Rochelle McAlister currently serves in Zimbabwe with her husband John. She has created the following as part of a training plan used in Zimbabwe. How do we get involved in our communities?
1. READING:
Read the booklet “Mission in Community.â€
2. JOURNAL: CHOOSE AT LEAST 2 OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS TO WRITE ABOUT IN YOUR JOURNAL.
- What do you think about Integrated Mission? Do you think everyone is on a journey with God? Do you agree that mission is about walking beside, or do you think it’s more about pushing or pulling people in a certain direction? In your experience of The Salvation Army, have you been exposed to more of the spiritual side or the social side or has there been a good balance?
- Reflect on these ideas of helping. What do you think? Do you like to help people? Why? Do you agree that sometimes when we try to help people, it may actually harm them? If you agree, then do you think we should stop helping or are there alternative ways?
- Reflect on this idea of prevenient grace. What do you think?
- Do you find it easy to see strengths and capacities in others or is it easier for you to notice weaknesses? Explain. Do you find it difficult to engage in meaningful conversations with people about concerns and hopes, or does it come naturally to you?
3. EXPLORE IN REAL LIFE:
1. Prayer walk around your community. Each day for one week, walk around your community. Do this alone or with others. Ask God to open your ears and eyes to hear and see your community in a new way. Ask God to show you where He is working, and where there is potential. If you do this as a group, discuss what you observed. If you do it by yourself, find people in your corps or community that you can discuss this with.
AND
2. With a friend/someone from your corps, make a home visit to someone in your community. Get to know them as a person, by asking them to tell you about their life and story. Use open ended questions. Ask her/him to tell you about
a) His/her life - ask about their family, their community, what it has been like for them to live in your community, etc.
b) His/her strengths/capacities - i.e. what is s/he good at? What are her/his hopes and dreams?
c) His/her concerns - i.e. what does s/he worry about? What are the most important concerns?
d) Ideas that s/he has about how to address those concerns - i.e. what are some possible solutions? What has s/he done in the past to address the concerns?
After the visit, “debrief†with your friend. Talk about the experience, and what it was like. Talk about things you noticed, and any feelings you had.
4. WRITING ASSIGNMENT:
Draw a map of your community. On the map, make sure to include important places, churches/corps, services, resources, roads and transport links, and any assets/strengths. Try to make this map with other people. Make the map as big as you would like. The contents are more important than any artistic ability!
Also, using the map and thinking about your corps in relation with the rest of the community, write a description of what your corps would be like if it were totally integrated into the community. Compare that with the current situation. Also include a section on your ideas of what will need to happen for your corps to be engaged in integrated mission.