The Genesis Project

The following is a rough draft of the beginning of a presentation of the Genesis Project. Your input is welcome. As you may notice, I have incorporated information from my last blog.

What is the Genesis Project?

The Genesis Project is a Christian organization that is striving to follow in Jesus Christ’s footsteps by going out into the community to not only see the needs of those around us, but to also try and lessen those needs. We are striving to demonstrate the love of Christ in both words and deeds.

(Matthew 4:23) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Our Vision-

To mobilize the people, churches, community & civic organizations of the Newport region to transform their community through mercy, development and justice.
How are we going to fulfill this vision?
By partnering with these same people and organizations to find what skills and assets are in the community and develop a plan to organize what we have already going for us into a cohesive community development plan.

What are we looking for?

A. What social organizations are in the area, and what services are they already providing.
Ex. Churches, Veteran Groups, etc.

B. What businesses are in the area, and how they plan to work towards a better local economy.

1. What products are being provided?
2. What economic service do they provide?
3. Are they willing to start an apprenticeship program?
C. What Educational Assets do we have, both for our children and for adults?
D. What are the municipal assets and is it possible for citizens to supplement in a crisis?
1. Police, Fire, Communications, etc.
E. What are our food supply assets, and distribution methods?
F. What are the medical assets, and is there a plan for emergencies in the event that the community is cut out of the State and National web.
G. Individuals who have skills and want to use these skills to build a better community.

The Genesis Project is more than a data collection and storage project. We were formed from one mothers need to provide something for her teenagers to do to keep them out of trouble, and her pastor’s desire to fulfill Jesus’ command to love God, love your neighbors and go out and make disciples. The Genesis project is Pathway Community Church’s answer to the command to love your neighbors. One of our short term goals is to develop an after school program for families who need it.

Asset Mapping as a Tool

It has been a while since my last post so I decided to try to organize my thoughts on the whole process. I have started working with Pathway Community Church in Newport on the Genesis Project which they are sponsoring. The Genesis Project is doing a Community Asset Map of the town and we will be working on some of the things that I have been writing about. We handed out a survey to collect information on individual gifts that people are willing to use to better the community. We will then compile the information and use the information along with information from further surveys to develop a plan to use our assets.
I was thinking that along with what the Genesis project is doing there needs to be a broader base Asset Map performed to map the following.
A. What social organizations are in the area, and what services are they already providing.
Ex. Churches, Veteran Groups, etc.
B. What businesses are in the area, and how they plan to work towards a better local economy.
1. What products are being provided?
2. What economic service do they provide?
3. Are they willing to start an apprenticeship program?
C. What Educational Assets do we have, both for our children and for adults?
D. What are the municipal assets and is it possible for citizens to supplement in a crisis?
1. Police, Fire, Communications, etc.
E. What are our food supply assets, and distribution methods?
F. What are the medical assets, and is there a plan for emergencies in the event that the community is cut out of the State and National web.
After collecting the information and generating our Asset Map we need to organize all of our assets and work together and not independent from each other to make the town, county, and state more independent from the world economic and social web. We do not want to isolate ourselves, just be prepared in the event that the current syst

The Real Beginning

Good morning everyone. This is the real beginning of our journey together. As you read this Blog please feel free to discuss it with any one you feel would be interested in working with us on this project. If they feel like it is something worth working on please ask if it is OK to pass their email address to me. I will then add them to the permissions list.
This is a nation with a feeling of entitlement. To fulfill our goal of making this a better community we not only have to work together on our current community service projects, but we also need to work together to find the source of all of the social, economic, and educational issues. To do this the Churches, Schools, Small Business Associations, and our local governments need to get together and research these issues. I believe that everyone, including the Veterans organizations have something to offer in this respect. We will need to find the right people within these organizations to help coordinate our efforts so that we are not working against each other or duplicating efforts. This is a small portion of what I feel is needed to make this community self sufficient in the event of a breakdown in either the global economy, or our central government. I believe that if we Start in our local economy we can work our way out to neighboring communities and eventually out into the rest of the state. Have a good day.

The following is the last of my previous writings. It was written in May of 2007 and is the core of what this blog is about. Please feel free to comment and critique my writings.

I haven’t opened the Bible for serious study in almost 25 years. I am sitting here wondering why. I think it started in Spain while I was attending a Church outside the base where I was assigned. I remember the fellowship and closeness that I felt, but I also can see where it was sucking me dry. I was giving more than I should have to missions and not planning for the future. Even now, if I were to attend a local Church regularly, I might give the 10% tithe so that the Church can survive and the minister can afford to support his family while doing God’s work, but more than that would be irresponsible. I would end up neglecting my family. I was giving over and above that amount because I had it, but I wasn’t investing in my own education or the future family that I might have. I think at some point I realized that I was losing myself, not in God, but in an ideal that I thought was what a Christian should be. I started to turn away from this after one of the new members of the Church was made to feel that she wasn’t welcome because of the way she dressed.

After returning to the United States I then attended a Church that would not provide for the minister to live, but expected him to spend his whole time doing work for the Ministry. This did not leave him time to get a job outside of the Church to pay for food or rent, or any of the other necessities of raising a family.

Since the attack on the World Trade Center in New York, I have been questioning my spirituality and my beliefs. I am beginning to realize that I have been as judgmental of organized religion and as such I have closed myself to God and the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Over the years I have sat down at my computer writing about what I see wrong with the world, specifically the wrongs committed by the people who claim to be Christians. I am glad that I have never published any of this, as I would have been judgmental. The very thing I was accusing the leaders of organized religion and the far right of our political leadership. Instead of writing in judgment of the leadership of my country I need to get active in my community and try to influence what I see as wrongs by actively setting an example for the better.

How am I going to do that? I am not sure yet. As I feel a spiritual need, I think I need to look to spiritual leaders who live the life that I feel I should be living for support. I know that even though my first impulse after 9/11 was to go back in the military and be patriotic, that would not help solve any of the world’s problems. All that would happen is that I would be risking my life at my family’s expense. I think that the only way to make a real difference is to start in my own neighborhood and let the changes work their way out in a spiral.

Why haven’t I started doing anything yet? Well the first reason I know of is fear. Not fear of failure, but the fear that I might come across as a know it all or egotistical. Maybe it is even the fear of change. I really haven’t figured it out.

I read a lot of books, and watch the news regularly, and I see patterns between the fiction and the real world and realize that mankind can both, see the consequences of our actions and can also be blind to those same consequences. Where am I going with this paragraph? Well I think that what I am trying to say is that sometimes I can see something that I can do to make a difference in the way things are going, but I am unable to follow through. Sometimes it is from lack of knowledge about the procedures involved, and sometimes it is because I don’t know how to get my idea across in a way that someone that has the knowledge can do something with it.

An example is the fact that I think that a way to make the company I work for a more stable company is to come up with a plan to work with local companies and come up with a product that will sell locally. Not only would this help the company, but also it would stimulate the local economy. We need to first find out who in the area is either a customer of ours, or could use either a product or a service that we provide. I am thinking that to accomplish this we need to breakdown, not only the specific products that we sell, but the processes that we use to manufacture these products. We should than do an online survey working with the local chambers of commerce to see which of the services and products we provide the local businesses will use and what they are willing to pay for those products and services. As a division of a larger company, all plans will have to be approved before being acted on, but I can see where it could go somewhere.

Another thing that I have been thinking about is the fact that with the way things are going in the global economy the local governments and businesses need to get together and figure out what services and products that we purchase from out of the state or country, we can start making locally, We will need to do some serious selling so that bigger companies can’t force a smaller company out. We also need ways to persuade bigger stores to carry the products being produced in the area. To do this every one in the area will have to work together. How do we offset corporate greed, which pushes the global economy? It is short sighted and does not make plans for the day when that global economy collapses. If and when that day comes the future shown in the CBS show “Jericho” could be the fate of a once proud nation.

I need to do more than write my thoughts down for others to read. I need to get involved, both in the business where I work, and in the local organizations.

Vision And Growth Meld

As I work on this blog I realize that my writings are not only showing my personal growth, but a beginning to a vision. It is a vision not only for myself, but for the surrounding community, the State of Maine, and mankind overall. I realize as I go that I cannot bring the vision to life by writing and keeping it to myself. I have to share the vision with those around me and draw in people with the skills and contacts to pull it off. So as I write more people will be invited to join the group. Here is more of my previous writing. Thank you for joining me in this process.

I listen to the news today and all I hear is noise. Noise about our duly elected President’s failure to be more than human. From the moment that he was nominated, his enemies have attacked President Clinton. It has taken on the furor of the witch-hunts of the 1600’s, with its own appointed witcher. What is a witcher? A witcher is a special prosecutor, who sits outside normal laws, and digs up, or fabricates evidence against the accused.

From the moment that Ken Starr took on his assignment, he has gone after the president like a pit bull, and refuses to let go. His original assignment was to see if the president had committed any crimes in the Whitewater affair. When he couldn’t find any hard evidence, he took on the Paula Jones case, which by the way was already proceeding through normal judicial channels. When that case didn’t prove fruitful, Ken Starr stooped so low that he tried to force the President to lie about a personal sexual affair. That would give him grounds to proceed with proceedings, to try the president for perjury.

It is not up to the people to dig into a person’s personal life, even if that person happens to be powerful. I don’t know if the president has had sex outside his marriage, or not, and I really do not care. For those of us who claim to be Christians, we should remember Christ’s admonition that “He who is without sin shall cast the first stone.” A persons sins are between him and his God, and if they effect another person, that person as well.

There are those who say that the President and any other public figure should be setting an example for the children of the nation. I say, that if parents do their job teaching their own children values, they will be more likely to retain the bulk of those values. As individuals, children will make decisions, we do not agree with, but if we stoop to blaming the TV, or people in public service, or even sports figures, we are not owning up to our own responsibilities.

I now go back to Ken Starr and his investigations. I say, that if he cannot find evidence that the president committed any crimes in the Whitewater case, he should close his books and go home. Send the witchers home, and stop the madness that is associated with a free and open investigation of this manner. The president cannot do his job, if he has to continuously defend himself from these allegations.

Growth Continues

The following excerpt is from my previous writing. It is still random thoughts that over time show my personal growth.

Today I am writing about the controversy over sex education in this country. As someone who was raised in a Christian home, sex wasn’t discussed at home, other than to say it was a sin, and not to do it. The Church itself taught that premarital sex was evil, and the schools taught a sterile health version of sex education. Both failed to take into consideration those teenage feelings and urges are not so easily shut off. They also failed to mention, that under the right circumstances sex could be a wonderful experience.

When the Church mentions sex, it is in such a way that you feel it is an obligation to increase the population of Gods people. By doing this, in some cases the wife feels that it is a duty on her part. This turns what should be a joyful experience into a chore for her. It also opens the door for what could be considered sanctioned spousal abuse to those husbands who use sex as a power tool.

Well, back to the subject at hand: today’s sexual education curriculum. As Christians we have a tendency to take God’s admonition for children to obey their parents and forget a few things.

1. Our children who are old enough to have sexual urges are physically adults. As adults, we need to remember this, and give them the information needed to make informed adult decisions. If we do not do this, our children will act like the little child we treat them as. They may even do exactly what we object to out of spite, or even ignorance.

2. Our children are only human, and are subject to the same failings that we are.

We must treat our children with the same respect that we require from them. If they fail we do not want to alienate them, which could force them to make decisions that they wouldn’t normally. God is the only one who can judge us, or our children’s actions.

I can hear some of you now. “Are we supposed to just tell our children that it is O.K. to have sex before marriage?” No, as Christians it is our duty to teach our faith, and moral beliefs to our children. We must trust them to make the right choices, and God to keep them safe. I also feel that it will be a sin against God, and our children to not protect them from disease, and pregnancy. The only way to make sure that our children know all the dangers, and are sure of the protection there is available to them.

This means that we should make sure that our daughters of childbearing age, (be that age 14, or even age 10) are on birth control pills. They should also make sure that their partners use condoms to protect against disease. We need to remember our sons as well. They should be made aware of their responsibility to wear condoms if they decide to have sex.

The days of forbidding our children to do anything, and blindly ignoring what is before our eyes are past. The rate of child pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease has increased to the point that we cannot ignore it any longer. If we blame this trend on the schools, or even society as a whole, we are not taking responsibility for what happens to the next generation at all. That is the easy way out.

You ask me, “Why should the schools teach our children about sex?” One reason is the fact that some parents refuse to see the possibility of their children might have sex, even when told not to. Another reason is the fact that there are people who do not care what their children do. So who does this leave to teach the children? This leaves us with just the school system to do this. In some cases there are parents who require the schools to do this job for them out of laziness, or out of the fear of the subject.

The Start of Growth

The following is an excerpt from writings that started in the late 1980's. This was a time of disillusionment after witnessing what I considered injustice in the Church's I had been involved in.

These writings are my way of showing the world that I care, and I hope they might make a difference against all the injustices of the world.

I sit here watching the world go by. In Bosnia, Serbs kill Croats and Muslims, who go around killing each other; all in the name of God. In Ireland it is two Christian groups doing the killing, the Protestants and the Catholics.

Here in the United States we have groups like the Branch Davidians who were willing to die, or even let their children be molested for one man who claims to talk God. Jews fight Jews over the fact that Israel plans a peace agreement with the PLO who are an Islamic Arab people.

There are White supremacist groups which consider themselves Christians, who beat and kill anyone who do not agree with them, or are of a different ethnic group.

As for me, being a Christian, I am appalled. Christ preached love and redemption, not hate and killing. Even among the Churches there is hate and bitterness just because there is no agreement on what the Bible says. People have a tendency to take bits and pieces, and put them together in a way to suit their own beliefs.

When the Churches spend their money to help the less fortunate, instead of building bigger and better Churches they will be on the way to what Christ wanted. We do not need to condemn people for what they wear to Church, or how much they can afford to tithe. We should look their souls. By saying we must look to their souls I don't mean preaching hellfire and brimstone. I believe that the hope of Christ’s message is what should be what is sent to the world. When other people can tolerate the differences in belief and race then the world will be a better place.

After September 11^th, 2001 I am compelled to come back to the subject of tolerance. As I sit here reading my last article on this subject I realized that I sound as judgmental as the people I am writing about. I am sorry for that. I have my own faults that I struggle with from day to day. After the death of so many I have been forced to look at my own life and see my lack of faith in God, and my weaknesses. Some of this writing comes from shying away from things happening in my own life, and trying to help the whole world, even though I felt helpless when it comes to the people who I love the most. I am sorry for that, and will try harder.

I am not a scholar of other faiths, but I do know that Christians, Moslem's, and the Jewish people all claim to worship the same God. We all like to claim the ultimate authority on what God wants for the world, and our people, but forget that God also teaches love and tolerance for others. The laws passed down to us from God are for each person to decide to obey or not, he will be the judge. Individuals should not interpret them and force their interpretation on others not of their faith.

The people with power, who fear the differences between individual faiths, races, or even those who think different than them prey on the weaknesses of the poor, uneducated, and oppressed to try to force others to their way of thought, or just hurt those that are different. There is no thought of right or wrong in these people, they just lash out at the world. By people with power, I mean the leaders of the individual churches, and communities, as well as world leaders. They all have an impact on those who feel powerless.

Where am I going with this? I am not certain yet. I know that we have to realize that the people involved in the current acts of terrorism are from countries that have large groups of people who feel that the American people are imposing our way of life on their society. Like the Christians the people of the Muslim faith have certain guidelines and even laws to live by. Our way of life, with its freedoms allows people to choose not to obey the laws of their faith. This is even made possible when the governments are more secular. This threatens the fundamentalist leaders’ control of the people, and causes them to lash out at those they fear.

The American way of life is not for everyone. It can open the door for self-destructive behavior, allowing people to use drugs, abuse alcohol and allows open expression of sexual behavior, which can cause an epidemic of sexually transmitted disease; this behavior can rot a society from the inside out. In America we are still trying to find ways to combat this without removing the freedoms that sponsor creativity, and technological advances in our society.

With freedom comes the responsibility to realize that our actions affect those around us. This includes our neighbors around the world with different lifestyles.

Well back to the original subject of tolerance. If the leaders of the Christian churches, can get together with those of other faiths and discuss what is the most common denominator of our faiths we may be able to tear down the barriers that cause the fear and hate.