Forum Activity for @mac-johnson

Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
04/11/24 06:43:42PM
16 posts

The True Cost of the Churchgoing Bust


ABCD and Faith Communities

Many Americans seem to have found no alternative method to build a sense of community.

By Derek Thompson

The Atlantic magazine April 3, 2024

See LinkedIn Newsletter, with links:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/true-cost-churchgoing-bust-the-atlantic-brcpe

"...Maybe religion, for all of its faults, works a bit like a retaining wall to hold back the destabilizing pressure of American hyper-individualism, which threatens to swell and spill over in its absence..."

Some key points:

  • Suddenly, in the 1990s, the ranks of nonbelievers surged.  An estimated 40 million people — one in eight Americans — stopped going to church in the past 25 years, making it the “largest concentrated change in church attendance in American history,” according to the religion writer Jake Meador.
  • Did the decline of religion cut some people off from a crucial gateway to civic engagement, or is religion just one part of a broader retreat from associations and memberships in America.  “It’s hard to know what the causal story is here,” Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at NYU, told me.
  • And America didn’t simply lose its religion without finding a communal replacement.  Just as America’s churches were depopulated, Americans developed a new relationship with a technology that, in many ways, is the diabolical opposite of a religious ritual:  the smartphone.
Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
03/10/24 12:16:49PM
16 posts

The Family Economy, Chapter 1:  Family Gifts Inventory


ABCD and Faith Communities

The Family Economy Discovering the Family as It Was Designed to Work

Wipf & Stock Publishers (Feb. 2024) Religion Book.

Chapter 1:  Family Gifts Inventory

What Could Your Family Do Together That You Could Never Do Apart?

(Part II:  Practice)

"The Family Gifts Inventory is a simple exercise to help you build your family economy by discovering the unique gifts, interests, education and experience of each member, and how these traits might fit together into a shared family enterprise...."

(Google Books)  Centuries after the "triumph of industrialism," we find ourselves wrestling through a paradox of wealth and loss, of abundance and loneliness.  The home, once the principle "factory" of society, stands now as a mere shell of its former function and authority.  The family, once the bedrock of civilization, is more divided today than it has been at any point in human history.

  In the face of such monumental shifts, corrupt philosophies, and entrenched interests, what can one family possibly do?  Quite a bit, actually.  We believe the answer can only come from families, and it can only start at home.  The family economy is a concept so foreign to the modern industrial mind that it needs to be re-introduced and defined again as the solution that it has been for thousands of years.  That is what this book intends to do. 

The Family Economy


updated by @mac-johnson: 03/10/24 12:39:10PM
Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
09/19/19 10:11:46PM
16 posts

A CALL FOR FAITH-BASED ABCD STORIES AND LESSONS LEARNED!!


ABCD and Faith Communities

'Love is an exchange of gifts,' Saint Ignatius had said.  It was in these simple, practical, down-to-earth ways that people could show their love for each other.  If the love was not there in the beginning, but only the need, such gifts made love grow. - Author: Dorothy Day (See also attached graphic.)


Love is an exchange of gifts Ignatius Dororthy Day.jpg Love is an exchange of gifts Ignatius Dororthy Day.jpg - 61KB
Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
08/11/19 06:44:58PM
16 posts

Experiences with training and articulating the value to community?


Training


Hi Matt,

I served to develop projects, as a Catholic Charities agency-based Community- and "Parish-Social-Ministry-" organizer.

EXAMPLE:  In this "ABCD case" I met a volunteer parishioner, enrolled in Cincinnati's Lay Pastoral Ministry Program, of which I'm a graduate (MA in Religion).  This includes a required, cap-stone Ministry Project (part of her curriculum). In conversation she clarified her ABCD "motivation to act."  She wanted to organize "Mentor Moms," from parishes.

The result was a Team of Mentor Mom parish volunteers (middle-income, suburban mothers) who combined their gifts in the course of trainings, starting with an ABCD weekend at Xavier for Teams. They were attracted to worked in concert with a maternity-clinic-nurse and inner-city parish staff minister doing "Emergency Assistance (EA)" work (food pantry, etc.).  The result was a project build "from the inside out," from and between, two twinning Catholic communities.

Connected by the clinician, Mentor Moms worked, in Northern Kentucky, with the neighborhood parish EA staff and expecting often-single low-income mothers.  ABCD-trained Mentors also were oriented as a Team, for their well-defined Mentor-Mom volunteer-role, with Junior League of nearby Cincinnati, in their Mentor Mom orientation-program.

Mentor Mom's structured, collaborative role was to "accompany" low-income mothers during pregnancy and afterwards. These low-income mothers and their children, in poor neighborhoods, were isolated and vulnerable.  For example, public financial-assistance was low, housing relatively expensive and the nearby women & children's homeless-shelter (part of Catholic Charities) was perpetually full. 

The Clinic nurse inquired of her clients, and low-income women responded positively. These women often lived near the family- health clinic and inner-city Catholic parish.  Mentor Moms visited, kept in touch by phone, celebrated family events (e.g., Baby showers, birthday parties of older siblings at the parish; Parish-supplied ice cream was a crucial asset!). Reflection together led to problem solving (e.g., Mentors' good networks connecting a quality job with a mom transitioning from public assistance). 

ABCD-trained Mentor Moms leveraged their parish communities for solidarity -- very effectively -- to support specific needs, in a  "twinning relationship" with the inner-city emergency-assistance parish-ministry. This is internally-focused "Targeted Asset Mapping" (see attached 2p ABCD Summary description).  Mentor Moms leveraged their social capital for (suburban) parish solidarity actions.

ABCD-trained Mentor Moms also led an "appreciative inquiry" (AI) event -- during regularly-scheduled community free-roller-skating at the inner-city parish.  (ABCD Asset mapping and capacity inventories can be grouped under the umbrella of AI.) This ABCD "Visionary asset mapping" experience, facilitated by ABCD-organizing Mentor Moms, connected neighbor's "gifts of individuals" with their interested, gifted and nearby peers (e.g., ABCD connecting to "Teachables:"  for a new craft class for young children; and parents a karate class for other parent's older children, in the parish building).

ABCD quote howardthurman.png

The staffed clinic, inner-city parish, suburban parishes and my Catholic Charities agency served as needed ABCD "vehicles," for the trained volunteers, motivated-to-act. The parish, as ABCD vehicle, engaged its associating neighbors, with one another, first during roller skating. The "assets of an institution" (skating rink, etc.) thus was leveraged with skaters (together, an ABCD "resource of association") to connect individual gifts.

Parish-level pastoral ministry is substantially synonymic with community building (e.g., in "stewardship" gift-mobilizing the "time," "talent" and "treasure" of members). Be that as it may, pastoral-community leaders often labor under the same colonized over-professionalization (McKnight) as social agencies. Theologically described in the book Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood, inherited "scripts" in clerical culture foster underlying attitudes which preserve destructive aspects of social relationships. Alternatively, pastoral workers "thinking like organizers" can prophetically-practice some horizontalism to call forth gifts of all to do the work of God's love in the world.

(In a disaster-relief context, abundant gift mobilizing engaging congregation assets in our era of climate change, is demonstrated the recorded 1-hour video webinar: "Self Organized Leadership in Networks:  Lessons from Occupy Sandy and the People’s Climate March."  See also:  "Occupy Sandy Field Orientation," a 12p PDF for participants, to catalyze mutual aid akin to ABCD-engagement.)

CBI's ABCD-training, at Xavier (Cincinnati's Jesuit University), provided the asset-based paradigm and citizen discussion-process.  Mentor Moms were parents:  with experience-based gifts, in social-capital-rich parishes, within an adjudicatory network with stated ideals to frame this initiative.  With a structured Mentor Mom role, in faith, they served as "people for others" and to ABCD-build "communities of salt and light."

For example, they helped engage groups of parishioners in field-trip encounter experiences -- appreciative inquiry -- with the inner-city parish EA program and homeless shelter.  This resulted in the renewing mobilization of gifts of individuals, resources of their associations and assets of their institutions (e.g., adjudicatory-networked parishes, agencies). This places ABCD at a high value, in practical internally-focused projects, where leaders pick up this paradigm, while integrating professional ("clinical") services.

ABCD can "bridge silos" in systems, between organizations to mobilize more of available community capacity.  Successful ABCD projects like this necessarily are collaborations, with specific characteristics (see attached 2p book reference). This mobilization-paradigm is needed in our contemporary contexts.  See:

"God distributed gifts in such a way that no one has all of them, because God wanted to make us dependent on one another."

St. Catherine of Siena


Successful Collaborations MJ CD 2p.pdf - 285KB

updated by @mac-johnson: 10/14/19 01:26:24PM
Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
08/01/19 02:21:02PM
16 posts

Experiences with training and articulating the value to community?


Training


Hi Matt,

I'm from Eastern NC originally (Greenville, Laurinburg) and now living near Cincinnati. I'm interested in Cooperate WNC efforts, in new economy / resilience.

In Cincy I attended ABCD trainings of Community Building Institute (CBI) at Xavier University (functioning as an anchor institution), etc.  Parallel to DePaul Univ., XU CBI workshops served citizens by conversationally facilitating early-stage organizing of their ABCD projects, over multiple weekends.

I think "appreciative inquiry" (AI) into fruitful projects and related ABCD training, is a good to evaluate trainings. ABCD is related to AI by appreciating and connecting peoples gifts. How citizens & leaders diversely "frame ideas" in ABCD conversations is interesting to me.

AI and framing are evidenced in this TEDTalk "My Town in Transition: Rob Hopkins at TEDxExeter" (video 0:18:17). Here Totnes UK participants in "Transition Streets" express high satisfaction in community-building terms (whereas organizers frame first from a sustainability, cutting-carbon perceptive, etc.). Note the "Word Cloud" evaluation.

See Totnes ABCD also in "Start Something Together" (video 0:06:46), and hear its grassroots participants. These reflect ABCD "motivations to act" (link: Mike Green's, "ABCD In Action" DVD excerpt).  What started as energy-bill reduction conversations (Keeping Totnes warm, convening/trainings), then "went way beyond..." 

Trainers value the range of expressions of these fruitful and inter-sectional initiatives, while themselves appreciating especially sustainability metrics.

I think that Public Narratives by Trainers, such as these, sharpened in local practice, then can be valuable as developed, distributed assets, like these TED Talks. Without being able to "review" the 2-day the DePaul event, I think that good rhizomatic aims of ours should be to: 1) connect them to this training network, and, 2) encourage them also to document and reflect on projects in useful / sharable ways. Then, like this, we can better learn in networks. Thanks!

Mac Johnson


updated by @mac-johnson: 08/02/19 02:03:36PM
Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
07/24/19 07:32:41PM
16 posts

Leakey bucket.


ABCD and Economic Development

Coady Inst. St. Francis Xavier Univ. (Nova Scotia Canada) & the Leaky Bucket

Coady Institute offers ABCD resources for citizen-led development and the Leaky Bucket as a tool to strengthen local economies:

Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
06/18/19 02:39:00PM
16 posts

A CALL FOR FAITH-BASED ABCD STORIES AND LESSONS LEARNED!!


ABCD and Faith Communities

Abundant Community Conference Call with Pastor Mike Mather, Tuesday, June 18, 2019

(Face Book recorded Zoom Call)

Pastor Mike Mather of Broadway Methodist Church in Indianapolis, with Peter Block & John McKnight. John McKnight has said that he knows of few people who have implemented Asset-Based Community Development more courageously or completely than Mike Mather.

One reason may be that Mike starts with different questions from the ones you hear in other places. For example, he says, what if, at annual church conferences, we gave awards to congregations that, despite all that has happened around them—all the demographic shifts, the changing economic base—have stayed in the city? What if we asked those congregations to name three neighbors they wanted to celebrate for the gifts they give in the neighborhood?

Taking an approach like that changes everything.

"The issues our organizations and people face cannot be cured by technique," he says, "whether that technique is creating a new worship service, erecting a new building, storytelling, or establishing an economic and community development program." Mike knows that we already have the tools we need. We just have to reclaim them and not be afraid to use them. He says, "I try to remember those words that appear in Scripture so often: 'Fear not.'"

We will dive deeper into what Mike means when he says we already have the tools we need to re-imagine community and work with our neighbors to tap into the abundance around us. We will also explore ways that Mike's experience might apply to your own work. We'll finish up the call by asking you to share your questions and insights.  

See Face Book video-recording of this half-hour conversationhttps://www.facebook.com/AbundantCommunity/videos/585558838637439


"...The challenges are assets:  Try something.  Example (re church member / neighbor social separation; an encounter strategy) (Roving Listener DeAmon Harges) shows up “accidentally” with a neighbor, at a church committee meeting, and introduces the neighbor to the church members.  “Oh, I'm sorry... This is…  Could we go around and introduce ourselves?...”  After the third month of doing this accident, church members began to laugh… (at the desegregation). 


See also:  DeAmon Harges TedTalk "Making the Invisible Visible"  .”  The Roving Listener’s job:  “Find the gifts and talents for everybody in the life of the community, find a place for that gift and celebrate that gift in ways that build community, economy and mutual delight.”


Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
03/15/19 01:28:57PM
16 posts

A CALL FOR FAITH-BASED ABCD STORIES AND LESSONS LEARNED!!


ABCD and Faith Communities

Abundant Community Conference Call, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, hosted by John McKnight and Peter Block. This periodic Abundant Community Zoom Conference call was with Jonathan Massimi, a Canadian priest with a long history of inventing imaginative ways to connect people, young and old, and breathe new life into their communities. For a recording of this call on Face Book see:  https://www.facebook.com/AbundantCommunity/videos/1026128160911319

Jonathan describes an ABCD initiative, the Share Fair, where he encouraged those in the community to de-clutter their homes and give things away. They asked people to bring their items to Grace Anglican Church and place them on the lawn. This event allowed us to clothe many migrant workers, furnish the apartment of an immigrant family, provide single mothers with items for their children, and send multiple items of clothing over seas.

See a related recorded conference call with Hebrew Scriptures scholar Walter Brueggemann, with whom Peter and John co-authored the book An Other Kingdom: Departing the Consumer Culture.

Mac Johnson
@mac-johnson
11/27/18 11:44:01PM
16 posts

A CALL FOR FAITH-BASED ABCD STORIES AND LESSONS LEARNED!!


ABCD and Faith Communities


Greg Boyle, founder and Executive Director of Homeboy Industries, entered the Jesuits and was ordained a priest in 1984. He was Pastor of Dolores Mission, a Catholic parish in public housing developments in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, from 1986 until 1992. This community context:  the poorest parish in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; neighborhood having the highest concentration of gang activity in the whole city. Homeboy Industries traces its roots to “Jobs for a Future” (JFF), a program created by Boyle in 1988 at nearby Dolores Mission parish.

This continuing gang-intervention work focuses on developing compassionate gift-connecting conversations among peers. For this purpose, this online film reflects on sentencing reform and decriminalizing trauma. This is in order to invest in "extravagant tenderness" among people, to build trust-relationships for healing in community. Expensive mass-incarceration is not making us safer.

https://www.facebook.com/bravenewfilms/videos/223546301660734 

Healing Trauma:  Beyond Gangs and Prisons

Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ and Home Boy / Home Girl Industries

Greg's work also reflects the Igantian spirituality of the Society of Jesus (founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola) and its lay companion networks. This gift-oriented contemplative practice has spread to many faith communities, ecumenically.


updated by @mac-johnson: 11/28/18 11:28:37AM
1