will address these problems and needs.
-- We are guided by the social teachings of the Church, especially the principle of the common good, total human development, human dignity, justice, peace and integrity of creation.
-- We affirm our commitment and option for the poor.
-- We live simply and share our time, talents and resources.
-- We collaborate with other communities, groups and people of good will in the struggle for social transformation.
-- We do not allow ourselves to be used and controlled by ideologies, political parties and movements. We reject terrorism and violence as the means in bringing about social transformation.

6. Option for the Poor — anawim
-- We embrace evangelical poverty. We totally depend on God.We affirm our commitment and option for the poor. We live simply and share with others our time, talents and resources.
-- We make sure that the poor in our midst will fully participate in the life and mission of the Church and our local community.
--We strive to become truly the Church of the Poor

7. Servant Leadership and Participative Membership
--We recognise the authority and leadership of our diocesan and parochial pastors (bishops and priests) over our community.
--Through them we affirm our communion with the Universal Church and our universal pastor — the pope.
-- We avail of the structures in the parish and the community that enables us to actively participate in the process of decisionmaking.
-- We recognise the authority of the local leaders of the community.
-- Leadership and authority are to be exercised in the spirit of humble service. Leadership should never be regarded in terms of power, privilege and prestige. There is no place for an autocratic or dictatorial style
of leadership in the community. The leaders will function collegially — as a team or council and will adopt a participative model.
--The leaders are chosen or elected after a prayerful process of discernment on the basis of their integrity, commitment and competence.--By Fr Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, CBCP-BEC

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