Myponga UCA
Rev Julia Pitman invited me to join in an evening meal with Myponga UCA and congregations from within the parish. After dinner I told three stories where examples where churches have moved from ‘poverty’ models of welfare to ‘asset’ models of engagement.
At the establishment of Adelaide Central Mission – the Methodists provided maths and literacy as well as food and shelter to the unemployed.
- Colleen the Giant Teapot visiting local street to address isolation of elderly people
- Marion Church of Christ moving from Soup Kitchen to an opportunity to prepare food for lunch
I will prepare a full description of each of these projects in future blogs.
Question 1: I asked the group to discuss what where the principles which they identified from “successful” community programs. Some of their ideas included;
- Self esteem and life skills
- Listen deeply esp to those who are lonely / isolated
- Concerns about permission and privacy were raised
- Catalyst to create someting
- Live and help live!
- People aren’t just deficits – they always have things they can do (strengths)
Question No 2 :What if you were to apply these principles to your location? What might you do? Some of the ideas which arose include;
Getting the whole of Aged Groups together
- Isolation in the new developments in the regions
- Make a contribution to children and young families
- Connect with Christian Pastoral Support Worker
We discussed the four quadrant integral theory – as a way of ensuring you are addressing all elements in a complex problem.