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120 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2026 C U P S A N D W A T E R Weaving Leaders STORY BY ERIN ROBINSON HALL | PHOTOS COURTESY OF LISA HARGROVE High Holy Days Choir Service of Love and Unity H e spoke in a language I do not speak, but I understood what we were saying. The people gathered next to me in the pews sang in Spanish, even though most of us did not speak that language regularly. In this church, most Sunday services are entirely in English, and many of us stumbled over the new words. Yet, the hundreds of people gathered in the sanctuary did their best to sing along with the words printed in Spanish. When we began the next hymn in English, my Spanish-speaking neighbors down the pew sang with gusto. On this liturgical holiday known as Pentecost Sunday, we watched two pastors embody the idea of connection beyond language. Pastor Daniel Medina and Pastor Sara Pugh-Montgomery stood side by side and led a joint worship service in two languages. Their leadership brought together two congregations, Nueva Vida Church and Centenary Methodist Church, for a holy moment. We did not see the work that went into preparing each congregation for this day, printing bulletins with two languages and learning new music. What we saw is leadership that weaves. Network weaving is a leadership concept that upholds collaboration because of what it assumes about power. Author Kelley Frances Bates, a champion of collaborative leadership, reminds people that, "shared leadership assumes that power is not finite and can be meaningfully shared." Sometimes, organization leaders act as if sharing a platform or a microphone with other leaders means they will have less impact and less power to make decisions. Network weaving claims the opposite effect; shi ing from guarding control to focusing on intention moves a group forward.