Core Values
Last year, our staff did an exercise identifying Side by Side’s core values. We started with dozens of potential words, with the goal of whittling down to 3-5 that describe not what we do but what we’re about. We ended up with these four words, which we hope are guides for any SBS gathering.
Mutuality
Despite our significant differences - not just ability but all sorts of differences - at a foundational level we share a common humanity, and that humanity is from God. Scripture speaks of us being made “in God’s image,” which is an extraordinary statement. Historically, “God’s image” has often been associated with rationality (the characteristic that, as the thinking goes, separates humans from animals). But wait a second. Have you been around an infant or a toddler? Um, not rational. What about a person who, toward the end of life, suffers from dementia? Are these people not created in God’s image? Instead, how about this: God’s image is revealed perfectly in Jesus, which is to say it is revealed in perfect Love. Being made in God’s image means that we are created to love and be loved. Put another way, it means we’re made to belong to God and one another.
We’re made to love and be loved. Therefore, we don’t have to beat each other. No worrying about who’s more important. No posturing about who is best or strongest or smartest. The Bible describes uses the metaphor of the body: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one a part of it.” That’s mutuality.
We hope people experience this at SBS. With our language, activities, and group structure, we try to promote a message that we’re all on equal footing.
Beauty
There are a few things going on here. First, God’s reality - the “Kingdom of God” is the phrase used in the Bible - is beautiful, even if the pain and ugliness of life makes that hard to see sometimes. Second, God made people beautiful. When we think of a beautiful person here, we’re not talking about people on magazine covers. We’re talking about a person who is truly themself, and comfortable in their own skin. SBS is meant to be a community in which people can be just that.
And third, we want to experience beauty all around us. We hope people feel that when they come to a SBS gathering. Some ways we like to do that:
Explore the outdoors, even by simply walking along the river on the Centennial Trail.
Experience/create art - painting, music, movement - such as our Christmas Arts Project.
Make and eat delicious, real, beautiful food.
One great example of experiencing beauty is our fall retreat. A group of SBSers travel to a retreat center in the Cascade Mountains for a weekend; we stay in a great lodge by the stunning Ingalls Creek; we explore nearby trails; we pray and sing together; and we feast! It’s the best, in every way. We believe that people with disabilities deserve the best.
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (From the letter to the Philippians.)
Hospitality
At a recent SBS gathering, Jeremy asked another group member if he would be back the following Thursday. The person said yes, to which Jeremy replied, “Good. I will be glad that I will see you.”
Jeremy was expressing hospitality. When we say this word, we don’t just mean that a few typically able people in charge show hospitality to everyone else. We mean that hospitality is shared, in all directions. It’s powerful to say to one another: “Welcome. I am glad that you are here.”
We believe that everyone has the gift of hospitality. We meet in lots of different settings, including peoples’ homes, and it’s wonderful to see everyone’s unique way of being hospitable. What’s important is the actual practice of gathering together. If we don’t do that, then the rest is just ideas. Gathering is where all the other values take shape, and when we gather, we do so in a spirit of welcome.
Discovery
In a community like Side by Side, discovery can happen in several ways, and they’re all related. We discover more about ourselves, about our neighbor, about God, and about the world around us. When we do this, we grow more and more into who we are.
But we have to be intentional about how and what we discover. At SBS, that means leaning into the other three core values. We believe that in a community of mutuality, we discover more both about ourselves and others. Beauty helps us discover so much about what’s wonderful in the world - like the awe of creation. In practicing hospitality, we discover that anyone can be a gracious host, and we also learn more about the hospitality of Jesus.