Companionship Movement, part 2

Last time we shared a little about what LizBeth Adams from the Bishop’s Office presented to us about the Companionship Movement. She defined companionship as a relationship between two human beings marked by mutuality and equality. And it is also a relationship that responds to distress and suffering, is supportive of recovery and wellness, and in this particular model, a public rather than private relationship. That is, relating to each other in public – the church courtyard, a coffee shop, a walk in the park – to help keep all participants safe as well as model “neighborly” behavior to others. What it is not is “fixing” the other person’s problems, psychoanalyzing them, or swooping in to save the day; it is simply being with a person as a fellow human being.