Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Godwits and LSM


I received a wonderful book for Christmas.

“Godwits” is the full story that was inspired by Godwit E-7 who in 2007 was satellite tracked on the longest migratory flight of any bird. Flying non-stop for over a week, she came from Alaska straight down through the Pacific to New Zealand. Phenomenal.

Newly raised youngsters take off from the tundra first, in groups of up to a few dozen. They make the trip on their own and their parents follow a few weeks later.

Now, wait a moment. How do the youngsters know where to go? How, in fact, does any migratory species know where to go? A fascinating experiment half a century ago showed that two factors are at work in migration navigation. Migrants are apparently guided by a simple sense of direction as if by a compass. But they are also guided by experience of “landmarks” remembered from previous journeys. Older birds will amend the “compass” route according to their previous experience and knowledge of conditions.

The young godwits out of Alaska don’t have this advantage. They make their first incredibly long flight with not much more than a sense of direction. Yet they wind up on the same beaches their parents left half a year earlier.

Congregations that are charting revolutionary journeys in Local Shared Ministry have to make their own maps. The traditional guidance of conventional congregations is no longer appropriate for them. They know their journey will occasionally be a bit scary. Sometimes they will wonder why they travel on this route. They often wonder where they will end up.

But there is a confidence that comes with experience and a conviction that drives them forward.

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