Purpose
The primary purpose of the The Mission AO is to support the men in the Oliver Gospel Mission Drug & Alcohol Recovery program during their course of recovery.
The pax enrolled in the Recovery Program may be (as you can imagine) going through some difficult things as a result of their recovery. It’s important to set them up for success. Some of these guys haven’t had a win in a while, and it’s important to create an environment that each man can experience success and exceed their perceived limitations.
As a group, we’ve decided that it was about time to codify some of what we’d like to see in the Mission to ensure continuity week to week.
Here goes…
The Workout
The workout is held each Saturday, rain or shine at Finlay Park. We gather at the small stage closest to the southeast corner of the park.
The OGM men walk to the park and are accompanied to the park by an OGM employee, i.e. escort. This escort generally does not make himself known to the Q. The escort may choose to participate in the COT.
The Mission Shovel Flag is planted in the lawn in front of the small stage with consideration given to other park events. The OGM men bring the shovel flag to the AO and return the shovel flag to the OGM. Other AO’s are welcome to bring their shovel flags and plant beside The Mission Shovel Flag to show solidarity. The flags can be incorporated into the workout for the sake of promoting pride and teamwork amongst the OGM men and the Non-OGM men.
The workout lasts 45 minutes from 8:30 to 9:15. This gives us room for a longer COT.
The Q will give the disclaimer at the beginning of the workout, and remind guys (especially those who are injured), to do their best, but modify as needed.
There will be some OGM men who will attend the workout but will not participate in the workout – this is fine as some of these men have true physical limitations or simply are not ready to commit to something they may have never tried – exercise. These men normally hang out near the small stage with their escort. We should behave as if these men will eventually participate in the workout. The Q should look for ways to make these men feel welcome; one practice has been to call for these men to be a part of the COT through listening to their prayer requests and offering encouragement as they speak during their turn in the COT.
The Q should feel free to use any and every square inch of Finlay. It’s a unique AO, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible there. However, it’s our agreement with the Oliver Gospel Mission (OGM) to not leave the park.
It’s become a tradition to pause once or twice during the workout and talk for a few minutes on the topic of leadership, accountability, or related topic. I think this small act has quickly allowed us to define the culture of the workout. Feel free to ask anyone in the workout to talk and give them a “heads up” prior to COP – OGM men or NonOGM men.
As always, it’s the Qs responsibility to make the workout accessible for everyone.
Coffeeteria
Is held directly after the workout at the OGM. They provide the coffee.
Mingle. Get to know these guys, talk to them about their life, hopes, dreams, goals.
If you’d like to bring bananas, muffins, bagels, etc to coffeeteria, the guys will gladly eat them. They eat breakfast at 6am and lunch at noon.
Gear
Many of the men arrive at the OGM with only the clothes on their backs, so since the beginning, we’ve been collecting workout gear for The Mission. Instead of taking gear to the workouts each week, we’re going to just ask that all clothing donations be dropped of at the OGM at 1100 Taylor St. They will take any clothing, not just workout gear. The OGM runs a thrift store as a profit center to fund their programs, but the men of the recovery program get first crack at the clothing before it goes to the thrift store.
If you have a new or gently used F3 shirt, get those to Robber.
Funding
To date, we’ve received a $750 grant from the F3 Foundation to fund Mission activities. In addition to this, GORUCK Light Class 730 donated $1,300. If you’d like to make a donation to fund F3’s work at the OGM, you can make a tax deductible donation to the F3F here: http://f3nation.com/f3-foundation/ and make a note that it is for THE MISSION.
Mentoring
Info coming soon… stay tuned…
Dos
Be encouraging during the workout and during COT and during Cofferteria.
During Cofferiteria ask the OGM men how they are progressing in the OGM program. The program they participate in is their job and therefore, we can, in a small way, offer accountability by asking them about their efforts and progress as they move through the OGM program.
Look for Sixes.
Feel free to do about the same stuff at The Mission as you do at your “native” AO with the understanding that every Saturday you are subject to FNG’s who may not have worked out very much prior to their first post. Understand that these guys like a tough workout.
Don’t feel obligated but understand that it is acceptable to bring blocks/bricks/tires, etc to the post.
CoQ’s are acceptable at The Mission.
Encourage your “native” AO PAX to Q by EHing the guys that normally Q and by suggesting a date for their Q and by telling them you will attend with them. Get the entire AO PAX to attend on the same date by EHing the AO Q to sign up the PAX. Give the PAX at least a two week notice. Set an expectation for your “native” AO to post at The Mission on some regular basis, i.e. it may be once every six weeks.
Don’ts
Use last names in Tweets or backblasts.
Use post close-up pictures of guys enrolled in the Recovery Program.
Be mindful of your words around the pax in the Program. Be careful not to talk about anything that revolves around drinking (or taking drugs for that matter).