Community Involvement...

I get into lots of churches and I see a wide variety of ways that churches (translate that: the leaders of the churches) get involved in the community.

This was one of the more creative and intentional that I've come across. Pastor Dave Koppel is Sr Pastor at Palm Valley Lutheran in Round Rock, TX. I was there recently sharing a message on the Beatitudes out of the Gospel of Matthew.  Dave shared that he had recently participated in Leadership Round Rock. It is a year long, intensive leadership development opportunity that the Chamber of Commerce provides for city leaders.

Here are the goals of Leadership Round Rock:
History:  Provide an understanding of the history of the Round Rock area.

Infrastructure:  Expose students to key business, governmental, educational, and community institutions.

Issues:  Explore important challenges and issues to be addressed by our community.

Involvement:  Promote the importance of civic involvement and identify ways to contribute to the community.

Support:  Support the goals of the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce. Sustain the involvement of Leadership Round Rock graduates in improving this program and in connecting with our community.

And it cost $1000 to participate.  Now that's a sign you are investing in your community!  Relationships are built and connections are made.

Perhaps there is something like that in your area. It would be a great way to listen to the needs of the community and may lead to new opportunities for ministry like these.

Exercise - you don't need to be an athlete!

Well, while much of the country has been digging out and/or staying warm,  I've been traveling in the southwest... and getting farther and farther behind on my posting here!

Came across this post on exercise recently - quite a strong endorsement of the things I share in my workshops. It is very difficult to give God our best, especially if there is much sitting involved, if there is not some movement as part of our regular routine. Our brains are designed to be in a body that moves.

Some congregations have gotten pretty serious about doing something to make a difference - helping people be better stewards of the gift of our bodies and brains. One such project got some help from Wheat Ridge for what they call R.E.H.A.B. and it is making a big difference in people's lives. I recently visited with Pastor Greg from Christ Memorial in St Louis and he says it is a very lively and active ministry that engages many people in the community.  Wheat Ridge supports many other projects that do similar things.

Has your church got any ideas simmering in the area of health and human care? Need some help? Consider a Wheat Ridge grant. And check out there new crowd funding site - WeRaise!  And if health and human care ministry resonates with you, Wheat Ridge needs your help - most of what they give away in grants comes from donations.

Hunger in America?

I don't know how you can possibly keep up with all the media there is around you here in the 21st Century. I suppose you just don't - the more time I spend in the 21st Century, the more I just stay inside some limited range of what I'm comfortable with, and/or I get into a rut and just watch the same kinds of things from the same 'channels'.

When I listen to a new 'channel' once in a while, I get an interesting and often much needed jolt.  I just watched two things almost back to back.  Wow, the differences were made even more stark when watched so closely together. Movie whiplash...

I watched "A Place At The Table" (currently on Netflix).  It is a movie about hunger in America and it is very well done.  I suspect that, if it challenges your belief system, you'll be able to find fault in some area or another but, overall, it looks to be pretty accurate.  How is it that, in a country with more than enough to eat and more than enough resources (as the movie points out, this country still makes the claim of being "number 1", of "best"), we have so many hungry people?

The other movie I watched was "Margin Call" (also on Netflix) about the 2008 financial melt down through the eyes of one specific large financial company, and specifically through the eyes of a very small group of their top leaders.  I watched this one first, and then, as I was watching "A Place at the Table", I was struck how the leaders at the top of the financial company in "Margin Call" had such a 'hard night and following day' when they were 'struggling' with what they would do when they learned that their bad decisions had left them extremely 'vulnerable'.  Their answer? Pass the buck. Sell off all the junk to unsuspecting buyers.  And in the end, none of the really high up 'leaders' ended up hurt (those would be the people from the movie "A Place at the Table"). In response to a question from a colleague about what their severance package was going to be like, someone (who was going to be 'sacrificed' by being fired for their part in the bad decisions) said: "It better be very good". And it probably was. And, in the end, no one was held accountable for the mistakes they made.

It isn't "very good" for about 50,000,000 people in this country.  And while faith based response has skyrocketed, it is not keeping up.

"A Place at the Table" reveals the surprising connection between hunger and obesity, and on who it is that is hungry (spoiler alert: many of them have full time jobs).

Now what? If you want to get your church involved in the many and various faith based responses, Wheat Ridge can help. And this Grants Directory gives you a look at what else is going on through our  current grant recipients. (If you look under the heading "Topical Areas" you can search based on a specific interest.)

Is your faith in a cast?

I've enjoyed posts from this blogger/Early Childhood Educator and so here is one of her recent posts on Faith in a Cast.

You can get lots of other great posts here  on accidents, Alzheimer's, lepers and more - and always with good faith connections. Thanks Kim!

Sobering thoughts...

Some sobering thoughts post Thanksgiving. From Sightings and Martin Marty's regular email comes this short article - a quick window into how some young lives are shattered.
"I thought about “want” the other day in the lockup at the courthouse where I work.  I am a public defender in Chicago, and I start each workday in the place behind the courtroom where prisoners are held. On this morning, the small, stuffy cell was crammed with people."

Wheat Ridge has given grants to congregations focused on at-risk young people in a variety of places... perhaps there is an opportunity for ministry in your area?

WRP

Here is a great devotion on the Wheat Ridge web site... part of their weekly devotions.

Check it out. Are you a WRP? I hope so!

Persistence or raw intelligence?

I've posted about this before but here is another shot. Some very helpful information from Search Institute on persistence and intelligence and how each of those affect success in children.  Check out this short post on the topic and then join them for a free webinar on the subject on Tuesday, Nov 19/13.

Search Institute was a recipient of a Wheat Ridge grant back in their early years. Good stuff continues to happen! Take a Wheat Ridge minitour! (smartphone friendly)