Church of Lazarus Advent Family Fair 2012
Advent Fair 2011
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Dedicated websiteThe Advent Fair has a dedicated website at www.adventfair.co.za. Give this web address to all your friends.
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Advent Fair Update - September 2012
The Advent Fair is a mere two months away. The Advent Fair is a wonderfully festive day in our calendar. Most of you arrive to join in the celebrations on this day and many of you help in one way or another, bringing food, making things that are sold on the day or assisting with a craft or a stall. The Advent Fair was conceived this year through a three-fold process which brought down a new inspiration for the fair – but now it needs to be taken up by the community – like a baby must be taken care of when it arrives. Creating the Advent Fair each year is a lot of work – a lot of work goes into organising. This year the organisation of the Advent Fair is not relying on one or two people, this year it is the congregation – you – who are organising the Advent Fair. Some areas have been taken up but some very key areas have big gaps.
Karyn Cardoso and I do not have the same amount of time as we did last year and I no longer work in the office two days a week from where a lot of the organising happened in previous years. We have the experience of organising the Advent Fair and are sharing this freely with everyone who is coming aboard to help organise the Advent Fair this year.
So where do we stand at present?
Craft Workshops: There is a small team organising crafts for the children. They have ten ideas for crafts besides the forging, copper beating, lathe turning and Advent Gardens. But they are a team of three. They will be looking for up to 27 people to help during the day if all these crafts are to be offered.
Children’s Activities: The favourite activities of the Light Boats, Hansel & Gretel House, Mother Goose and puppet shows will be happening. These activities will also require 30 people to help during the day.
Food and drinks: The lunch meals, sausage rolls, pancakes and cold drinks are in hand and there may be one or two more food offerings but THERE IS NO ONE TO ORGANISE THE COFFEE, TEA AND CAKES.
Stalls: The Craft Group is hard at work making beautiful things for sale, but they may be the only stall at the Advent Fair. There is no one organising the stalls, no one organising or making for the Deli Stall, there may be no one to run the White Elephant stall on the day and no one is driving the White Elephant stall, no one is organising plants or vegetables. THIS AREA NEEDS HELP.
Music: The music is being organised and there will be input from the musicians who have played previously, the youth may sing again and musicians from the Michael Mount School may play and sing.
Marketing: Martin Sanne has taken it upon himself to make wonderful posters and fliers and to have a limited number printed, but THERE IS NO ONE ORGANISING THE MARKETING OF THE ADVENT FAIR. No one to put up posters at local schools, old age homes, block of flats or write to newspapers and on community notice boards and community websites, so no one will know that the Advent Fair is happening unless you tell them.
We are holding planning meetings with the people organising aspects of the Advent Fair and we are reliant on feedback and requests from the organisers for assistance with administration and logistics otherwise we assume that the organisers have everything in hand and do not need any help.
Setting up and clearing up: This is a great part of the preparation in the week before the Advent Fair and before we go home on the day of the Fair. Only Leila Kuhlmann is currently assisting with this and cannot manage all of it. Three or four other people are needed in the week leading up to the Advent Fair and a team of 20-30 people to clear up.
We are feeling the effect of a congregation that is getting older on the one hand and busier on the other hand and has less and less ability or time for large projects such as the annual Advent Fair. As a congregation we need to consider what this means and how we wish to address projects in the future.
Summary:
Help needed:
The Advent Fair has its own website at www.adventfair.co.za.
John-Peter Gernaat
Karyn Cardoso and I do not have the same amount of time as we did last year and I no longer work in the office two days a week from where a lot of the organising happened in previous years. We have the experience of organising the Advent Fair and are sharing this freely with everyone who is coming aboard to help organise the Advent Fair this year.
So where do we stand at present?
Craft Workshops: There is a small team organising crafts for the children. They have ten ideas for crafts besides the forging, copper beating, lathe turning and Advent Gardens. But they are a team of three. They will be looking for up to 27 people to help during the day if all these crafts are to be offered.
Children’s Activities: The favourite activities of the Light Boats, Hansel & Gretel House, Mother Goose and puppet shows will be happening. These activities will also require 30 people to help during the day.
Food and drinks: The lunch meals, sausage rolls, pancakes and cold drinks are in hand and there may be one or two more food offerings but THERE IS NO ONE TO ORGANISE THE COFFEE, TEA AND CAKES.
Stalls: The Craft Group is hard at work making beautiful things for sale, but they may be the only stall at the Advent Fair. There is no one organising the stalls, no one organising or making for the Deli Stall, there may be no one to run the White Elephant stall on the day and no one is driving the White Elephant stall, no one is organising plants or vegetables. THIS AREA NEEDS HELP.
Music: The music is being organised and there will be input from the musicians who have played previously, the youth may sing again and musicians from the Michael Mount School may play and sing.
Marketing: Martin Sanne has taken it upon himself to make wonderful posters and fliers and to have a limited number printed, but THERE IS NO ONE ORGANISING THE MARKETING OF THE ADVENT FAIR. No one to put up posters at local schools, old age homes, block of flats or write to newspapers and on community notice boards and community websites, so no one will know that the Advent Fair is happening unless you tell them.
We are holding planning meetings with the people organising aspects of the Advent Fair and we are reliant on feedback and requests from the organisers for assistance with administration and logistics otherwise we assume that the organisers have everything in hand and do not need any help.
Setting up and clearing up: This is a great part of the preparation in the week before the Advent Fair and before we go home on the day of the Fair. Only Leila Kuhlmann is currently assisting with this and cannot manage all of it. Three or four other people are needed in the week leading up to the Advent Fair and a team of 20-30 people to clear up.
We are feeling the effect of a congregation that is getting older on the one hand and busier on the other hand and has less and less ability or time for large projects such as the annual Advent Fair. As a congregation we need to consider what this means and how we wish to address projects in the future.
Summary:
Help needed:
- Organising stalls, including the Deli and White Elephant
- Coffee, tea and cake stall organiser
- Marketing
- Helping with crafts on the day
The Advent Fair has its own website at www.adventfair.co.za.
John-Peter Gernaat
Planning meetings and documentation
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The first Advent Fair Planning Meeting was held on 1st August 2012. Here are the minutes:
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Getting planning
We do not have a marketing leader yet [ - Oh please come forward and take on this role - ] but we must start advertising the The Christian Community Family Advent Fair.
On the left is the first design, but we have already progressed to a second design on the right. To make it easy the two files can be downloaded by clicking below. Please print some and keep them with you to hand out to friends or paste up on community notice boards. Only constant reminder will make it obvious that this is the obvious place to be on 3rd November. 
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Kicking off the planning
The approach chosen to enter into the planning is one that is well tried and tested in the Waldorf Schools and also in other settings. This is a three fold approach where the first meeting only challenges the intellect and the meeting deals only with current and known facts; the second meeting, after a pause of about a week during which the facts work in our soul life, allows intuition related to the facts to surface and the interpretation of the facts and opinions related to the facts are recorded; the third meeting, again after a pause of about a week during which time the combination of facts and feelings work in our soul lives, inspiration is allowed to surface and a way forward is charted. Why the three-fold process and not just get stuck into the facts, feelings and plans in one meeting? It becomes difficult to remain objective when the three area are interwoven and the risk is that the meeting becomes overrun by the feelings of the participants; a clear view forward seldom emerges.
Meeting reports and minutes
Third meeting - Wednesday, 30th May
| Advent_Fair_2012_Meeting#3_Minutes |
Recap:
In the recap we reviewed the whole process and the past two meeting. We did a recap of the living picture that we created during the second meeting by listening to the following and looking at the picture that Karyn had produced for this purpose:
In the recap we reviewed the whole process and the past two meeting. We did a recap of the living picture that we created during the second meeting by listening to the following and looking at the picture that Karyn had produced for this purpose:
The living picture around MUSIC is that it fills the spaces and links all the areas together with music in different places or by with minstrels wandering around. It creates the mood and atmosphere.
The living picture around FOOD is that it is happiness, comfort and creates energy to enjoy the next activity. It has social and sharing elements and, if it is good quality and well presented, is a highly valued experience.
The living picture around CRAFTS and CHILDRENS ACTIVITIES is that these are the Heart of the Fair. These activities share what we as a community can offer and how uniquely we do things. We offer something that is not available any where else. These activities are creative, wholesome, therapeutic and offer a whole experience. Both adult and child participate in these activities.
The living picture around STALLS is that they are the economic back bone of the Fair and bring a strong social element. Everything is actually a stall at the Fair so everything visually is linked to create a whole, congruent picture that flows throughout the layout and décor.
The living picture around MONEY is that it is a system that has been fine-tuned and works well at the Fair. It is integral to every area of the Fair. Each stall understands how the systems work and abides by them. The systems are there primarily to create ease of purchasing. The attitude of the customer is that all the money he/she spends is for the well being of the church.
The living picture around LOGISTICS is that it forms a master plan that everyone feeds into to create and it also feeds everyone with information. A creating, giving-and-receiving, moving, changing-and-evolving picture. It organises how everything should flow. It is the central consciousness on the day of the Fair.
The living picture around MARKETING is that it is the hook that attracts people to the Fair. It creates the picture of what it is all about before it is actually there. It pre-empts what is to be and is a force which manifests the Fair through communicating and pulling people there.
The living picture around COORDINATION & ADMINISTRATION is that this is the skeleton or kernel of the Fair. It pulls it all together and makes all the areas flow efficiently and effectively. It is the consciousness and awareness of the whole Fair.
The living picture around FOOD is that it is happiness, comfort and creates energy to enjoy the next activity. It has social and sharing elements and, if it is good quality and well presented, is a highly valued experience.
The living picture around CRAFTS and CHILDRENS ACTIVITIES is that these are the Heart of the Fair. These activities share what we as a community can offer and how uniquely we do things. We offer something that is not available any where else. These activities are creative, wholesome, therapeutic and offer a whole experience. Both adult and child participate in these activities.
The living picture around STALLS is that they are the economic back bone of the Fair and bring a strong social element. Everything is actually a stall at the Fair so everything visually is linked to create a whole, congruent picture that flows throughout the layout and décor.
The living picture around MONEY is that it is a system that has been fine-tuned and works well at the Fair. It is integral to every area of the Fair. Each stall understands how the systems work and abides by them. The systems are there primarily to create ease of purchasing. The attitude of the customer is that all the money he/she spends is for the well being of the church.
The living picture around LOGISTICS is that it forms a master plan that everyone feeds into to create and it also feeds everyone with information. A creating, giving-and-receiving, moving, changing-and-evolving picture. It organises how everything should flow. It is the central consciousness on the day of the Fair.
The living picture around MARKETING is that it is the hook that attracts people to the Fair. It creates the picture of what it is all about before it is actually there. It pre-empts what is to be and is a force which manifests the Fair through communicating and pulling people there.
The living picture around COORDINATION & ADMINISTRATION is that this is the skeleton or kernel of the Fair. It pulls it all together and makes all the areas flow efficiently and effectively. It is the consciousness and awareness of the whole Fair.
Working with inspiration
Our first exercise to allow inspiration to flow was one of listening to music and then relating to the music through movement and finally relating to the music through an inner process while the body was no longer involved or moving.
Then we sat down to draw pictures of what it is that inspires each one us about the Advent Fair, trying to show our inspirational relationship to this event.
Our first exercise to allow inspiration to flow was one of listening to music and then relating to the music through movement and finally relating to the music through an inner process while the body was no longer involved or moving.
Then we sat down to draw pictures of what it is that inspires each one us about the Advent Fair, trying to show our inspirational relationship to this event.
We begin to draw.
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The drawing are being completed.
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The result.
Each person had the opportunity to explain their inspirational relationship to the Advent Fair which will now always be referred to as the Advent Family Fair.
From these two experiences of using inspiration we had an open discussion to see what has arisen regarding the Advent Family Fair 2012.
Conclusion
Overall the feeling of the meeting was that a certain inspiration had descended from the Higher Worlds to unite with our Church of Lazarus Advent Family Fair 2012. The new impulse arising out of this inspiration is to share more of who we are as The Christian Community – to represent ourselves with a clearer identity and offer opportunities for people to know and experience more of what we are about. Out of this impulse the ideas for The Christian Community Information Booth and the talk have arisen. Although there were not as many people at this meeting as at the two previous meetings the feeling was that this inspiration would be felt by the congregation and would work to bring the Church of Lazarus Advent Family Fair 2012 into being.
The picture of who is taking which leading role is as follows. (Names in brackets will assist with one aspect of the area only.) The areas of MARKETING, STALLS & MUSIC as yet have no one carrying them. No one from the current team will carry these, which means that the central coordination will have no one with whom to coordinate and these areas will not receive the necessary attention.
From these two experiences of using inspiration we had an open discussion to see what has arisen regarding the Advent Family Fair 2012.
- We should befriend talk-show hosts and through relating their interest to the Advent Family Fair have our Fair promoted by the talk-show hosts.
- Offer picnic baskets as a lunch option – single person “snack boxes”.
- If the inspiration arises to complete the Wake Room this should be used as a venue for the advent fair. Ideas that arose were:
- Use part of the space for The Christian Community information booth.
- Arrange a talk by a prominent speaker on a subject of interest and draw a crowd to the talk who will enjoy the Fair as a consequence.
- Create a picture/word “logo” to promote and identify the Fair. Suggested that we be the “Church of Lazarus Advent Family Fair”.
- There should be a balance between what our need is and what we offer – between the material and the spiritual.
- We wish to make the Church of Lazarus Family Advent Fair more engaging for adults with activities and workshops for adults as well as more items for adults to buy.
Conclusion
Overall the feeling of the meeting was that a certain inspiration had descended from the Higher Worlds to unite with our Church of Lazarus Advent Family Fair 2012. The new impulse arising out of this inspiration is to share more of who we are as The Christian Community – to represent ourselves with a clearer identity and offer opportunities for people to know and experience more of what we are about. Out of this impulse the ideas for The Christian Community Information Booth and the talk have arisen. Although there were not as many people at this meeting as at the two previous meetings the feeling was that this inspiration would be felt by the congregation and would work to bring the Church of Lazarus Advent Family Fair 2012 into being.
The picture of who is taking which leading role is as follows. (Names in brackets will assist with one aspect of the area only.) The areas of MARKETING, STALLS & MUSIC as yet have no one carrying them. No one from the current team will carry these, which means that the central coordination will have no one with whom to coordinate and these areas will not receive the necessary attention.
What next?
The next meeting will be a planning meeting. It was felt that the Winter Solstice should first pass and we should hold the meeting with the waxing moon. The date will be broadcast in due course. Please join us on Twitter at @CCJoburg to receive information and reminders.
The next meeting will be a planning meeting. It was felt that the Winter Solstice should first pass and we should hold the meeting with the waxing moon. The date will be broadcast in due course. Please join us on Twitter at @CCJoburg to receive information and reminders.
With that the three-fold process was concluded and we all left sensing that something exciting would materialise.
Second meeting - Wednesday, 16th May
This cycle of meeting has one objective: How is the community going to run the Advent Fair in 2012?
Recap:
The approach chosen to enter into this question is one that is well tried and tested in the Waldorf Schools and also in other settings. This is a three fold approach where the first meeting only challenges the intellect and the meeting deals only with current and known facts; the second meeting, after a pause of about a week during which the facts work in our soul life, allows intuition related to the facts to surface and the interpretation of the facts and opinions related to the facts are recorded; the third meeting, again after a pause of about a week during which time the combination of facts and feelings work in our soul lives, inspiration is allowed to surface and a way forward is charted. Why the three-fold process and not just get stuck into the facts, feelings and plans in one meeting? It becomes difficult to remain objective when the three area are interwoven and the risk is that the meeting becomes overrun by the feelings of the participants; a clear view forward seldom emerges.
One image we have been holding in mind through these meeting has been the image of Leonardo’s The Last Supper. This painting shows us in archetypal way an image of an ideal supported by 12 who bring the ideal to Mankind. Our ideal is the Advent Fair and this ideal needs to be surrounded by at least 7 people (with assistance, so 12 is not unreasonable to hold in mind) to bring it to the people of Johannesburg.
What is intuitive understanding?
It is a higher understanding, using intuition and creative thinking. It engages the feelings; is a free interpretation of facts; is warm as opposed to cold facts and ultimately creates a living picture.
During this meeting the aim was to bring the Advent Fair to life; to see it as a living picture. Karyn brought another archetypal picture, that of a tree growing in the ground and reaching up into the sky surrounded by other plants, insects, birds and animals. This is a living picture.
Another image that is useful to hold in mind is that during the pioneering phase of any organisation or creation the idea is carried by the pioneer and through his/her work and enthusiasm transfers the idea to the community:
Once the pioneering phase is over (as with the Advent Fair) this picture changes. Ideas originate from with the community that is now intimately connected with the event/organisation:
Bear in mind that the Advent Fair has 3 components:
What we offer at the Advent Fair has a very high Spiritual Value and we should see this translated into high financial value.
During this meeting our striving was to describe each of the 9 areas as part of a living picture.
Recap:
The approach chosen to enter into this question is one that is well tried and tested in the Waldorf Schools and also in other settings. This is a three fold approach where the first meeting only challenges the intellect and the meeting deals only with current and known facts; the second meeting, after a pause of about a week during which the facts work in our soul life, allows intuition related to the facts to surface and the interpretation of the facts and opinions related to the facts are recorded; the third meeting, again after a pause of about a week during which time the combination of facts and feelings work in our soul lives, inspiration is allowed to surface and a way forward is charted. Why the three-fold process and not just get stuck into the facts, feelings and plans in one meeting? It becomes difficult to remain objective when the three area are interwoven and the risk is that the meeting becomes overrun by the feelings of the participants; a clear view forward seldom emerges.
One image we have been holding in mind through these meeting has been the image of Leonardo’s The Last Supper. This painting shows us in archetypal way an image of an ideal supported by 12 who bring the ideal to Mankind. Our ideal is the Advent Fair and this ideal needs to be surrounded by at least 7 people (with assistance, so 12 is not unreasonable to hold in mind) to bring it to the people of Johannesburg.
What is intuitive understanding?
It is a higher understanding, using intuition and creative thinking. It engages the feelings; is a free interpretation of facts; is warm as opposed to cold facts and ultimately creates a living picture.
During this meeting the aim was to bring the Advent Fair to life; to see it as a living picture. Karyn brought another archetypal picture, that of a tree growing in the ground and reaching up into the sky surrounded by other plants, insects, birds and animals. This is a living picture.
Another image that is useful to hold in mind is that during the pioneering phase of any organisation or creation the idea is carried by the pioneer and through his/her work and enthusiasm transfers the idea to the community:
Once the pioneering phase is over (as with the Advent Fair) this picture changes. Ideas originate from with the community that is now intimately connected with the event/organisation:
Bear in mind that the Advent Fair has 3 components:
- SOCIAL – creating community life
- SPIRITUAL – celebrating a festival; creating more that the combined input; becoming
- ECONOMICALLY – strengthening our financial base
What we offer at the Advent Fair has a very high Spiritual Value and we should see this translated into high financial value.
During this meeting our striving was to describe each of the 9 areas as part of a living picture.
| Advent_Fair_2012_Meeting#2_Minutes |
Who will take on the 9 areas? Some people have stepped forward to lead or to assist - latter in brackets.
First meeting - Wednesday, 9th May
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Present:
Karyn Cardoso David Wertheim Aymes George Nurse Martin Sanne |
John-Peter Gernaat Sophia Turner Wiebke Holtz Mags Meyburgh |
Jean McGillivray Tony Fornali David Gillham Sonnya Holtz |
Kerry Audouin Evan McGillivray |
This cycle of meeting has one objective: How is the community going to run the Advent Fair in 2012?
In this meeting we will seek out the facts about the Advent Fair to date. Yes, a meeting looking only at facts is a dry and boring meeting, but taking the facts into our soul life and letting them live there for 6 days has and interesting and transformative effect.
The first question to consider is: What is a fact?
A fact: states it as it is
is objective
is not an interpretation
can be interpreted
has a healing quality
Fact #1: At the AGM in March 2012 the community agreed to have another Advent Fair this year as a fundraiser.
Fact #2: The Advent Fair addresses three components
Fact #3: The running of the Advent Fair has been defined into 9 area:
In this meeting we will seek out the facts about the Advent Fair to date. Yes, a meeting looking only at facts is a dry and boring meeting, but taking the facts into our soul life and letting them live there for 6 days has and interesting and transformative effect.
The first question to consider is: What is a fact?
A fact: states it as it is
is objective
is not an interpretation
can be interpreted
has a healing quality
Fact #1: At the AGM in March 2012 the community agreed to have another Advent Fair this year as a fundraiser.
Fact #2: The Advent Fair addresses three components
- ECONOMIC – strengthens our financial base
- SOCIAL – creates community life
- SPIRITUAL – celebrating a festival
Fact #3: The running of the Advent Fair has been defined into 9 area:
The full minutes of the facts related to each of the 9 areas may be downloaded. The file is attached below.
| Advent_Fair_2012_Meeting#1_Minutes |
Final facts:
Who will take on the 9 areas identified?
Who will take on the 9 areas identified?
Next meeting date: Wednesday, 16th May at 18h30 at the Church.
Exciting new information has been parked from this meeting and will be revealed at the second meeting.
Exciting new information has been parked from this meeting and will be revealed at the second meeting.