I had the privelege of meeting last night with folks from both our Capitol View Dwell house and Grant Park Dwell house, as well as folks who live in the neighborhood of Capitol View who are invested in what we are doing. The purpose of getting together to eat good desserts was to talk about how people who are interested in what we are doing, but who do not live in our Dwell house, can be a part of Dwell. What seems to be brewing is something we are calling D-lite (Dwell Lite) or Dwell Neighborhood Addition. Our Dwell house would remain the core of our ministry in Capitol View, but we would begin to have a bigger family of Dwell in the 'hood. The foundation of which would be relationships. I don't know how this will develop over the next few months, but I am really excited to be having these conversations. And in reality, I also recognize that we are just putting a name and developing some structure for something that already exists. Our Dwell houses can't be who they are without the greater community. And we hope that the houses are also able to be a support and sense of joy for those in the community. The challenge moving ahead will be around staying intentional about these relationships, but also allowing things to develop organically, as they have before.
~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director
Thursday
Creativity and Service
A reflection from Edrick, one of our Discern summer staff:
"The word of the week for this week was creativity. Looking back at the summer, I realize that creativity is necessary for the work in which we are taking part in this summer. Creativity is defined as the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, and interpretations. Throughout this summer, the staff has used creativity to the utmost effect. Being able to think quickly and provide solutions when things don’t happen the way they’re supposed are essential to being able to survive in a ministry of this magnitude. This summer I learned that creativity can come in many forms. And that this creativity, this ability to think on your feet is a skill that you must have that you must continue to hone and master in order to serve God. To be open to creativity is to be open to the many things and plans that God has for each and every one of us, to be open to the will of God. This summer especially asked me to be creative. Not only in the confines of Central Presbyterian Church, but at every worksite I visited this summer in Atlanta. Being creative is not only a gift to be used sparingly, but a tool necessary in the service of our Lord."
"The word of the week for this week was creativity. Looking back at the summer, I realize that creativity is necessary for the work in which we are taking part in this summer. Creativity is defined as the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, and interpretations. Throughout this summer, the staff has used creativity to the utmost effect. Being able to think quickly and provide solutions when things don’t happen the way they’re supposed are essential to being able to survive in a ministry of this magnitude. This summer I learned that creativity can come in many forms. And that this creativity, this ability to think on your feet is a skill that you must have that you must continue to hone and master in order to serve God. To be open to creativity is to be open to the many things and plans that God has for each and every one of us, to be open to the will of God. This summer especially asked me to be creative. Not only in the confines of Central Presbyterian Church, but at every worksite I visited this summer in Atlanta. Being creative is not only a gift to be used sparingly, but a tool necessary in the service of our Lord."
Wednesday
DOOR Atlanta Volunteers in "Grow: The Movie"
Our friends at Oak Leaf Mennonite Farm, one of our partner ministries for the summer, are being highlighted in a documentary film about small farmers in Georgia. Because of the work our Discover Mission Trip participants have done on the farm this summer, they were also included in some of the filming at the farm. Here's a link for more information about this film. http://growmovie.blogspot.com/. The picture above came from the filmmakers, Christine and Owen.
Well Done Good and Faithful Servant
This week we are focusing on "Persistence" as our leadership word of the week with our summer staff. Persistence is something that God often asks of God's followers. In my mind, persistence means trusting and following God, even when we're not sure how things will turn out or when it is difficult to follow God. When the Israelites were wandering in the desert for many years, God asked them to trust and follow. God asked them to follow even when it was hard and the promised land seemed to be only a dream. And eventually God's people reached the land of milk and honey. When the early Christians were being persecuted, it would have been easy to give up their faith. But the early Christians were persistent in their faith and eventually Christianity was spread far and wide. Although not as drastic as these biblical accounts, working at DOOR sometimes requires persistence as well. Our staff and participants see injustice, need, and sometimes disrespect all around them. At times it is tempting to believe that what we do doesn't make a difference; doesn't make a positive impact. We ask groups to weed in community gardens, to sort clothes at thrift stores, to prepare meals for soup kitchens, and play games with children who are homeless. But at the end of the week or summer, there will still be folks who need a meal, weeds will continue to grow in the garden and there will still be children who are living in homeless shelters. And so we must turn to God and persist in our belief that God can use our humble offerings to bring about God's mission in the world. That God can take the seed of what we do this week or this summer and grow it into something amazing. Sometimes I don't know how God will accomplish this, but I am persistent in my belief that if we try to be faithful, God will find a way to use our humble offerings and will ultimatately be pleased by our desire to glorify God through our service.
Now, here are the reflections of one of our summer Discern staff on "Persistence".
~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director
"Persistence is, in the end, what separates the winners from the losers; but it also does not come naturally. This past week, we reflected on this word and how we can start applying it to the rest of our summer as staff. My first thoughts were to keep persisting in the way I show hospitality to our middle-schoolers and high-schoolers week by week: greeting them with a smile and a “how are you?”, willingly helping them when they’ve asked me a question, and giving them my best if I have to help lead an activity one night.
God also calls us to persistence when He sees that we’re losing speed in our lives. A perfect example is found in Matthew 7:7 when Jesus says “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you”. The Lord says that if we keep on praying, we keep on having faith, and we keep believing in Him, there is no doubt we will find Him! In the context of this summer, if we, as staff, keep persisting in the way we facilitate different groups’ experiences week by week, we will also earn a reward. Not only will we learn more about serving young people and our community, or about a hard summer’s work. But at the end of our summer, God will smile down at us and say “well done, good and faithful servant”."
Betty, Discern Summer Staff
Now, here are the reflections of one of our summer Discern staff on "Persistence".
~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director
"Persistence is, in the end, what separates the winners from the losers; but it also does not come naturally. This past week, we reflected on this word and how we can start applying it to the rest of our summer as staff. My first thoughts were to keep persisting in the way I show hospitality to our middle-schoolers and high-schoolers week by week: greeting them with a smile and a “how are you?”, willingly helping them when they’ve asked me a question, and giving them my best if I have to help lead an activity one night.
God also calls us to persistence when He sees that we’re losing speed in our lives. A perfect example is found in Matthew 7:7 when Jesus says “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you”. The Lord says that if we keep on praying, we keep on having faith, and we keep believing in Him, there is no doubt we will find Him! In the context of this summer, if we, as staff, keep persisting in the way we facilitate different groups’ experiences week by week, we will also earn a reward. Not only will we learn more about serving young people and our community, or about a hard summer’s work. But at the end of our summer, God will smile down at us and say “well done, good and faithful servant”."
Betty, Discern Summer Staff
Tuesday
Presenting is an aspect of Hospitality
This summer DOOR Atlanta is focusing on welcome and hospitality during our mission trip programs. We are asking folks to explore the ways Christ calls us to offer hospitality to those around us. At the same time, the summer staff are exploring different leadership traits each week during the summer. So far this summer we have studied and practiced initiative, motivation and problem solving, among others. This week, Charlayna, one of our summer staff explores the intersection between our leadership trait of the week and our theme of hospitality. Her insights make all of us think about how even something we do all the time, like presenting, can be hospitable to those around us.
~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director
"Presenting is an aspect of hospitality. Here at DOOR Atlanta, we, the staff members make certain of presenting ourselves to the new groups that arrive each week. Each week we meticulously make sure to do an outstanding job in presenting their living space, the agendas for the week, their freshly cooked meals, and expectations through the philosophy of ministry. We can also attest to the significance of presentation from the different staff members of the agencies we visit throughout the week. The manner in which staff introduce their agencies and treat their clients has a strong effect on the perception and work attitude of the DOOR groups. And lastly, an essential aspect to how the groups return home to tell of their trip and lessons of hospitality is through their presentation of the trip. It is very important that we avoid complacency to present our ideas and other things in the best possible condition. "
Charlayna, DOOR Atlanta Discern Summer Staff
~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director
"Presenting is an aspect of hospitality. Here at DOOR Atlanta, we, the staff members make certain of presenting ourselves to the new groups that arrive each week. Each week we meticulously make sure to do an outstanding job in presenting their living space, the agendas for the week, their freshly cooked meals, and expectations through the philosophy of ministry. We can also attest to the significance of presentation from the different staff members of the agencies we visit throughout the week. The manner in which staff introduce their agencies and treat their clients has a strong effect on the perception and work attitude of the DOOR groups. And lastly, an essential aspect to how the groups return home to tell of their trip and lessons of hospitality is through their presentation of the trip. It is very important that we avoid complacency to present our ideas and other things in the best possible condition. "
Charlayna, DOOR Atlanta Discern Summer Staff
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