This semester I am lecturing in a subject called Effective Community Engagement at Tabor College Adelaide with my long term friend and colleague Mark Riessen. My fellow Faith in Action co-conspirator Peter McDonald will be making a guest appearance too as he told us in his blog last week on …
I have had many mentors and coaches in my life so far. Some formally some more informal relationships. While I have certainly experienced the challenges of finding mentors in a male dominated field (men are always reluctant to provide mentoring to young women) I have experienced a number of men …
I was re-reading today the story of the Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. If you haven’t read this delightful, challenging and honest story (from whence the title of this blog was taken) then I encourage you to click HERE immediately and sink your teeth into it. It is the …
I sat down to write a summary of key learning taken from Friday’s Faith in Action workshop and yet before I do that (in my next post) I want to share with you the manner that workshop played into a deeper story of learning that was going of for me …
Yesterday I had a lovely drive through the Adelaide Hills to visit the leaders of the Baptist Church at Gumeracha. So far this would have to be the prettiest Baptist Church I have visited particularly as I found it yesterday; surrounded by the bright green new growth of the mulberry …
Many of the people I engage with who work/volunteer in community development with a Church speak of feeling isolated and often like second-class citizens within the life of the congregation. Pastors and leaders are often really good at giving permission for community development endeavors for those who are passionate about …
Today is my last day as Director of MarionLIFE Community Services; an organisation I have had the privilege to lead for over 5 years now. NB: Finishing well is my excuse for my lack of blogging in recent weeks. I have learnt a lot in my time at MarionLIFE: …
More thoughts on finding the path between chaos and order in hosting our communities. Personally I find this a hard (but beautiful) balance.
Our Edwardstown Project is in an interesting/challenging/exciting space presently. Having educated and inspired the members of the church to embrace an asset based approach to their community engagement we have inquired-of and got-to-know the local community using techniques like World Cafe and asking good questions around an election day BBQ. …
The title says it all but let me expand: I feel that the proof of success in asset based community development is not in statistics but in the stories of community transformation. This is why I have asked a number of colleagues in this work to share their stories of where …
I’m currently in rainy Melbourne having just shared at the Surrender Conference. I was given the privilege to lead three sessions at the conference and then to share about the conference on ABC radio tonight (tune in to Sunday nights with John Cleary to hear my tired voice) So what …
At MarionLIFE we have begun a conversation with a second community of faith with the intention of leading this community down the winding path of imagining a new future with their local community. Rather than preparing a simple needs analysis and matching it with programs we are hoping to dream …