Every monday, our staff comes together to pray. Alongside personal and community prayer requests, we intentionally learn more about four member schools or affiliate organizations. As we lift them in prayer, we are mindful of the theological schools that we support and the individuals serving within them. It is a centering practice that we now have prioritized for more than two decades.
It is what comes next that I have come to believe is equally important: We tell them.
After we pray, I personally send an email to the executive leader and board chair of each organization. Nearly every week, I receive responses. Some will share that the message arrives at just the right time – sometimes during a season of struggle, other times amid joy or celebration. They say knowing they have been prayed for is meaningful: It makes visible our commitment to them and to the community we share.
The act of praying is meaningful. The sharing multiplies its impact.
Rev. Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan of Claremont School of Theology, a member of the In Trust Center Board of Directors, recently reminded our board of this during a devotion on gratitude. Gratitude begins as an internal response – a feeling of appreciation or thankfulness. Being grateful is good in itself and contributes to our own well-being. But gratitude left unexpressed can rob another person of the opportunity to know that they are valued, and to delight in our appreciation.
Dr. Kuan’s invitation was simple: When you are grateful for someone, tell them.
There is a multiplier effect when an internal practice finds outward expression. Prayer becomes encouragement. Gratitude becomes affirmation. And an intention becomes an experience shared with another.
Practices matter. And how we extend them to others matters, too. Throughout this issue, we explore practices in many forms – how boards attend to the right data, how libraries support changing communities, how NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community is expanding our understanding of Indigenous Christianity globally through its Pathways collaborations, and how boards engage in spiritual practices. Even the act of setting aside time to read and reflect on this issue is itself a practice. As you read, I invite you to consider the practices that shape your own leadership and organization: Which are worth sustaining? Which need renewed attention? And which might become more meaningful when they are shared?
Sometimes the practice itself is only the beginning.
Amy L. Kardash, President
