Friday, December 02, 2005
Outreach ....
Tonight Melissa and I went to a meeting with the Youth Services
people from council.
We both volunteer with the Council Youth Service's Youth
Outreach Program.
Once a month Melissa and/or I travel around the area with
the council youth workers. We chat to young people, asking
them questions about themselves and their community. We
then share information with them about what is happening
around their community.
I enjoy getting out on Outreach with the council. It is
an opportunity for me to get out amongst young people in
the community. I get to meet young people in a different
context. I also get to meet young people without the baggage
of being a 'Christian' Youth worker.
I think that is a great reason for me to be involved. It
is possible to interact with young people without the stigma
of being a Christian and all the stereotypes that are associated
with that.
So what about you?
I and others who read my blog (Hi Mum!!!!) would love to
hear about how you engage with people in your community.
How do you get out there without being a "Christian on
outreach"? Do you get out there in any capacity other than
as a Christian?
P.S. My mum isn't around this week, she is chasing Possums
around Gelantipy with the field naturalists.
Although she is due back today. Lets see how long it takes
her to respond to my attempt to make her famous. :)
Great question you put out there. My wife and I are part of a mob named UNOH based in Springvale, (we are on sabbatical at the moment till Feb).
One of our core values is incarnational, by this we mean "We value the Kingdom coming among poor communities with whom we live and identify"
Our focus are the urban poor & marginalised. So we pitch our tents with those we seek to reach. Many tell us it is a bad place to live and raise kids (we have 2 under 3). If it is not good enough for my kids, I ask, then why is it good enough for anyone else's kids.
The neighbours pretty soon jerry to the fact that we are Christians, but it is a more authentic connection, from the inside out, rather than than the "preach & retreat method" into the nicer place method - which I actually believe does more harm than good, as it sets up the whole "God really isn't here, if God was then more Christians would live here" message.
Hope these thoughts help a little!
Keep going, I grew up around Greensborough and parts of it were really rough.
: 11:59 pm I am a bit slow.
They were Endangered Brush Tailed Rock Wallabies that were released into the wild. ( 2 males who are coping successfully at the moment)
where there are less than 10 in this group.
: 9:20 pm << Home
