Lauren Palmer Jansen
February 17, 2023
Throughout 2022, L’Arche GWDC reflected as a community on our hopes and dreams for the next 5 years. We created our new Mandate and confirmed Luke Smith as our Community Leader. Read below for a letter from Luke and our full Mandate.
It is a great delight and privilege to have accepted the invitation to be our Community Leader for our new 2023-2028 Mandate.
The Mandate is bold and encouraging, centering on the needs of the community, broadening and deepening our relationships.
It calls us to “strengthen relationships and structures within our homes and community that have been frayed by the pandemic.” It calls us to “cultivate relationships with new and old friends.” And it calls us to “imagine new, purposeful, and innovative ways to grow in the spirit of L’Arche.” (2023-2028 Mandate)
The Mandate is built upon the successes of the last Mandate and the work that each of us as community members has in building L’Arche. For nearly 40 years we have listened and responded to the challenges and opportunities named by our core people, this is central to the next 5 years.
I give thanks for the voices and commitment of our core people, assistants, leaders, friends, and partners who have shaped who we are.
As a community, we have named in the Mandate three areas for focus:
- Strengthen Relationships and Structures Within Our Homes and Community…
Invest in supports that allow our employees, especially assistants and those in house leadership, to feel cared for, re-energized, and have opportunities for growth and skill development.
- Cultivate Relationships With New and Long-Term Friends…
Re-establish connections with regular volunteers and friends that have been lost or lessened during the pandemic. - Imagine New and Innovative Ways to Grow in the Spirit of L’Arche…
Explore the feasibility of expanding into new homes, including the Reeves Farmhouse project, within a process that carefully attends to financial resources, appropriate timeframes, and pertinent partnerships.
The Mandate holds much promise and opportunity; it holds an invitation for each of us to shape our future and assure that we, a community, grow from strength to strength centered around the lives of our people in meaningful ways.
As I start this new Mandate, I ask that you hold me accountable, engage in a spirit of partnership, and perhaps most importantly, hold the community and me in your prayers.
My hopes for the Mandate include more people finding belonging in L’Arche’s deep spirituality, mutuality through relationships, and sustainable growth from good stewardship of our shared resources.
I look forward to being able to celebrate our new Mandate with you in person in due course.
In peace and deep gratitude,
Luke Read the full 2023-2028 Mandate here.
