Relationship with Community (Facilitator Ron Vanden Brink)

Transcription

1 Sample of current community engagement: Barriers Relationship with Community (Facilitator Ron Vanden Brink) - Food trucks 10% to organizations/community even - Day Camp safe/affordable, youth leadership - Loaf of Bread every Thursday, free meal, churches together (not with yet) - Community Gardens trying to engage church - Families living well - Community coordinator dinners, newsletter to connect the church and community. Connecting with business people (realtors, etc) to advertise. - Join existing community groups (don t start new unless have to) - Neighbourhood connections shared buildings/lots with public school, renting to community, (after school program?) - Coffee Break - Community Fun Days - Clubs for kids reaching community kids via town agencies - Community Clean Up tidy up lawns for elderly/sick - Free oil change make it an event, serve coffee, yard sale - Divorce Care for kids and adults. Grief care - Damage to building - Fear (small steps safe places) - Learning how to engage with others - Insurance/liabilities - Extending our comfort zones/circles - Philosophy of church (tension between church and personal neighbourhoods) - Church culture - People s negative view of church (new church expressions) - they don t fit Other - Buildings are huge assets

2 Benefits of Collaboration (Facilitator Dave Witt) - Not duplicating or reinventing - Brings more to the table - Free food lots of connections, tapping desire to give - Gathering/meeting people/relationships - Breaking down silos - Raises awareness of church presence o Strength for churches - Makes church more accessible o Breaks down mystique - Meet people where they are at o Outside the walls - Discover/clarifies non negotiables - Projects - Share resources access different resources - Greater impact - Interdependent trumps dependence - Breaking down barriers and stereotypes Best Practices - Mutual respect believing others have gifts to offer o Hearing stories - Consistency following through on what you said you would do o Trustworthy good to your word - Mutual benefit win/win - Finding points of connection - Identifying Connectors - Clarity of roles o Play be strengths - Know what fruit everyone is looking for Barriers - Proprietary/territorial - Competing interests

3 Sensitivity Training for Volunteers (Facilitator Jess Brand) Practices we can implement in our ministry: - Discipleship (wherever I go I take someone with me) - Apprentices strategic goals, empowering young leaders - No distinction between volunteers and staff - Teach people to apologize (model yourself) - Spend more time in the training part o Explanation of why for the training o Volunteers Need to know it s useful and necessary o Start young - No quick fixes - Education awareness of culture/demographic that you are serving o Indigenous o International - Routine of thankfulness - Use of check ins increase relevance o Observation o Vision o Clear expectations - Covering ministries in prayer - Support - We re not called to do everything for everyone Things to encourage your volunteers to do: - Listen, treat with dignity and acknowledge - Look at the person - Follow through - Healthy boundaries - Step out of assumptions - Seeing the world through their eyes - Walking together solidarity not charity o Horizontal relationships (not vertical of us helping them ) - Participating in the community

4 Muslim Ministry (Facilitator Greg Sinclair) Ministry Activities (ideas) - Housing complexes - Food distribution (Halal) - World religion course - Friendship Club good conversation after the Paris attacks/allowed Muslim girls to speak. Attitudes - Treat with respect - Build trust - Don t expect reciprocation - Slow process - Difficult to reach resistant - Common ground - Friendship - Thinking about the bigger God - People of faith secular society - People not projects - Not entering the conversation with assumptions - Genuinely want to learn - Pluralism government is theoretically neutral (but we are not) - Appreciation of diversity Networking - Coptic Christians /Syrians o Talking to people, sensitivity of history - Campus Ministry Barriers - Tools/training - Volunteers - Too much judgement - Not enough education on Muslim ministry

5 Justice (Facilitator Dan Galenkamp) Injustices, Challenges and Barriers Homelessness assumptions we make about why someone is in a particular situation. Stigma of mental illness. Lack of living wage. Invisibleness of people in need (even in our direct communities). Difficulty of social mobility. Unable to help people move out of place of poverty. Systematic oppression *** Organizations are helping. Individuals walking alongside. Systems need to change. Privilege and Paternalism Justice as generational the time it takes. Patience. Church as an institution Prejudice and stereotypical views Becoming overwhelmed Ways to address Injustice Socialism Change perspectives. Relationships. Everyday encounters. Friendship program at church nativity pageant lack of discrimination Everyone is equal mutual blessings Allowing people to thrive employment assistance o Blossoming.safe spaces for people to thrive People as assets rather than money Seeking to be a very good neighbour Celebrating diversity widening the circle Knowing where the barriers are Demonstrating support empathy Accessibility meet people where they are at Going into relationship without a self-serving purpose reciprocity and respect Jesus model of ministry Examples of ministries/stories Poverty simulation in T.O - restoring dignity finding passion and potential listening. Single parenting group stigma and removing barriers so empathy Volunteer criteria involvement in single parenting and families Nightlight environment not being comfortable in church Mainstream in the church 4x4 dinners

6 Sustaining Church Ministries (Facilitator Joanne Adema) Thriving ministries - Is meeting a need and changes according to need - Has partnerships - Passionate lots of involvement, engagement - Willing to change - Share news with church - tell me a story - Change is allowed o Change is work, but healthy - Grounded in prayer o Rely on God - Continuity - Solid foundation - Stick to mission/vision statement to keep focus - Committed core group - Innovative (but with continuity) - Validation of volunteers/appreciate (small ways like a Tassimo machine in nursery) - Healthy turnover of staff (early recruitment) - Communication - Know the goals of the ministry (ie., relationships?) - Ending a ministry is ok Leadership - Respectful, team builder - Leadership needs to be interested o Be engaged, servant, people skills - Appreciate volunteers, valued - Affirms gifts (and thus the person) - Be willing to step aside - Mentoring - Thinks about big picture o Be current - Leader with team attitude - Empowers volunteers - equal partners - Match gifts to tasks Struggling ministries - This is how we do it, Leadership is controlling - Stagnant - People reliant - Unwilling to change - Compromising - Ministries have seasons - Exhausted volunteers, burn out - needs new life - No stories

7 - Spiritual Fundraising (Facilitator Jeff Neven) - Relationships are key. Every donation and grant received has a relationship behind it. The more you foster these relationships the more you will benefit. - Money follows vision. - Passion, if you and your team are not passionate about your cause, donors will not be either. - People want to see their donations used for good work, make sure you have good governance and management to ensure the funds are well used. Report back often with pictures and stories of how their contribution is important and doing good work. - Be careful to count the true costs of fundraisers and events, do you really want to use your staff and volunteer's time to bake pies or fulfill your mission. It may make sense for a school of art to have an art auction but it may be a really bad idea for your ministry. - Foundations and governments have objectives that they need non-profits and charities to carry out. Find spots where your mission aligns with these priorities and focus on this area for grant writing. Don't chase every grant but be strategic. Remember behind every application form is a person who reads it and makes decisions, build a relationship with this person. - It is much easier to get a current donor to give a little more than to get a new donor. Build the relationship. - Use every opportunity to build a donor database so that you can stay in touch. Find ways to get addresses and addresses. - Always better to receive monthly donors than one-off gifts. It is great to speak at a church and receive a free will offering, but much better to receive 10 new monthly donors on direct withdrawal from their bank account. Once people are giving monthly, most will continue giving for years and years.

8 Ministry Networking Day 2016 Diversity and Inclusion How can we encourage conversations and environments that pursue racial reconciliation, diversity and inclusion of all races, cultures, and abilities? Facilitator: Bernadette Arthur (CRCNA, Race Relations Coordinator Canada) Group Generated Best Practices (Round 1 & 2) Begin with offering tools and sufficient time to engage in conversations within a safe space, where only questions can be asked intentionally invite participants into the conversation affirming those who have a willingness to engage in the act of welcoming but are unaware of how to do so Host panels for people who are marginalized and racialized so they can have a platform for their voice; avoid tokenism Ask all parties involved in the work/conversations to give grace to each other Offer rules of engagement for discussions, but try to remove the feeling of walking on eggshells due to people feeling like they have to know all the politically correct language and terms before speaking Remind people to consider/examine their sources of information As a facilitator acknowledge and model vulnerability about your own struggle with biases, prejudices, etc this creates an invitation for others to do the same Once relationships have been established with those who are different than ourselves practice asking questions for the sake of learning and relationship building this should be done in a way that honours people s stories and their need/desire to talk or not talk about their experiences Engage these practices at ALL age levels Intentionally put yourself in situations where you are the minority o This encourages a posture of humility, learning and indicates a willingness to authentically develop mutually inter-dependent relationships Be mindful of how often in your daily life you assume the position of being a minority in a social setting and consider how that affects your assumptions, biases and stereotypes about those who are different than you Listen to your language how do you describe those who are different than yourself Expose yourself to varied experiences Acknowledge and try not to shy away from discomfort Acknowledge the role of inter-generational trauma and collective responsibility in the discourse Be willing to apologize when you offend and expect to be offended Rely on depend on the Holy Spirit to offer grace and wisdom in navigating conversations and new spaces Avoid assumptions by asking questions and seeking to develop relationships that are authentic Just listen and keep listening

9 Provide space for the REAL stuff to bubble up Do not be afraid to name that we are recovering racists/homophobes/etc Call out the invisibility factor that those of the dominant culture inherently experience Create a culture of accountability Provide tools and resources for further development These practices are good for ALL people including those in the LBTQQ community Best Practices (Round 3 & 4) (Bernadette) Be willing to experience discomfort Stop asking minorities and people of varying abilities to do things for free -- write their participation into your budget Provide practical leadership opportunities Ask about barriers to FULL participation (i.e., language, childcare, etc), listen, and then change practices (i.e., change meeting times/days) Invite people to participate in ways that allow them to bring their whole selves to the table Host conversations that are authentic and allow people to share what s really on their mind and how they experience life these conversations should be focused on asking open-ended questions that are not intended to dispute experiences heard or generate outside solutions Listen! Listen! Listen! Be aware of your own experience of privilege and power Explain to minorities about the hidden nuances that exist and are necessary to understanding how to successfully navigate dominant culture spaces Fund and support initiatives and businesses directly for the sake of long-term sustainability and transference of leadership Be aware of your cultural and social identity, its history and how you are affected by ethnocentrism Be vulnerable and open yourself to sharing authentically so learning is mutual and reciprocal and not one-sided or needs based If you re part of dominant culture be willing to speak to your peers in a way that sheds light, encourages self-exploration and advocates for minorities (there are things that you can say to your peers that minorities can t) Questions to Consider when Engaging in Diversity & Inclusion Practices (Round 3 & 4) (Bernadette) What language do you use to describe your stakeholders? Who sits at your tables of decision making and power? Who receives leadership training and development? What ways do you provide real opportunities for minorities and people of varying abilities to access resources and opportunities that promote their communities long-term sustainability? Do the programs and services you offer reflect the diversity of the community?

10 Are the programs and services you offered run by the diverse members of the community or outsiders? Whose voice are stories shared in? And by whom? How do the roles you play reinforce or challenge the dominant culture paradigm? What meaningful ways do you have for people to contribute to diversifying the culture of your group/organization? Who do you invite to complete tasks, contribute ideas and make decisions? How do you do this? What practical ways do you employ to avoid tokenism or making someone else s culture seem merely exotic? How do you distribute funding and allow for resource access by minorities and people of varying abilities? How do you demonstrate trust in their gifts and abilities? Tools and Resources (Round 3 & 4) (Bernadette) CRCNA Workshops[ barthur@crcna.org (Bernadette Arthur)] o Widening the Circle o Leadership and Race o Journey with Me o The Blanket Exercise Peck, M. Scott. The Different Drum: Community-making and Peace. New York: Simon and Schuster, Print. o Great resource on how to develop authentic community and the stages a community goes through as it moves towards authenticity Sheffield, Daniel R. The Multicultural Leader: Developing a Catholic Personality. Toronto: Clements Pub., Print. (Blog) "Nonprofit With Balls." Nonprofit With Balls. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June < Deepening Understanding of Intercultural Ministry ( o 5 day intensive workshop for those engaged in creating intercultural spaces