How to reach out beyond our churches to our community...
As churches "on mission," we struggle with connecting to our community in meaningful ministry. Focusing on a community's needs and problems is one way to start. A more productive way is to discover the community's assets, capacities and abilities and build a future together. Looking at strengths leads us to new opportunities and possibilities. When the local community are committed to investing in themselves and their resources, real change can happen.
CBFNC held a one day conference with Doris Littrell, author of Practicing Community Development. Doris and her husband spent 40 years working with people in communities, nurturing the process of community development.
Topics included:
1. Introduction to asset-based community development - values, principles. How to reach out beyond our churches to involve the whole community.
2. In the morning, visioning; in the afternoon, action planning on how to implement the vision.
3. Working with people who are not like us - cross-cultural interaction.
Read the summary article in the December edition of The Gathering.