New Beginnings

It has been a year since my last post. I have been focusing on finishing my degree in Business Administration/Accounting at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, ME. I haven't given up on Asset Based Community Development. I have just taken time to regroup to get the training and education I needed to make a living. I graduate on May 21st at the Augusta Civic Center, at 10:00AM. Anyone who would like to be tthere is invited. I am currently looking for work using the new skills that I have gained over the last two years. I am open to suggestions from any of you. I prefer to work in the non-profit sector where I can work to help promote community. Have a good day all.

Transitioning From Welfare

Over the years I have known many young single mothers who had to rely on help from the state. One thing that I have noticed is that whenever these young ladies tried to find work in order to get off of the program, they ran into difficulties. Furthermore it has become even more important to examine the effects of leaving welfare since the “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act” (PRWOR) passed in 1996. I will be looking at what the act did for the welfare system. From there I want to look into what is known or not known about the fate of these families that have left the system since 1996. As I look at this subject I want to look at Asset Based Community Development and other community building tools. What are they and how can they help families transition from welfare to the workforce while becoming more self sufficient? This paper is not meant to attack the welfare system, but to empower all neighborhoods so that they can overcome the obstacles that keep them from being everything they can be.
What is the “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act” of 1996? It is the legislation that is considered the first step in welfare reform. The act replaced “Aid to Families with Dependent Children” (AFDC) with “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families” (TANF). The first thing the act did was to require those accepting assistance to actively look for work. Focusing on single mothers with dependent children the act also limits the total benefits that can be claimed over a lifetime to sixty months.


Since its passage in 1996, eight million people have claimed benefits. The monthly caseload is around the two million mark. Over that time at least two hundred-fifty thousand have been forced to leave the program. Their federal and state time limits had expired. There is not much information on how these families are doing as there is no mandate to track the successfulness of those leaving the program. This means that we do not know if the families that have run out of time are starving, have a roof over their head, or even getting the medical help that they need. After the time limit there is no option to return to welfare if a family cannot make it.
Some of the things that we do know, reminds me why we as a people must learn how to become real neighbors. Over 31% of single women that have children are living under the poverty level. A family of four that makes $22,050 is considered to be at the 100% of the poverty level. The statistics quoted here and in my research material may not be accurate as they come from sources like unemployment insurance records that do not track those who do not look for work. If a family does not know what is available to them they will not apply for existing aid which means they will not be tracked in any way.
In the late 1990’s, not long after the act went into effect, the employment levels went up due to the booming economy. This means that the welfare caseloads went down as it was easy for the women to find jobs. In the early part of the new century, the economy has declined causing the unemployment rate of poor mothers to jump from 9.8% to 12.3%. The effect of the current recession has not been reported yet.

Of the jobs that the women leaving welfare have found, the majority are low paying, require little training and provide no benefits. Most of these jobs keep the women below the poverty level. At least a third of these women rely on extended family to help them get by. Among the women who have left welfare some are not working. Around twenty-five percent of the non-working women are unable to work due to illness or disability. Some of these women qualify for social security disability, or other programs. The process may be overwhelming without the help of others. Another drawback to any program is that it still relies on the government to provide for our neighbors.
By focusing on getting people off TANF and into the workforce, the PRWOR overlooks some of the barriers to succeeding in the workforce. As women go back to work their children may have needs that cause them to miss work to take care of them. Some of the women that have been forced off welfare have a limited education that also limits the jobs that they are qualified for. They can also have a limited work experience. Women in poor health have problems with work attendance issues, which is a barrier to success.
Due to these barriers some of the people may end up cycling on and off welfare until their benefits expire. Benefits get interrupted making their incomes unstable. The whole cycle makes the persons employment history look poor, which makes it even harder to get and hold a job.



There are many more disadvantages for people who stay on TANF for the full five years without going into the workforce. Studies have shown that many of these women have low reasoning capabilities, a limited education and language skills. They are also prone to have more physical health problems. All of these are issues that make it even more important for neighbors to get involved.
There are a few support programs in existence for the people who leave TANF for work. For those who do not receive medical benefits on the job, Medicaid is available based on income. With these limitations, there are those who do not qualify which makes it hard to keep them and their children healthy. There is a limited amount of childcare available that may or may not continue after the sixty months. Private childcare is costly, with the cost of providing care for one child can cost more than the mother can earn.
As the mother makes more money, any childcare benefits that she may receive will decrease. These costs then become too much for the mothers to keep up with. Food stamps are available for those who qualify due to income.
So far we have been focusing on the results of passing PRWOR on those leaving welfare. From this point on I will be focusing on how we as neighbors can ease this transition so that when people leave welfare, they have a better chance at succeeding. There are five community building tools that are very effective in this process. Each of these tools can be used by itself, but to provide the most benefit we must look at each neighborhood and individual to see which tools, or combination of tools will guarantee success. Another thing to remember is that we need to act as a neighborhood, working together to accomplish these goals. Relying on outside sources alone fosters dependence and helps keep the poverty cycle going.
The first tool in the community building inventory is the capacity inventory. Anyone working to develop community can take this inventory by using a one on one survey that focus on individual skills and abilities instead of needs, problems, and deficiencies. To be sure that you get accurate information the survey should be done by people who live in the neighborhood who have a passion for making change. These people are more likely to get an honest response from their neighbors. The survey will ask each person what they do best, and where they can use these skills. By nurturing these skills you can do anything from creating new jobs to developing training opportunities.
We have two different categories of skills that we need to explore. There are those that lead to employment or enterprise creation. The other category is for skills that might be used to contribute to the community. One of the uses for these skills might be for the neighbors to create skills banks. They can then barter or give talents to others in the community.
Another use is to create a learning exchange where people can teach and learn from each other. You can also create community celebrations that feature the cultural and artistic skills of the residents. By involving the whole community and using all of their skills the neighbors form new relationships that narrow the gap between the jobless and those with work. Why is this important? Because it builds social support and provides more economic opportunities.
The next tool in our inventory is the self help peer group. Not only are these great for those trying to overcome addiction, but they can also be used for training purposes. People are more likely to learn from others in their own peer group. There are neighborhoods that have used peer groups to provide peer financed “loan circles” modeled on Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank. Peer groups convert people with needs into people that have resources and give help.
We then come to a tool used with success in Canada that has made its way to the United States. This tool is the circle of support. The circle of support is a small group consisting of friends and family of the person trying to make the change in their life. The friends and family help to set goals to be met. They then discuss the barriers to reaching those goals. From there they strategize on ways to reach the goals. This helps their friend or family member make their dreams for the future be realized. The person receiving the support learns how to plan, gather resources, and ask for help. This helps them to build new relationships while using skills to reconnect with the community.
The first three tools in the community tool box have focused on individuals within the community, and how they can work together to get things done. There are cases where we might need more resources than these. The next two tools help us to tap into more resources than the individual can give.
We now move on to the associational inventory. As associations in the community have a mission, they are ideally suited to bring neighbors together. They activate residents to accomplish goals. They also amplify the talent, resources and skills of members of society. Associations include religious groups, social and cultural groups as well as groups organized for neighborhood improvement and advocacy. Some examples are the VFW, American Legion, your local church, lake associations to name a few. Many of these organizations are willing to take on more community building tasks if asked. They are often willing to include welfare recipients in their organizations.

Our last tool is the Business Inventory. This consists of identifying the businesses in the neighborhood and working with them to make changes for the better. The inventory can be used to identify future and present employment opportunities. As we work with business we can build relationships between the businesses and residents on welfare to create opportunity that the current welfare system does not identify. We can work with the businesses in the area to ensure that any job training we develop is designed with real employment opportunities in mind.
What have I been doing build community in my home town? I have been involved with Asset Based Community Development through one of the local churches for the last year. Some of the things that I have found in the rural surroundings of Maine have showed me that there has to be some thought put into how to make it work here. Most communities that have been successful with this process are in the cities. People tend to know their neighbors a little better as they are forced to interact due to the fact that the urban population is closer together. In Maine, a majority of us live farther apart, forcing us to put effort into interacting with our neighbors. Our jobs are usually twenty to thirty minutes from our home, so those we do interact with are not our neighbors.
 I am in the process of showing the local church that they have the skills to reach out and be a true neighbor. This means that they have skills of the head, like the knowledge to teach someone how to read, skills of the heart, their passions, and skills of the hands, like being able to cook meals for those that are unable. The next step in this process is to find families, including myself, who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and invite neighbors over for coffee, dinner, or anything else that will bring neighbors together. Between the pastor and myself we have managed to show the congregation how to look for neighbors that could use our interaction, or help. We have helped one young man, who was injured, by finishing his shed for him.
As I have been educating the church, I have been trying to educate the community by writing articles for the local newspapers. As I go into the community to some of the local gatherings I have been letting my neighbors know what I am doing. This has had an effect on the community as I was invited to a “Future Search” conference by the local school district. I was very impressed by the process, as it focuses on many of the same ideas as ABCD. “Future Search” invites the major players of the community to come and brainstorm about changes they feel are needed in the community or school district in this case. There were teachers, local pastors, business owners, and other people involved with the community. They have taken this information and built a planning board with guidelines developed from the conference. One of the main points brought out in the conference was the need for parents to be more involved. They have implemented better communications with parents. Another was the responsible use of technology. We want to make sure that our children know how to use technology to better their chances after school, while making sure that they maintain the basic reading, writing, and mathematical skills. In this way we know that our children would survive the loss of technology if it ever happened.
As we start working together as neighbors, using any or all of these tools we will start seeing people in our neighborhoods instead of “welfare recipients”. By doing so we will be bringing the neighborhood together and improve the community as a whole, not just the “needy”. This will improve both the social and economic condition of the neighborhood. I believe that once we start in one neighborhood showing growth, it will spread out and the whole state will be better for it. Not only will we know that those leaving welfare will make it, but I believe that this will give incentive for more people to leave the system.

References
Green, M., & Kretzman, J. P. (1998). A community toolbox for welfare reform: Building the bridge from client to citizen [Brochure]. Retrieved from http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/96/toolbox.html
Green, M., & Kretzmann, J. P. (1997, November/December). Community tool box for welfare reform: Building the bridge from client to citizen. Retrieved February 26, 2010, from National Housing lnstitute: Shelterforce Online website: http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/96/toolbox.html
Hildebrandt, E., PhD, RN, ANP., & Stevens, P., PhD, RN. (2009, May). Impoverished women with children and no welfare benefits: The urgency of researching failures of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. American Journal of Public Health, 99(5), 793-801. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1683162601&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=31650&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Retrieved March 30, 2010

The Last Year

You sit there thinking about the last year and all of the changes that you have made and have been forced to make.

Just under one year ago you lose your job due to the poor economy. The company that you worked for is heavily reliant on the manufacturing industry. With the cutbacks all over the country companies have not been able to purchase the equipment that the business that I worked for manufactured. Your boss says that your position is gone. Management has decided to split your responsibilities among the other men in the office. This doesn’t bother you too much, as you have been expecting it. The other guys tried to say that they wouldn’t do away with your job as you did all of the administrative work in the office. You knew better; they could easily do it.

During the months before losing your job you had started working with a local church doing work in the community, and had been trying to figure out a way to get more involved. This opened up that door for you.

Over the next few months you work with the existing team at the church trying to bring it together under one vision. While you are at it, you attend a few seminars on the Church’s role in the community and Asset Based Community Development. This work focuses on the skills of the people in the community, not their needs or weaknesses.

It is early in the year. Your wife is worried that you will get into the work so much that you forget about making a living and paying the bills. You also notice that she is afraid that she will lose you to something she doesn’t understand. She isn’t bothered by the work in the community, but the Church’s role disturbs her. She has seen examples of families living in hardship when the husband uses “Faith” as an excuse not to go to work and make a living. In most of those cases, there is no plan, or even mission, just the man’s desire to not work for someone else. You keep this in mind focusing on ways to ease those fears and try to include her in your decisions. While working with the church and denomination you try to build a position at the church so that you have an income when the time and need arise.

 As the summer starts, things get bleak. Most of the team you have been working with gets frustrated as they do not see the vision of community. They decide to leave the team. At the same time, the pastor is going through his own rough patch. He is working too many hours, and trying to help everyone at once who is in crisis. At the same time there are some hurtful things said to him that he takes personally. Being a man who cares for both his congregation and the community, it is hard when things seem to be falling apart.

You start to think that if the pastor, who is the only one who seems to share the vision with you, is about to break down, that it isn’t worth it. Your wife is worried about you and you start to wonder if you are really meant to do the work or if you are deluding yourself and are afraid to look for other work in the poor economy.

While the pastor is on vacation getting recharged for his mission you start thinking of ways to make it work. You realize that your target is too big to start with, that you have to focus on your mission. You start writing articles about community to be published in the local newspapers. When the pastor is back, you work with him to bring the vision to the congregation in small easy to understand chunks.

 As the summer is drawing to a close, you realize that the church and the denomination cannot support a position. You would have to spend more time fund raising than would be productive. As you come to this realization, you get a letter in the mail stating that the President is trying to make it easier to go to school and retrain if you are unemployed. You go to your career advisor and work out a plan to retrain. That fall, for the first time in thirty years you start your first semester in school. You haven’t given up on the work; you are just focusing your mind on learning the skills needed to make it successful.

 You are now coming upon one year without a job. Some of the fears about the community work are still there, but you have a plan. That makes it easier.

A Neighbor’s Reaction to State Budget Cuts

The other day I was watching the news on television when a story on the current budget crisis in Augusta came on. There were a group of people protesting some of the proposed cuts which affected their clients, or family. This group was representing some of our neighbors that have either mental or physical disabilities. The proposed cuts would eliminate services that help these people to survive with some independence and dignity.

I am still learning what it means to be a good neighbor, but if we as a society open our eyes to our neighbors and make an effort to know them as people, we can help to reduce the damages done by this type of cut. How is this possible? As we get involved with our neighbors, we will see that everyone has something to offer to society. You might find that the person next door that is forced to be in a wheel chair is good at woodwork. Once you know that, you may find that he is interested in teaching other people. The next neighbor might have teenagers that do not know what they want to do in the future. You might talk them into visiting the neighbor that likes to do woodwork. As they get to know him, the teenagers might find that they like to work with wood themselves and ask him to teach them. As they learn to work with wood, the teenagers might see another neighbor doing a project like building a shed and offer to help.

We need to forget the labels that society places on people in order to see the real person. Every person has a lot to offer to you, me and society as a whole. It doesn’t matter if they are physically unable to care for themselves or have mental challenges that make it difficult to communicate what is on their mind.

The first thing that our neighbors have to offer is skills. It could be a small skill like the ability and passion to make things with their hands, even small crafts. They can draw out the hospitality found in all of us who care for others. Compassion for others can be fostered when neighbors get to know each other. This may lead to friendship and happiness for both our neighbor and us. The final gift we can get from overlooking physical and mental disabilities in our neighbors is inspiration. As we see how they continue to live and be independent it will inspire us to see our own difficulties in a different light.

How could this help with the current budget crisis? As we get to know each other as neighbors we will work together to overcome any challenges in the neighborhood. Instead of hiring people to be caretakers the neighborhood, as a group we can work out a schedule to visit those in need and help them where needed. At the same time we want to foster any skills or passions that the neighbor might have. We could have that neighbor over to play games with the family, or do crafts with the children. By having the whole neighborhood involved everyone grows and friendships are born.

For those of you who are still skeptical about the skills and offerings that the handicapped can offer, please remember that one of the most brilliant minds in science belonged to a man who was physically handicapped, Stephen Hawking. Yes I know that Stephen was highly motivated and refused to let his handicap stop him. The thing is, as we interact with each other, we inspire each other and foster that same motivation and passion making this one less obstacle in living independently. Please think about this as you think about what it is to be a good neighbor.

Community-What Can I Do?

By the time this article gets published Christmas will be over with, but the season has brought some things to my attention. Maine residents are very good at coming together in small groups to help each other during the Christmas season or when someone is in need due to tragedy and illness. This tells me that we do care, but do not know what to do to keep this feeling going throughout the year. I think that the first thing we need to do is to realize what community is.

I believe that community is more than a group of people who live in a specific geographic location such as a neighborhood. A community consists of those same neighbors opening their eyes to really see who lives near them. When you do this you will notice the strengths and gifts that the neighbors have as well as any weaknesses or needs. Once you can see each other as a person with skills you can come together and work on common goals and overcome any weaknesses that you see.

I am still working on this aspect in my life. One way to begin the process is to opening up your home to your neighbors by holding a neighborhood barbeque or party and inviting everyone in the immediate neighborhood. If you cannot afford to supply all of the food or refreshments you can ask your guests to bring something so that you share each other’s cooking. Think about the families with children, and try to have activities that they can do so that they feel welcome. In the summer, if you have the room you could hold a community softball game. In the winter you could hold contests for the best snowman, or snow fort in the neighborhood. Anything that will bring neighbors together is good.

I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read my writing and invite you to comment on anything I say. You can email me at tedbessey@pathwaycrc.org. I usually post my writing at http://ted-growingtogether.blogspot.com/, so if you do not live in the neighborhood and would like to follow my writing you can do so there. I apologize in advance if it takes a while to publish my next article.

What Do You Like About Newport?

Please take a moment to think about the question asked in the title. While you are thinking I will let you know just a few of the things that I like about Newport.

The first thing I like about Newport is that when there is a need the community comes together to fill the need. Guys & Gals, one of the hair salons in town is holding a benefit yard sale this month to raise money to help pay medical bills for one of the women who works there. When the Newport Historical Society and the Newport Library decided that they needed a new home they worked to raise the money for a new building. Many people, businesses and organizations were involved in this project.

The Sebasticook Valley Community Center has many programs for the children and the elderly in town. There is everything from summer day camps to different sports programs for the children and bingo games or “Meals on Wheels” for the elderly. They are in the process of getting approval to start a day care center right on their facility.

Pathway Community Church is opening a KidCare America Center at their facility. This is an after school mentoring program that will reach up to 20 children from kindergarten to fifth grade.

As I talk about what I like about Newport I can’t leave out the school system. Yes there are some things that need improvement but there is a lot going for the new RSU19. First off, the Middle Schools are doing a great job of introducing the technology our children need. The High School has many programs geared to draw the children into the classroom. There is Taxidermy, an Agricultural class and a great Audio/Video class. The RSU is also looking to the future. There is going to be a conference in early October called "Future Search" where many people will be invited to discover where the education of our children will be going in the next five or six years. The information gathered will then be used to strategically plan the future. This conference alone can be a key factor in building community in the Newport Region.

On the classroom side the RSU will be implementing “Response to Intervention” which looks at the educational level of each student and gears the lessons towards the individual. This will make sure that children who have a hard time in class can still learn without falling behind. It will also give a challenge to those who are at a more advanced level.

The Newport Community Food Bank is another great example of what a community working together can do to improve life for its neighbors. The food bank started out as an idea of the High Street Congregational Church. They were looking for a way for the congregation to help their neighbors. Fifteen years later it is an independent organization supported by many churches, organizations, businesses and individuals in the area. The food bank is fully staffed by volunteers only and serves between 30 and 50 families a week. They disburse food every Saturday starting at eight. The process is kept fair by a stringent application process so that those in most need are able to get food. They support not only the town of Newport, but Plymouth, Dixmont, Etna, and Palmyra as well.

Now let’s imagine what Newport would be like if everyone worked together as neighbors. More would be accomplished as it would be more than just a few key people working towards community.

What Can I Do?

For those who have been following my blog and have asked yourself this question the answer is simple. Just reach out to your neighbors and see where you and they have a common cause while learning each other’s skills and assets. For those in the Newport, Maine area who would like to work with me on this I would like to meet with you and your neighbors.I can be reached at tedbessey@pathwaycrc.org, or you can leave a message at (207)368-9977 Ext. 5. Some ways that we can all get to know our neighbors better is to invite some of them over for a cookout or back yard ball game. Whatever you think they will be interested in. You can start with one neighbor and ask them over for coffee or dinner. I think that even in the state of Maine where neighbors sometimes try to be independent and self sufficient we all need other people to help us and are just too proud to ask.We are all stronger and more empowered while working together trying to reach acommon goal.

Community Development in a Rural Town

I am by no means an expert on Community Development in a rural town, but I have been successful in reaching out and making contact with people with the same vision that I have for Newport, Maine. When I returned from “The Power of With” conference I had a few ideas. I started out realizing that one on one contact with our neighbors would not work due to the fact that others use that process to push their ideals and the neighbors at best will just say “I’m not interested.” Usually they will close the door in your face. I started out looking for people who are working with the youth as they were our original focus when our team started. I contacted the high school Principle, Community Center Director, and Cultural Center Director and they were all perceptive and open to Asset Based Community Development. It ties right in with their missions. We are still in the early stages of growth so there are no major initiatives in the process. I went to one of the local trade shows and met many people who are interested in Community Development. The Chamber of Commerce Executive Director was very interested and asked for an article for their news letter. I will be making presentations to the Chamber later in the fall.
Another plus for promoting Community Development is the Community Consolidation Asset Mapping Process (CCAMP) which we have purchased a license for through the Communities First Foundation who purchased the umbrella license. This shows a tangible means to document and utilize not only the skills and assets of the individual neighbors of the community, but the organizations, institutions, and businesses in the area.
The most important thing to remember is that you need to start small and think of the overall vision as the ultimate goal. If you try to go too fast you can get frustrated and fall into the “Service” mindset which limits the possibilities for the neighborhood. When building your teams you do not want to restrict yourself to the business and organizational leaders, but use those contacts to reach out to the community to invite natural leaders that have the same vision that you have. They are the ones who live in the community and know where to start in the Asset Mapping process. After you get your team established you can use CCAMP to develop your plan for your first initiative. You must always remember to look at each individual as an asset with skills and try to overlook their perceived weaknesses. This will not only empower them and their community but will bring you in as a neighbor and a friend, not just someone trying to bring their own ideas into the area.

What Is Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)?

• Before I begin to answer that question I have a few questions I would like for you to think about.
• How long have you been in Newport?
• What do you like about your neighborhood?
• If you had a magic wand and could have whatever you want, what would you change in your neighborhood?
• What skills do you have that you can use to help bring this change about?
• If others had a similar vision would you be willing to work with them to make the changes?

Traditional service to the community relied on finding out what was needed in the community and trying to fulfill that need. An example of this is to go into a neighborhood and finding that the youth need something to do for recreation. From there you would go and raise money to build a community center. The problem with this is that the youth may not want to utilize the community center as they have no ownership of the project and feel that there are too many rules.
With ABCD you go into the community, preferably as someone who lives there and has an interest in making a difference. You would then talk to the youth and find out the answers to the above questions. After you find these answers you would research what needs to be done to fulfill the vision and work with the youth to come up with a plan to bring it about. This not only gives them ownership of the project, but it also empowers them as they realize that they have skills that they can use to make a difference in their own lives and in the community as a whole.
To further explain ABCD we have to realize that today’s programs have a tendency to label people we perceive as being in need. We label people as disabled, poor, welfare recipient, etc. What we have to remember is that every person that society has labeled has skills that they can use to make a difference in their own lives. ABCD finds these skills and brings them out. We are promoting “Community” which is a group of individuals working together for the common good.
ABCD addresses the needs of the community by looking at the skills and working together “WITH” our neighbors to make positive changes. It doesn’t ignore the needs, but addresses the reasons for the needs and helps eliminate those reasons. This makes social and economic changes for the better and everyone benefits, not just those we perceive as being in need.
Pathway Community Church through the Pathway Community Development Team would like to partner with the town of Newport, businesses, churches, associations, and institutions in the region to develop community.
The Pathway Community Church is currently involved in the Community Connection Asset Mapping Process to track the skills and assets in the community and use this information to work with our partners to plan initiatives of change. For more information contact Ted Bessey: tedbessey@pathwaycrc.org, Ph: 207-368-9977

The Power of "WITH"

Some of you might be wondering about the strange title. It was the name of a conference that I went to at the end of February. The Christian Reformed Church and many of it's member organizations sponsored this conference to promote working "WITH" the community you are in. What exactly does this mean? Most people especially churches and other civic organizations still look at the poor as "them" and the well off as "us". This view promotes the idea that we have to help the poor and we know exactly how we are going to do it. By having this attitude not only do we do a disservice to those we are trying to help as it promotes both the attitude of dependency and a sense of entitlement. It does nothing to solve the core reasons behind the poverty. The Power of "WITH" promotes going out into the community and learning each others skills and gifts. We walk amongst those we are "helping" and become their friends and true neighbors. This empowers all of us to become better people and to make the changes needed to improve our own lot in life. I personally see this as a way to reduce poverty by showing the skills we all have to go out and make jobs as well as fill existing jobs that are already in place. By working with our neighbors we focus on finding the natural leaders in the community and work with them to make the changes they feel are needed to make life better. This not only works on an individual level, but organizational as well. My previous blogs touch on this part so I will not go into too much detail. I am opening the blog up to the public. All I ask is that if you make a comment please try to think of ways to implement this process not only in your own community but in others as well.

Thank You,
Ted

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.