Friday, September 27, 2013

Exposure to a World of Assets Around Us



Every Community Member Has Gifts to Offer

Last weekend I had the opportunity to be a part of the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Workshop at the Center for Transforming Communities (CTC). Facilitated by CTC Director, Amy Moritz, the workshop included group discussions, break-out sessions, lunch, and a wonderful tour of the Binghampton neighborhood led by Pastor Billy Vaughan.

Individuals from different neighborhoods across the metropolitan area like Highland Heights, Orange Mound, Germantown, and Grand Junction, TN were in attendance. As each participant introduced herself or himself,

Amy engaged each of them by asking questions about each neighborhood in the effort to discover the assets contained within.  Some illustrated  concern and voiced that their neighborhood lacked assets and perhaps had more struggles and “negatives” than anything else.

Over the course of the workshop, however, it was fascinating to witness the attitudes shifting…changing  as Amy talked about the ideas of internally-focused strength-based concepts of ABCD. She began to illuminate ideas such as the benefits of “doing with” rather than “doing to” your neighborhood and challenging participants to consider where they felt an internal sense of “calling” regarding their neighborhoods.
Asset Mapping 


After walking to and eating lunch at Caritas Village (a nearby community partner), we were joined by Billy Vaughan, a pastor and resident of the Binghampton neighborhood, for a walking tour of the surrounding neighborhood. Seemingly, it was at this point in the workshop experience that the group began to truly understand and embrace the value of a neighborhood’s community members and assets.
Binghampton Neighborhood Tour

Billy began by recounting the story of Onie Johns’ calling to the Binghampton area and how she sought to strengthen the community through creativity and relationship-building. “Onie,” Billy said, “is an asset.” As we walked along, he told us about a community member and friend who struggles with mental illness, and another who struggles with alcoholism. Billy said that one is simply brilliant and always willing to help those in need, and the other is one of the most skilled pianists around. “Both men,” Billy continued, “are assets.”

It was becoming clear how every community member had gifts to offer.

Billy pointed out the homes of these individuals as we walked along the breezy streets of residential Binghampton. By the end of the day, it was obvious that the group had a better understanding of ABCD. Moreover, it seemed that there was deeper awareness that recognizing a neighborhood’s assets and gifts is a much more sustainable approach for a neighborhood’s development than focusing on what it does not have.

Contributed by Ian Preston,  HCD Fellow and intern at Center for Transforming Communities.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Springboarding children to go as high as they can go

Their hospitality was refreshing, captivating even. After an unexpected, delightful lunch in their South Memphis home William and Geraldine Downey took the opportunity to share from a colorful lens of history regarding their enduring connection to their beloved neighborhood.

Both of them speak fondly of their childhood years in South Memphis and now some fifty plus (50+) years later they find themselves helping to shape the quality of life for children there today. Mr. and Mrs. Downey actively engage in the South Memphis neighborhood through their connection to a local congregation (Christ Quest) and a successful after-school tutoring program (Knowledge Quest). As residents within the South Memphis Shalom Zone, they bring their entire selves to creating a community of belonging among neighbors and nurturing the potential and capabilities of each child.

Whether it's helping the neighborhood prepare for the next holiday, coaching baseball or  simply loving  their neighborhood  and all of  its members, you will find the Downeys filling the gaps with hope through their generosity and selfless service.  As part of the interview they discuss assets within their community and the sense of promise on the horizon. This power to courageously forecast inspires them to continue in their service for their neighborhood that has weathered its' fair share of changes.

Our conversation reveals that their stewardship and partnership within the community resonates with principles of shalom. Over time they have emerged as community parents and pillars of stability for hundreds. This way of living...existing in the world produces community in real, tangible ways.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Southeast Memphis: Making It Happen Shalom Zone


Full of energy...full of excitement, Dianne Love takes a few moments to talk about the progressive change happening in her neighborhood. She attributes the growing phenomenon of collaboration to an awareness that shalom is a lifestyle. The partnerships and connections in southeast Memphis are widening with a particular focus to survey the assets existing within the community and maximize the potential therein.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

South Memphis embraces the concept of Shalom


Dennis Ross, Sr. pastor of Evening Star Missionary Baptist Church, shares through an experiential lens what it means to evolve alongside a community as it redefines itself. Pastor Ross engages in committed service to his community by connecting his narrative to a community full of promise. He equates the power of South Memphis to that of a shining beacon of hope.

Much of his story and the story of South Memphis is inherently tied to a way of believing, living, and existing in the world. Pastor Ross eagerly discusses... the power of Shalom.