Communities of Shalom Newsletter for July 2014

Communities of Shalom Newsletter for July 2014

What is sweet for the Giver may be toxic to the Receiver
The first book we read at Drew Theological School when we take a Shalom course on community organizing and community development is Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton.

The book is about why the system of charity is broken, and a better way to give and receive. I recently had the opportunity to hear Robert Lupton speak about “Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It).”

Since Christ came to break the cycle of spiritual and physical poverty, he said, Christians are called not to perpetuate dependency but to create opportunities for the poor to use their God-given talents and available assets.I agree with Lupton’s description of what can happen to receivers when givers offer charity for its own sake:
Give once and you elicit appreciation;
· Give twice and you create anticipation;
· Give three times and you create expectation;
· Give four times and it becomes entitlement;
· Give five times and you establish dependency
(Lupton, Toxic Charity, p. 130).
We negate the spirit of true charity when we do not reflect on the consequences and issues that charity brings about.  As Lupton says, long-term charity reinforces the underlying issues of poverty—hopelessness, powerlessness, and helplessness.  By affirming the superiority of the giver, it subordinates the receiver. Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is an alternative approach to simple charity, as embodied in the Credo of a Community Developer:

CREDO OF A MINISTER OF SHALOM

Go to the people

Live among them

Learn from them

Plan with them

Work with them

Start with what they know

And build on what they have.

Teach by showing

Learn by doing

Not a showcase, but a pattern

Not bits and pieces, but a system

Not to conform but to transform

Not for relief but release.

“And when the best leaders leave,

And their work is done,

the people all say:

‘We have done it ourselves.’”(Dr. Y.C. James Yen)

Drew Interns Seek Shalom in Memphis and Jersey Shore
Kory Turner, a second year seminary student at Drew Theological School, is completing a six-week shalom internship in Memphis with the Center for transforming  Communities.
His assignment involves three learning goals and service needs:
1) Participate on a youth leadership team at Rhodes College in their Crossroads to Freedom program as they focus on a community development project in the Highland Heights Shalom Zone;
2) represent and promote Communities of Shalom principles on a weekly bases in the Binghamton Shalom Zone, using an appreciative inquiry interview style to learn about their work and discover (and share) the connections to Shalom principles; and
3) work with the pastor of Binghamton UMC to support the growing movement in Memphis to have Christian denominations (and state government) fully include the LBGT community—with a goal of identifying resources for the church and city to provide pre-marital counseling to same-sex couples.
Read Kory’s article on Servant Leadership.
Servant Leadership: Living, Loving, and Learning in Community
Making a difference through radical love and inclusion
Not too long ago, I had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Floridia Jackson, a Memphis native who has most recently become the Director of the Memphis School of Servant Leadership. Floridia has been active with this school for several years. She started off with The School while in seminary. At the time, she was seeking a group of people that were “like-working” in that they shared in a common mission to make a difference in the world through radical love and inclusion, and work against oppression and other injustices. She was encouraged to move forward in this mission in the classes that she took on “the call” and “racism to reconciliation” at Memphis School of Servant Leadership.
Floridia Jackson
Floridia Jackson, Director,
Memphis School of Servant Leadership
According to Floridia, the Memphis School of Servant Leadership is a school that seeks to “raise up Christian servant leaders for the church and the world.” All classes are free as the school recognizes that not everyone might be able to pay. Each individual in the classroom, whether teacher or student, are on a journey together. The teachers are referred to as companions instead of facilitators/teachers to reflect this principle.
Instead of a board of directors, the Memphis School of Servant Leadership has what is referred to as a ‘mission group’. In addition to managing the business and order of the school, this group meets together for spiritual development. The mission group gathers every two weeks to pray with each other about the direction the school should be going, shifts and changes in their personal lives as a result of their connection to the school, and ways in which spirit is calling them to work against oppressive and racist structures.
Floridia has enjoyed being a partner in The Commons, the shared space operated by Center for Transforming Communities. Every day at the office provides an opportunity to experience the God in others, be it someone reminding her of what’s going on in God’s global world, updates on the work other partners of The Commons are doing in the community, or an African woman nursing her child as she waits for her two other children who are in the Refugee Empowerment Program classes, reminding her of the way in which God loves and nurtures us.
In her own words, Floridia states that “Community is when we stop to pause, to see, to witness that God-life, God-force/energy in one another.” Imagine a world where people acknowledge and carry out the call to serve and live in true community. This is the work that is being done through the Memphis School of Servant Leadership.
Namaste’ (The divine in me acknowledges the divine in you)
Kory Turner
Author:  Kory N. Turner
Kory is a seminary students at Drew Theological Seminary.  He is serving as a Shalom Intern at Center for Transforming Communities this sum
Read interview with Kory
nterview with Shalom Intern, Kory Turner
Kory N. Turner is participating in the Communities of Shalom Internship by Drew University Theological School. He is serving in a Shalom Zone in Memphis, Tennessee.
would you describe your understanding and vision of prophetic ministry in the congregation and community?
In my experience, there is no specific way to describe prophetic ministry. Traditionally, in my faith tradition, a prophet was one who told people/the church about current circumstances, and with the help of God, advised people how to move forward. I’d like to go a step further and say that a prophet is one whom, through the holy spirit, is able to connect to a person’s soul. Most recently, I learned that prophetic ministry calls people to speak against injustice and work toward creating a better world. Prophets/prophetic ministries tend to go against the grain of what “typical” ministry looks like in order to serve the greater good of humanity.
What are your long-term goals for ministry?
My long-term goals in ministry are to become a Reverend so that I can go around and preach/teach about sexuality-related issues as well as provide/found a space that centers around healing and reconciliation of the mind, body, and spirit for youth and their families.
Describe any prior experience with community organizing, community development and/or justice ministry.
I was an outreach worker for Hudson Pride Connection Center in Jersey City, NJ. Although my team’s target population was men who have sex with men (MSM), we reached a broader demographic, teaching communities the importance of protecting themselves during sexual activity and getting tested regularly.
Can you summarize your particular ministerial and social justice interests?
I have a strong passion for youth (teens to young adult) and their families. There are so many youth who have either been put out by their families, live in homes that are not ideal settings to be brought up in, or have grown up in the foster care system. It’s important for youth to have a safe place where, if desired, they can be reconciled with their families or receive the support they need to become a successful adult.
Another interest I have is sexual ethics/education within the church, specifically around but not restricted to LGBT-related issues.

What are some of the skills, life experiences, gifts & graces you will bring to your next appointment?
I currently serve as a Deacon at Unity Fellowship Church NewArk, a progressive all-inclusive social-justice ministry in Newark, NJ where “God is love and love is for everyone.” Many have said that my smile and warm personality lights up a room and really brightens people’s day. As one who grew up without my father and was raised by my grandmother, I understand the struggle of youth who might be in similar familial settings and the socioeconomic strain it might put on the guardian(s) of the child.

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Peg Crilly, a third year student at Drew, also is participating in the Communities of Shalom Internship program this summer.
Her six-week assignment is with “A Future with Hope”—the disaster relief and community development arm of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Peg is working in several communities on the Jersey Shore adversely affected by Hurricane Sandy and in need of recovery and redevelopment.
Working side-by-side with residents and volunteers at a rebuilding site, she helps to host, coordinate, supervise and debrief those who are seeking shalom in places torn apart by natural disaster.
As relief work turns to community development, the hope is that some of the work-sites will become shalom zones in the months and years to come.
Interview with Shalom Intern, Peg Crilly
Peg Crilly is participating in the Communities of Shalom Internship by Drew University Theological School. She is serving as part of the program “A Future with Hope” of the Greatest New Jersey Conference of the United Methodist Church that brings relief for people affected by Hurricane Sandy in the east coast of New Jersey.
How would you describe your understanding and vision of prophetic ministry in the congregation and community?
I have learned that prophetic ministry is ministry that works with the people to identify and educate for oppression and inequality, and works with them to create a new vision and make it happen. It is scripturally grounded and may include many different things, and people would be ideally empowered and transformed in creating a new reality with justice and equality in relationships, resources, and self-determination.
Can you tell us about your experience with community organizing, community development and/or justice ministry?
While I do not think I have actual experience with community organizing, community development, and justice ministry, I have some interesting related work experience which educated me and fuels my passion for justice. I have organized programs in 2 of 3 shelters I worked at, one of which may fall under the prophetic leadership category, where I planned and led empowering youth programs for job and college success, nonviolent creative expression, and more (The Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center). From this agency and my other work, getting to know these real people, their struggles and oppression, and my position of privilege, affected me, and motivated me to work for justice. I would really like to try community organizing and justice ministry with Shalom.
How would you summarize your particular ministerial and social justice interests?
In particular, food, water, environmental, creation care education, and eco justice issues are my passions, including developing young environmental leadership for sustainability and food security. Very close 2nd’s are my interests in girls and women empowerment, empowering youth development for those at risk, street kids/foster kids/incarcerated kids, single moms, and equality for all people. I would be happy working with healing the “ism’s” and oppression and creating a new world.
What are your long-term goals for ministry?
I am called to Earth Ministry in healing our relationship with the Earth and greening faith communities; and reclaiming the feminine face of God, women in Jesus’ life, and within Christianity, and Catholicism. I also feel called to some chaplaincy, which may involve the above, and/or interfaith, ecumenical, children and youth in the system (incarcerated, foster, etc.). My long term goals for ministry involve figuring out how to do this and engaging in it.

What are some of the skills, life experiences, gifts & graces you will bring to this ministry assignment?
I have skills in the areas of experiential education in teaching and facilitation; youth development, management, and program planning; risk management; team working skills and can teach others to work together; outreach and relationship building skills.
As far as life experiences, they include very valuable experiences of being a minority in many places (including education) and have embraced different cultures; realizing my place of privilege; a respectful boundary crosser; working with people who are poor, homeless, immigrant, incarcerated, and youth at risk. I have expertise in taking people into the wilderness in the U.S., have been a leader in multi-faith worship with the GreenFaith Fellowship Program, been an activist for peace and justice for 5 years, and am not addicted to technology.
I have gifts in being creative, resourceful, and love to improvise; in Earth-based anything; in always rooting for the underdog and seeing their potential; in lots of compassion; being able to see a larger view of things; in music, art, and creative expression, and can make some of this happen; in exploratory learning and expeditions; being physically active; with youth at risk; seeing opportunities in adventure, fun, and learning; embrace Creation Spirituality, interfaith and multi-faith efforts, and have a spiritual awareness.

Describe your ideal summer ministry assignment.
My ideal placement would be one involving underserved or oppressed people with an  empowering connection with the Earth. One of my ideal summer ministry assignments would be working with community development around an organic, permaculture community garden effort, learning/teaching about local foods, healthy cooking and eating, and skills around all this in efforts to transform food deserts, and making it a magnetic and vibrant place to be. Helping to develop leadership, feeding those who need food, and exposing young people to Green Jobs opportunities would be great too. Another might be to engage folks in reclaiming, cleaning up, and restoring public green space and waterways for recreational and community building opportunities. Working with environmental racism and eco-justice efforts would be another great possibility for me. Teaching theory on oppression (although they will teach me) and moving toward empowerment with education would be great too.
Richmond, Virginia Shalom Farms
Shalom Farms is a regional food access and community development project of United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond (UMUMR).
United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond has a long history of social service work in low-income communities. Founded in 1937 as Bethlehem Wilson Communities, the agency played an integral role in the Fulton and Highland Park communities, providing services to over 1,500 individuals and families per year that included preschool, after-school, seniors programming, and emergency relief services.
In 2005, the agency changed its name to United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond and transitioned from a neighborhood center and direct service provider to an organization engaged in social, economic, and spiritual justice issues on a regional level.
The mission of UMUMR is to facilitate collaborative partnerships among individuals, congregations, and organizations to assure food access and educational supports in Greater Richmond.
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The Shalom Farms concept grew out of conversations with Camp Westview on the James and community partners in 2008. The project developed from a recognition of the need for broader food justice work and a desire to use Westview’s rural resources to better serve urban Richmond.
In 2010 the current Executive Director and Farm Manager were hired to focus UMUMR’s efforts on the development of Shalom Farms. Each year the farm has grown in acreage and production as the organization’s outreach and programming continues to expand and deepen in target neighborhoods in Richmond.
In 2014 Shalom Farms plans to grow and distribute 85,000 pounds of produce, up from 72,000 lbs in 2013.
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Community Organizing and Community Development by Dr.  Robert C. Linthicum
There are four ways humanity can respond to human need.  They can provide social services.  They can advocate on behalf of those unfortunate.  They can undertake community or economic development.  Or they organize the people to create their own destiny.
In my opinion, community organizing must be the foundation upon which development, advocacy or social services must be built.  If it is not built on an organizing foundation, I believe the work that will be done in any of these fields will be seriously – even fatally – flawed, because it operates on an inadequate conceptual base.
Each of these disciplines is committed, eventually, to the empowerment of the people they serve.  At its best, community development and economic development seek to involve the xpeople they are seeking to service in the deliberative and planning process of development, the choice of projects, the building of strategy, and the implementation of that strategy.
Advocacy seeks to stand for the people and to defend them before the ”principalities and powers” because the people apparently don’t have sufficient power to stand on their own.  Social services provide ministries of mercy to the people – food, clothing, shelter, health care, education – in hopes that the people will learn to eventually stand on their own feet.
But all three fields have a fatal flaw at the heart of their mobilizing work.  That flaw is the assumption that the problem essentially lies with the people – that in a profound way, these people are unable to provide for themselves what they need in order to survive this situation, and therefore an outside agency needs to come in to build up the capacity of the people and make them capable of being competitive in the real world.  From the perspective of these three fields, the problem essentially lies with the people!
Community organizing analyzes the situation in a profoundly different way.  To any community organizer, the problem doesn’t lie with the people; the problem lies with the systems of power in that city and country.
The way the political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious systems of any society are organized, some hold the power and others seek that power or are victims of that power. Those who hold the power have “stacked the deck” to guarantee that they – the elite – remain in power and others exist to serve that power base.  As Frederick Douglass, the escaped African-American former slave who had experienced much of his life what he later taught, wrote, ”Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.
Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both.  The limits of the systems are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”(A letter of Frederick Douglass to an associate, written in 1849.  Italics mine.)

The poor aren’t incompetent!  They are powerless!  That they have survived for thousands of years under the oppression of political, economic and social tyrants is testimony to their resiliency and their extreme competence in coping.
Our task is not so much to teach them how to compete in a world still controlled by those already in control and for the sake of those in control.  Nor is our task finally to provide the charity they need to help them struggle to stay alive.
The task must be that of working with them to build the significant power they already have at their fingertips but which society has never identified as power – the power of each other or relational power – and to develop their skills and capacities to use that power so that the systems realize they must make room for them and take seriously their concerns.
Then, in that context of an empowered people, that community can make use of the principles and practices of economic development or community development or even advocacy and social services to help build the power of that community and make it truly powerful in the power equation of that city or state”
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(Taken from: Response by Dr. Robert Linthicum To Questions Posed by Stephanie Scott. The Campolo School for Social Change, Eastern University, Philadelphia, PA.)
Using a ‘Shalom approach’ to mitigate HIV/AIDS in Western Uganda by Julius Kasaija, Regional Shalom Trainer and Director of SARS Uganda
Our goal was to increase knowledge and skills among the 2,000 Youth (15-24 Years) and 2,500 adults (25 Years and above) in three sub-counties of Kasambya, Kakindo and Birembo Sub-counties, (12 Parishes) in Kibaale District of Western Uganda in order to reduce the Incidence of HIV by 7 % and mitigate the causes and consequences of AIDS by the end of Dec 2015.
We are grateful to UMCOR and the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund for a $10,000 grant to support our community intervention goals and objectives. Already in 2014 we have moved a big step in sensitizing the communities we serve. We have gained greater experience in the world of HIV/AIDS. As we move forward we realize new strategies of helping our communities better.
In our country there are minimal programs on home based care, professional counseling and equipping religious leaders to take an integral part in building confidence among the affected and infected.
Our thanks go to you in the United States and mostly Rev. Michael Christensen who has introduced Shalom initiatives to our communities. We have thus integrated the Shalom understanding in all of our programs to make them self-sustaining and demand driven.
 St George Hope Health Centre
In the first phase of our program, we surveyed 5,000 people in rural villages about their understanding of HIV/AIDS and other health issues. In phase two we trained 30 women in how to offer home-based care to people living with AIDS. In phase three we trained 35 new volunteers in how to visit persons with HIV/AIDS and their families in their homes, and how to encourage them by offering friendship, food, practical care and emotional support…
In phase 15 of the 3-year project, over 1400 families will benefit from HIV testing and counseling, ARV drug treatment, and case management at St. George Hope Health Centre and Community of Shalom in Hoima, Uganda.
For those interested in the activities and outcomes of all 15 phases of this intervention program, please contact Julius at SARS: sarsugnada@gmail.com
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Our mailing address is: 
Communities of Shalom
12 Campus Drive
Madison, NJ 07940 United States
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