The Sustainist

Cycle of Blessings, Week One: The Currency of Time and Place

Guest Blogger:  The Rev. David Andrews, Rector of The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew (SsAM), Wilmington, Delaware 

Twenty folks gathered for a meal and we began our exploration of the Cycle of Blessings, a new approach to stewardship, on Wednesday, September 23. We focused our attention on the currency of time and place. What do I mean by time and place? Let’s begin by first looking at place, specifically the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew.

SsAM as a Place:

Take a moment and think about all that happens at SsAM during the course of the week.  Here are some examples but please add your own:

• AA
• Sunday Breakfast
• Andrews Place
• Women’s Day Center
• SsAM adult and treble choir and musicianship classes
• Drumming
• Yoga
• Adult and Youth Education
• Service Projects
• Outreach to the community: urban Stations of the Cross and ashes to go on Ash Wednesday.   The parish is committed to assisting agencies such as Friendship House, Sojourner’s Place, Delaware Futures and Faith Center.

There are many others. SsAM — the place also needs to care for the physical plant so that all that happens here can continue and this requires the currency of money or our financial pledges.

SsAM as Time:

Time is measured by a hard working staff and a committed group of volunteers to ensure that SsAM continues to live out its mission to be an intentional diverse community and a beacon of hope for the City of Wilmington for all ages.  On Wednesday night we experienced how the currency of time and place is lived out at SsAM on Sunday morning in the Church (internal) and our reaching out to the community (external).

We participated in two exercises. In the first, participants were given a chance to see and experience what a community looks like if it closed to others, open to others and one that pays attention to both internal and external relationships. The currency of truth was shared by folks who feel that we, as a parish, could be more open at Sunday coffee hour by welcoming people to join our table conversations.

The second exercise focused on taking the Church to the World. Each person was asked to write on a piece of paper one ministry that occurs in the parish.  They were then asked to write one concern or issue that the Wilmington community faces today.  Below are the ideas the folks created by using an internal and external focus:

• Lector (internal) and Hunger (External).
• Property (internal) and Rodney Square (External)
• Going to Church (internal) and Homelessness (External)
• Liturgical Ministries (internal) and Places for the homeless to live (External)

These may not seem to connect at all but during our first session, folks used their creativity and energy to think differently. These are some of the ideas:

• To be a place that feeds people who are spiritually hungry and physically hungry by providing a meal and storytelling.
• Have a parish work day and afterwards we make sandwiches and bring them to Rodney Square as well as ask folks in Rodney Square if they need help with their home or apartment.
• Sunday Chapel and inviting and welcoming the homeless to Church
• Breaking worship out into the community. An example might be to celebrate the Eucharist in Rodney Square.

As I listened to folks share I got really excited that these ideas could become reality.  I also realized that there was more than one currency flowing between all of us last night.  The currencies of truth and relationship were also present as well as the Holy Spirit.

There is room for more folks to come and experience this new approach to stewardship.  We will meet September 30, October 7, October 21, October 28 and November 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 in the auditorium. Click here to learn more about the Cycle of Blessings.

(Fr. Andrews came to our Winter Training Institute in Los Angeles this year and brought back the Holy Currencies Stewardship curriculum to implement at his church.  If you want to learn how to do the same, come to one of upcoming Institutes.  We still have room for our next institute in Memphis.)

Upcoming Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist and learn more about Holy Conferencing: November 1-5, 2015 Memphis, TN Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training January 18-22, 2016 Chicago, IL Gracious Leadership Training Community Transformation (Part of the D. Min. Program of Bexley-Seabury Theological Seminary) February 29-March 4, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training April 7-12, 2016 San Francisco, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies Incubation of New Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training A Bilingual (English-Spanish) Event July 18-22, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training www.kscopeinstitute.org

Reflection Questions for Proper 21(Year B) Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22    What did you learn from this story about sharing our blessings? Psalm 124    How do you know God is on your side? James 5:13-20   What are the roles of prayers and songs in community? Mark 9:38-50   What does this passage teach you about inward reflection and outward action?

Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org

Listen Strong

In 2013, eight church members of All Saints Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa, intentionally listened to 77 members of the church.  They are members of the Listen Strong Team commissioned by the congregation to launch a series of “listening campaigns.” With training from the Gamaliel Foundation, which uses community organizing principles to “empower ordinary people to effectively participate in the political, environmental, social and economic decisions affecting their lives,” the team learns the basic skills in listening to foster relationship and community. These skills includes:

• Start or strengthen a relationship
• Discover the person’s self-interest
• Help the person clarify his/her self-interest
• Gather information

At the heart of the process is being truly curious about the other and having the courage to ask clarifying questions to enable a deeper conversation.  Every two weeks, the team would gather to share stories that they have heard.  At the end of the campaign, the team wrote a report about what they had heard resulting in re-affirming the core ministries of the church as well as discovering places where the church can grow and expand.   According to the Rev. Clark Olson-Smith, Pastor of All Saints, the first in-reach listening campaign created a sense of belonging and for many, the conversation was life-changing.

Listen Strong - All Saint's Lutheran Church, Davenport from Southeastern Iowa Synod, ELCA on Vimeo.

The Listen Strong Team attempted to do an outreach listening campaign in 2014 to listen to people in the neighborhood community using the same techniques.  But the campaign was not as successful as there was some resistance in going out and listening to strangers.  But All Saints did not giving up.  In the past year, they have trained another group to do an in-reach campaign and are working out another outreach listening campaign.

Listening is the best way to increase the currency of relationship both internally and externally.  All Saints Lutheran Church had proven that, with some training, church members can adopt a curious attitude and have the courage to enter into deeper conversations with others.  With stronger relationships and community through listening, I believe that the members of All Saints heard the truth about themselves and achieve greater wellness within the church community.  With the currency of truth, I pray that they will be able to feel secure enough to go out and listen to the people in the neighborhood fostering real relationships and discovering the truth about the needs and concerns of the community.  

Upcoming Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist and learn more about Holy Conferencing: November 1-5, 2015 Memphis, TN Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training January 18-22, 2016 Chicago, IL Gracious Leadership Training Community Transformation (Part of the D. Min. Program of Bexley-Seabury Theological Seminary) February 29-March 4, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training April 7-12, 2016 San Francisco, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies Incubation of New Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training A Bilingual (English-Spanish) Event July 18-22, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training www.kscopeinstitute.org

Reflection Questions for Proper 22(Year B) Job 1:1; 2:1-10    What did you learn from this story about faithfulness? Psalm 26    What does it mean to live with integrity? Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12   What does it mean to be a brother or sister of Jesus? Mark 10:2-16   How does this passage inform about Jesus’ attitude toward women and children?

Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org

Making the Difference with the Currency of Place

“Everybody around here is so supportive, and they want you to do good. And they want you to succeed. And it’s like — it’s a good feeling knowing that there’s people that actually care.”  A student from the high school next to Clark Park said in a video produced by Student Reporting Labs fellow Evan Gulock while interning at Detroit Public Television. Another interviewee said, “Yes, I still feel that the reason I’m still here at age 84 is to help these children out and to keep them away from drugs and gangs, and to give them a positive option in life. We want them to go to college and make something of their lives.”

In fact, the graduation rate at Western High School has dramatically increased and many credited the success to Clark Park, which could have turned into an eyesore when it nearly closed in 1991.  Volunteers from the community went to bat for the park and keep it open. “We didn’t know if we were going to be successful in keeping it open without the city’s help.” Ziggy Gonzalez, Co-Founder of the Clark Park Coalition said,  “But we did it that first year. And I think the city got the message after that.”

The mission of the Clark Park Coalition is “to provide an array of diverse, high-quality recreational, educational, social and mentoring programs for southwest Detroit families promoting development skills which helps our youth grow into responsible, self-confident adults.  Clark Park Coalition is a partner of the Detroit Recreational Department.”

The park’s summer program offerings include a gardening program, free lunch, story time, nutrition class, arts and crafts, writing workshop, blogging club, photojournalism, walking club, and sport programs for all ages including co-ed baseball, girls’ softball,  soccer, tennis, lacrosse, and street hockey.  During the school year, the park also offers programs for youth that are thinking about going to college, helping them with SAT and other exams and taking them on college tours within Michigan.

Aside from a very small paid staff, the park is supported by volunteers who give their time, talent and money to be mentors and coaches, to maintain the park, to sponsor sport teams and programs, to donate sports equipment and to do fundraising.

Clark Park is a great example of how to maximize the exchange of currency of time and place.  It began with members of the community offering their time to keep the park from closing.  From there, they developed trusting relationships, listened to the truth about the needs of the people, especially the youth, and they created programs to sustain the wellness of the community.  Look around your neighborhood.  Are there places that have the potential to become a gathering place for the community? How much time are you willing to give to transform this place into a center for building relationship, developing leadership and cultivating spiritual, physical, social and ecological wellness?

Upcoming Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist and learn more about Holy Conferencing: November 1-5, 2015 Memphis, TN Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training January 18-22, 2016 Chicago, IL Gracious Leadership Training Community Transformation (Part of the D. Min. Program of Bexley-Seabury Theological Seminary) February 29-March 4, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training April 7-12, 2016 San Francisco, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies Incubation of New Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training A Bilingual (English-Spanish) Event July 18-22, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training www.kscopeinstitute.org

Reflection Questions for Proper 19 (Year B) Proverbs 1:20-33    How and where do you listen to Wisdom? Psalm 19    What did you learn from this psalm about God as your strength and redeemer? James 3:1-12   What does passage say to you about leadership? Mark 8:27-38   How does it mean to set your mind on divine things?

Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org

Fighting Waste, Feeding People

In 2011, Ben Simon, Mia Zavalij and Cam Pascual, students at the University of Maryland, noticed the vast amount of food from the dining hall that went in the trash at the end of the day—soup, roast turkey, steaks, vegetable, pasta and salads all going to waste. They decided to do something about it and created the Food Recovery Network (FRN).

It began in a small way, once a week, five volunteers would show up at the campus dining hall to pick up leftovers and drive them to area shelters. This initial modest effort recovered an average of 150 to 200 pounds of food each night. By graduation of 2012, FRN had donated about 30,000 meals to Washington shelters.  Other campuses heard about this movement and founded additional chapters at Brown University, UC-Berkeley and Pomona College in that same year. In May 2013, the Sodexo Foundation provided FRN with funding to hire a full-time staff and transition into a professional nonprofit! Since then, FRN has swept the nation and made higher education the first sector where food recovery is the norm and not the exception. FRN is aiming to be on 180 campuses to recover 1.2 million pounds of food by 2016!

Having the idea is one thing; making it work is another.  The success of FRN is rooted in utilizing the existing network of relationships on campus. It doesn’t rely on one team of volunteers to make all the late-night pickups and deliveries. The network includes many student organizations: religious and cultural groups, fraternities and sororities, many of which require members to perform community service. Over 200 volunteers would pick up at dining halls and after football and basketball games while a manager with food-safety training oversees each pickup.  All volunteers receive lessons in safe-food handling, including the importance of wearing gloves, keeping foods within prescribed temperatures and other precautions.

FRN is now the largest student movement against food waste and hunger in America.  According to its website: Food Recovery Network unites students on college campuses to fight food waste and hunger by recovering perishable food that would otherwise go to waste from their campuses and communities and donating it to people in need.

If you are part of a collage campus, see if there is a FRN chapter operating there.  If not, start one.  The founders of FRN are young people who noticed the truth about food waste in the organization of which they were a part and utilizing their relationship and leadership currencies, they created a simple and effective sustainable solution and it grew. Take a look at the organizations and communities to which you belong, what do you notice in terms of what we do with our leftovers?  How can you use your currencies of time, leadership and relationship to do something sustainable about it?

Upcoming Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist and learn more about Holy Conferencing: November 1-5, 2015 Memphis, TN Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training January 18-22, 2016 Chicago, IL Gracious Leadership Training Community Transformation (Part of the D. Min. Program of Bexley-Seabury Theological Seminary) February 29-March 4, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training April 7-12, 2016 San Francisco, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies Incubation of New Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training A Bilingual (English-Spanish) Event July 18-22, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Gracious Leadership Training Holy Currencies: Creating Sustainable Missional Ministries KI Catalyst (Facilitator) Training www.kscopeinstitute.org

Reflection Questions for Proper 18(Year B) Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23    What is God’s attitude toward the rich and the poor? Psalm 125    What does it mean to trust in God? James 2:1-17   How does having faith with work apply to your life? Mark 7:24-37   In order for you to have faith, what needs to be opened?

Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org