Hope of
Dignity Serves
What
impact do we hope Dignity Serves makes in someone’s life?
We
hope that people feel the call of God to relocate to a neighborhood of distress
and join their neighbors in God’s restoration of that place with the gifts of
the community.
We
hope that people be more attentive to their neighbors right next to them and
discover their interests.
We
hope that people learn to give and receive with those God has placed around
them.
We
hope that people be attentive to that homeless person at the gas station and
share a meal with them.
We
hope food pantries become food co-ops in which community and dignity is created
and honored.
We
hope churches and ministries stop enabling people in need by continuing to give
out handouts that separate and divide the haves and the have-nots.
We
hope that short-term missions trip become more about discovery, learning and
building relationships rather than giving out underwear to poor third-world
children.
We
hope that these same short-term missions trips become about partnering together
to do development work among the poor involving their assets.
We
hope that the homeless person you got to know and share a meal with, that you
do the same thing next week and the next and the next.
We
hope that when you serve in under resourced neighborhoods you do so on the
agenda of the neighbors there and not yours.
We
hope that you see the amazing joy of learning the stories of people who come
from a different socio-economic background. Once you do it completely changes
everything.
We
hope that the homeless person you have been getting to know and share a meal
with that you allow them to teach, help and pray for you.
We
hope you support ministries that have devoted themselves to development work
among the poor realizing that this work has a proven track record of improving
the well being of any place or person.
We
long for the transformation of our own brokenness, the way we see others, the
way we listen, the way we neighbor, our own racism, under-resourced
neighborhoods and our commitment to God and others.
We hope that people move closer relationally
and geographically to people in distress and through Dignified Interdependent
relationships begin to do Asset Based Community Development together."
Ultimately
we hope for the reconciliation of all things under Jesus.
Come,
let us seek God’s peace and prosperity together in the city along the path of
Dignified Interdependence as together we redeem the culture of service.
