Intentional Community

So how do a bunch of idealistic Christians go about making themselves at home in an inner-city suburb... and then helping others who've lived there for years, decades - even generations - feel at home there, too?

I've spent a fair amount of time in our city's 'dodgy' side. And I've noticed that, while a lot of people call it home, it doesn't really have a homey sort of feel to it. It's as though people feel least out of place there.

So far, we're looking at how a small group of people can help out the people we already come into contact with. Right now, that's centred around getting them involved with things that other groups are doing... existing programs that it would be silly to re-invent. Sensible idea.

What else can we do right now? Well, strangely enough, the thing that's most appealing to me is to spend some time at a cafe run by another charity. I want to sit down, relax, and get to know some of the people who spend their time in the suburb. Now all I have to do is work out how to fit that into an 9-5 workday... hmmm. Lord, the spirit is willing, but the inspiration is lacking!

On a side note - we just got a visit from some trick-or-treaters. As you might not know, Australia does NOT habitually celebrate Halloween. But more and more kids are watching US television and catching onto the concept of free lollies. Sooo... trick-or-treaters occasionally turn up on Halloween. These kids were exceptionally well-prepared, and warned people with a letter-drop a few days before.

Now, I'm not particularly keen on bringing US traditions over here (no offense, guys!). But I don't want to be the crotchety ogre either... and hey, it's a way of building community, and I'm supposed to be all for that. So, since it's a tight week financially, they got home-made muffins and brownies. Surprisingly, they were stoked. They liked our dog, too.