Who Shows Up, Wins!
I spent a Saturday afternoon late in June putting together a "save the date" announcement and then walked to all of the homes on my block inviting people to our summer block party. I was frankly discouraged by the number of shut doors and people who seemed to evaporate from their front porches as they saw me coming. It seems like lots of folks for a variety of reasons do not like visitors who go house to house. I left the invitation in their mailbox anyway. |  |
Some middle class church leaders recently tried to get some of their members to go door to door canvassing in their neighborhoods to discover gifts and assets of their neighbors (things they could do or bring for community benefit). The church members flatly refused to go. Some of them were too turned off by their own feelings about opening doors to Mormons or street sales people. Others were afraid that it would not be a safe activity (even if done in pairs). Their fears and concerns led them to rule out door to door canvassing in their neighborhood - period. I took the whole first day (Monday) of my vacation early in July to again go door to door in the neighborhood. This was the day before the event. Same response. So few people welcomed me. But I noticed that more of the kids knew about the coming event and they were full of anticipation. This time as I went, I wrote on the invitation one thing I wanted each family to bring to the block party. Again I put the ads in people's mail box if they did not come to the door. An amazing result - 80% of the neighbors showed up bringing what I had asked for (plates, cups, potato chips, baked beans, a salad, etc). One neighbor voluntarily made the best tostadas any of us had ever tasted. We had a great evening getting to know each other. We ate and we mingled. The block is warmer as a result, friendlier, more open. When I am walking my dog, the kids see me coming and greet me by name, more adults too (helps that they love our Beagle). I believe if we do this with greater frequency, we are going to see neighbors connecting and helping each other more;Already the sense of community has increased. What will life be like here when neighbors choose to help each other and work together on things they care about? I'm planning a fall dessert gathering next with my neighbors. The officials at "Our Street," a public service organization helping neighborhoods improve, describes our block as "one of the best" in the city. What a change from a year ago when it was "at risk." The difference? A couple of convening events in the neighborhood to help neighbors meet each other and share conversations. The isolation of neighbors from one another leads to fear and the breakdown of community life. What if Christians and Churches learned to "set the table" for community relationships? CFA is growing a network of regional leaders bringing ideas, resources, proven strategies and technologies to churches and neighborhood groups who want to improve their neighborhoods by helping neighbors work together on what they care about. We thank you for your support in this mission of community transformation. Jay Van Groningen | |