I received another email that I just had to post. This one’s from Angela Byrant, member of GCC and instructor of Human Services at Bethel College.
I wanted to share a great story of celebration about Monroe Circle Community Center (MC3). Last night as I was teaching Intro to Human Services in the Adult College at Bethel I spoke about MC3 as an excellent example of community transformation while honoring the community in need.
Our textbook lays out steps for collaborating with the community for true impacting change, as opposed to simply imposing your own ideas about what people need - hence the natural flow into the story of MC3. After sharing the amazing ripple effect within that community people were excited, passionate, reflective. Then, one of my amazing students, Patricia (in her 50's), speaks out and shares she has lived in Monroe Circle and gives testimonial to her love for Son City Kids and MC3 and how she's witnessed God's outpouring help them reclaim their value and potential.
She spoke with such joy and gratitude for GCC and the intentionality of being part of their community even before the Center came to be.
She said it was evident how much GCC cared, truly cared for people. It wasn't a project, it was a movement of caring people - walking with them as they rediscovered their value.
I love this!!!
Last semester I used this example in the same area of the text and low and behold there was another student , Yolanda, who shared her experience growing up in Monroe Circle and how she's felt the impact of MC3 in a positive way.
I also have James in my class who works at the Prison Reentry Facility where GCC has weekend services. He also helps bring those young men to MC3 on Friday nights for Prison Transition ministry. It's been powerful as well to hear his observation of how the men are responding to both experiences. God is truly at work through all of you!! Thank you for continually being diligent in listening to God's guidance and your faithful obedience.
People truly matter and because of you all they get to experience that for real!
Keep bringing up there down here!
Angela
Way to go, people of GCC.
Some thoughts on movement.
Everyone longs to be a part of a movement, but virtually no one is fired up about assimilation into a religious institution.
When you read about the first century Jesus movement, you’ll notice that they actually bypassed the primary government and religious institutions of their day. In fact, ultimately they were opposed by the leaders of these institutions.
Don’t misunderstand-I don’t think Jesus is uniformly against the church as institution as we see it today. He loves the church in every expression. But I also don’t think he ever intended church as institution to be the primary vehicle for his revolution. He designed the church to be a movement. The church institution as we know it didn’t even take shape until about 300 years after the resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus and his early followers started at the margins of society, inviting ordinary men and woman to join up and lead. In Jesus they confronted a vision of God, a vision for what humanity could be and a vision for this planet that was so revolutionary that it demanded a whole-life response.
They didn’t have any buildings. They high- jacked public squares and synagogues. They met underground in homes and catacombs.
They didn’t have any mass media. Hand to hand, heart to heart, mind to mind the Message was passed through hushed whispers and bold declarations.
They had no official titles or positions. There was no external institutional power by which to influence people. Their only power source for influence was internal.
What they offered was not an institution. Instead, quite simply, they offered their very lives, lives of integrity and service. They showed through their own examples how to live in the way of Jesus.
Now, it’s our turn. Where have you seen church as movement?
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