Prepare to Facilitate Come and See
Everything you need to prepare for and facilitate this experience is gathered here.
Come and See is designed so that the facilitator does not need to create or direct the contemplative experience. The prepared experience carries the prayer.
Your role is to prepare the setting, welcome participants, remain present, and accompany the reflection and sharing that surrounds the experience.
This preparation will guide you step by step. Complete each section in order before facilitating Come and See.
Begin with —
Step 1: Experience Come and See
Before facilitating Come and See for others, experience it yourself as a participant.
Do not study it or evaluate how you might lead it. Simply receive the experience as it is offered.
When you have finished, return here and continue to Step 2.
Step 2: Understand Your Role
You are not responsible for creating the contemplative experience or making something happen for the participants.
Your role is to:
prepare a hospitable setting
welcome participants and offer the needed orientation
begin the prepared Come and See experience
remain present while the experience unfolds
protect the silence and resist adding commentary
accompany the reflection and sharing that follows
bring the gathering gently to a close
The prepared experience carries the interior contemplative movement. You carry the people, the room, and the transitions around it.
Step 3: Read the Facilitator’s Guide
The Facilitator’s Guide offers the formation and practical guidance you need to accompany a Creating Space experience.
Read it before facilitating Come and See. You do not need to memorize it, but you should be familiar with its guidance about hospitality, silence, sharing, unexpected moments, and the role of the facilitator.
Read the Facilitator’s Guide →
When you have finished, return here and continue to Step 4.
Step 4: Review the Come and See Facilitator Materials
The Come and See facilitator materials show you the actual flow of this gathering: how to welcome participants, what to say before the contemplative experience, how to begin the prepared media, and how to accompany the reflection and sharing afterward.
Read through the materials from beginning to end before the gathering. Keep them available when you facilitate.
Review the Come and See Facilitator Materials →
When you have finished, continue to Step 5.
Step 5: Prepare the Participants and the Room
Before the gathering, make sure the space and the practical details are ready.
Prepare the room so participants can settle comfortably and hear the audio clearly. Have any participant reflection materials ready. Confirm the time, expected number of participants, accessibility needs, and any local arrangements that affect the gathering.
Participants do not need a long explanation beforehand. Offer only what they need in order to enter the experience freely.
Review Participant Reflection Support →
Continue to Step 6: Prepare and Test the Media →
Step 6: Prepare and Test the Media
Download the gathered Come and See Core Contemplative Experience (CCE) — 18:56.
This is the audio used during the gathered experience. The welcome, reflection, sharing, and closing are guided separately through the Come and See Facilitator Materials.
Save the audio file to the device you will use for the gathering. Before participants arrive, test it on the actual sound system and confirm that the file opens correctly, the sound is clear, and the volume is appropriate.
When the gathering begins, start the CCE once and allow it to continue without interruption.
If You Are Gathering Online
Come and See may also be offered through Zoom or another online gathering space. The same Core Contemplative Experience and facilitator materials are used.
Before the gathering:
test screen sharing with computer audio enabled;
confirm that participants can hear the complete recording clearly;
ask participants to find a quiet place and silence notifications;
let participants know they may leave their cameras on or off during the contemplative experience;
protect the privacy of the gathering and do not record the session.
The facilitator continues to welcome the participants, introduce the experience, receive the group afterward, and hold the sharing. Start the CCE once and allow it to continue without interruption.
When the media is ready, continue to Step 7.
Step 7: You Are Ready to Facilitate
Before the gathering begins, confirm that you have:
experienced Come and See as a participant
read the Facilitator’s Guide
reviewed the Come and See facilitator materials
prepared the participant reflection materials
prepared the room and practical details
tested the complete media
allowed yourself a few quiet moments to arrive before welcoming others
You do not need to make the experience successful. You do not need to explain or interpret what happens within it.
Prepare with care. Welcome with hospitality. Remain present. Trust the experience to carry what belongs within it.
You are ready to facilitate Come and See.
Help Us Learn from Your Experience
Creating Space continues to be tested and refined through the experiences of those who use it.
If you have facilitated a gathering, we would welcome hearing what worked well, what was difficult, or what might be clearer.
Your experience can help make Creating Space more accessible to others.