nurturing servant leaders in religious education - Scholarly ...

manifest through their ability to work effectively with others, derive consensus,
take initiative, question, and propose (p. 11).
Colour/aroma/fruit: Realised potential
Colour and aroma give beauty to the garden and make it attractive. Their presence is
a primary sign of flourishing, and represents the crowning effect of the garden. Only
the plant itself can put forth its own colour, aroma, and fruit, in spite of the work of
other elements.
Participants expressed real joy in the progress of others. Through all of the unseen
bonds of service that were consistently present in the life of the garden, the strength of
themselves and others was the telling sign that nurturing had taken place. For several
volunteer teachers the metaphorical proof of fruitfulness came through feedback from
students years after teaching had taken place. No matter the length of time, the same
feeling of satisfaction that they had helped someone else to bloom was the result.
The courage to grow and put forth signs of flourishing was an element of confidence,
and could only come from the participants themselves, in spite of outside service.
Many of the participants cited that the CES had assisted them in knowing better their
own potential. They felt stronger in their abilities as teachers, in their increase in
knowledge, in their inner confidence because of their experience in the CES.
Chapter Summary
This chapter has presented and explored a variety of relationships of service as they
were considered in relation to the emerging themes presented in the findings.
Participants in the study indicated that CES offered an opportunity to enhance service
relationships, gain knowledge and have practical experience. The following chapter
will seek to further explore relationships of service to the overall theme of nurturing
the human spirit. In this chapter I will also seek to apply the findings of the study to
contexts outside of the CES.
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