Strengths

Dear Members and Friends

Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? (Have you even had the opportunity to think about what it is that you do best?)

Chances are, you don't. All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the grave, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.

To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced its online assessment StrengthsFinder, which has helped millions to discover their top five talents. This is the tool that I was exploring on my Sabbatical and found it to be a really helpful course for a wide range of people. As a result, Holy Trinity are willing to offer this assessment and a short course that goes with it, for free, to members and friends. Although used extensively in the business world, Strengthsfinder was developed by committed Christians who believed that God has made every one of us as unique individuals and as we discover and develop our Strengths we will become more of the people he made us to be. This course can help you change the way you look at yourself -- and the world around you -- forever.

As we discover and work with our Strengths and begin to adjust our working styles so that we spend more time doing what we do best, we not only reduce our stress levels, but also increase our output too.  This then has good potential for us as individuals, but also as a church family as we come to understand who we are as a church and the impact that might have on both the church itself and our links with the wider community.

To this end, we will be running  a 4 session training course on Mondays in January and February: 23^rd and 30^th January, and 13^th and 20^th Feb. Time will be 7.45 for  8pm, till 9.45. Venue to be confirmed  later.

 The church will pay the cost of the course, including ‘Strengthsfinder 2.0’ book each, worksheets and refreshments.  However you will need to do some initial preparation before the first session to discover your Top 5 Strengths. This is an online test and if you do not have internet access someone will help you with this. There will be some homework between sessions, but you do not need a computer for this. 

Places on this initial course will be limited, but if there is enough interest it may be possible to repeat it, but no promises as to when.

Deadline for Sign-up is 12^th January.

Please sign up using the application form below.  This includes the opportunity to express an interest in doing the course later, if for some reason you cannot make this one. The form asks you to commit to the whole project and to sign to that effect. However we obviously recognise that sometimes health, family and work situations change unexpectedly. You must attend the first session or  the course will not make any sense, and in reality you will need to attend a minimum of 3 sessions for it to be of value. I will not unfortunately be able to repeat sessions that you miss.

When you have signed up you will need to collect your Strengthsfinder book from Sue Green, which will include further information about how to take the assessment and where to get practical help with that if you need it.

For help with the practicalities about the assessment or the course, please contact Sue.   For other questions please ring or e-mail myself. (692620 or annec@rter.biz)

I am excited about doing this with you. Strengthsfinder has been a real blessing to me personally and I pray that it may bless you, and all of us together too, as we take this journey of faith.

Wishing you a very happy new year

Anne

Rev Anne Carter (Minister of Holy Trinity Shaw)