Future Church in Action

Your Project
Title: Church and Community Ecumenical Pantry Project – A Caring and Unifying Project.

Project Location: Dayboro Uniting Church – on the rural fringe just outside of Brisbane located in the hills and valleys of Dayboro, Mt Mee, Ocean View, Mt Pleasant, Samsonvale, Kobble, Armstrong and Lacey’s Creeks.

Timeline for Project: The Project began in 2006 when the local Combined Churches Committee (Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Uniting and AOG) identified a common goal of serving the community through welfare and pastoral care.

Very briefly:
2006 Commencement of an ecumenical Pantry storage and distribution centre in the Uniting Church with a satellite collection point in the Catholic Church. The Lutheran and AOG Churches brought supplies of food and household needs to the Uniting Church. The Combined Churches Committee received referrals from church members and sent two members to visit a needy situation and assess the need. A recommendation was then made to supply goods on a regular basis. Congregations were encouraged to keep up the supplies for the pantry. On average two families a week were being supported.

Kids and Young Folk help make decisions and assist in the Pantry

2007 The local IGA store began making regular contributions of food to the Pantry. The Committee received donations from church members and the community and converted these to shopping vouchers. Because significant sums of money were being donated to the project, a bank account was opened (Community Chest) and the whole community has been invited to contribute to the project. On average three families a week were being supported.

2008 A local developer made his helicopter available for joy rides at the annual Dayboro Day Festival to raise funds for the project and handed over $3000. All five churches became collection points. Two managers were appointed to organise, collect and distribute food and goods. A casserole bank was commenced and located in a new freezer in the Uniting Church. Three cooks from one of the congregations were appointed for six months to make casseroles and receive payment for the cost of materials. The project was now distributing casseroles on a short and long term basis when crises hit families and individuals. A storage shed was built at the Uniting Church where clothes and other items were stored. A larger shed was provided on a farm property for furniture storage. The local Lions Club established a partnership with the Churches taking responsibility for some new initiatives including the hiring of safety alarm necklaces for elderly people.

2009 A Pastoral Care team was identified with representatives from the five churches who formed the pantry in 2006. This team is to be trained as responders to local family crises. The pantry has now expanded its role to include clothes, which are now being recycled/restored by local people for distribution where needed. The Pantry now includes a casserole Bank and has grown to a point where on average five families are being supported at any one time. The local progress Association now supports the project and recently gave the project $3000 which was part of the takings from an Antiques Fair at the Dayboro Day Festival. The Uniting Church minister was invited to join the Medical Centres local consultative team and the project began to receive referrals from local doctors.

Contact Person:
Name Dr Paul Inglis Landline07 3425 3220 Mobile 0414 672 222
Email psinglis@westnet.com.au Website under construction

Your Project Story :
Aim: To enact a series of projects starting with the Ecumenical Community Pantry that actively encourages and demonstrates a family friendly church that journeys and grows together and feels deeply to be a part of all decisions and achievements.

Kids and Young Folk are a part of worship leadership

Being an active part of the community at the 2009 ANZAC ceremonies

Your Project Story (description):
Aims: (i) To present the Christian Church to the Community as an organisation that cares while aiding the bigger goal of the Dayboro Churches to work as closely as they can on as many of their activities as possible. Combined energy, ideas and resources has become an essential part of survival for the church in many communities. This also addresses the principal of Christian unity espoused by all of the churches.
(ii) Changing the landscape of community attitudes about the Church
The Churches in Dayboro had become taken for granted organisations that existed outside the reality of most residents. Historically they had been strong influencers of the culture and had once attracted a large proportion of the population to their worship and activities. For at least two generations they had become outposts of an earlier era having little impact but tolerated as harmless and benign. This project was one of several initiatives taken on by the Combined Churches Committee to revitalise the link between church and community and to establish relevance for the churches in the modern era. It was also consistent with the changes that were taking place within the local Uniting Church since the commencement of Community Ministry in 2001.

Achievements
(i) Drawing congregational members into active ministry
Most people can relate to family crisis at some point in their lives and there is a great tolerance and understanding of the notion of Christian love that gives without expecting return benefits. The project has gradually drawn every one from all of the churches into collaboration and helped to break down barriers of denominational difference. There has been great dialogue and interaction as we work on this common goal.

(ii) Incidental achievements
(a) Although it was never an expressed intention of the project to gain new members for the churches, this has happened as people feel the need to relate to caring churches. Some of the new members have been actual recipients of welfare and others have come because of the publicity and a feeling of wanting to part of a fellowship that does things to make this a better place. They can see an outlet for their own desire to be helpers in their community.
(ii) This and several other projects have bonded the ministry teams across the churches and brought them into more regular dialogue and shared decision-making. It has give the two residential ministers (UCA and AOG) a much closer working relationship and there is an evolving unity of fellowship between their congregations. Many activities and ministries are now done together.

Your group story: The local Uniting Church congregation was a small rural congregation that had for a long time been dependent on bigger congregations to look after us and provide leadership and resources. We had for a long time wanted to be an independent self managed and growing church. The idea to invite a local lay leader with appropriate qualifications and experience to become the first Community Minister in Queensland brought great changes. We gradually learnt to grow ourselves and to find all the resources locally expanding tenfold from 12 to 120 over an 8 year period to 2009. Having our own local leadership and an effective process for networking, goal setting, strategic planning and doing our own thing continues to amaze ourselves. We are being greatly blessed.

Reason for starting this project:
(i) The Uniting Church congregation wanted to find a ways to prove that they could survive and grow on their own. They wanted to move from dependency to independence and ultimately to demonstrate how this can be done. This was one of many initiatives that generated lots of participation by many members of the congregation and promoted active thinking and ownership of the church’s mission. The sharing of this project with the other local churches has made its impact greater and more credible in the community.

Outcomes of Project to date: Mentioned previously.

Assessment of effectiveness of project outcomes: How does the outcome compare to the aims of the project? How would you rate the success of the project and the journey you have travelled in implementing the project?
The project has brought developments far above and beyond the ambitions of the team that initiated it. It continues to grow and gain more responsibility and monthly meetings of the Churches Committee reviews the project for cases being supported, and resources being supplied. The project can be described as very successful on many grounds: community knowledge, professional opinion of medicos, government representatives and welfare agencies.

Project Management: What have you learned about the management of the project? What structures were needed (e.g. leadership, reporting, budgeting, risk management, insurance)
It was soon recognised that the ongoing success of the project and its incremental growth required managers that gave lots of time to its organisation and facilitation. The project now requires more trained facilitators as it moves closer to serious and critical family issues and economic challenges facing families.

What resources did you need to start and sustain the project? How did you find those resources?
The project initially required a good idea with people committed to making it work. This was not hard to find in this rural fringe community that had closely knit families. The supplies of food and donations of money have not been hard to acquire as most people want to help others, especially in the local community where they can see what is happening to the gifts.

How have you found the emotional intensity of the project? That is was it uplifting or hard yakka? The project promotes feelings of good will, ecumenism and enthusiasm for life and there is a self-sustaining energy that comes from witness to Jesus in this way.

Action Learning:
The basis four step AL model of: action –> observation –> reflect –> planning –> (action – next cycle) is being applied in monthly cycles by the Churches Committee and by the managers who feed information into that committee.

Learning Insights: Can be filled in as you go along with the project – keep a record of the ah ha! moments): Some of these have been mentioned and more are being noted progressively.
Relationship benefits: What were the relationship benefits for your group?: Already explained.

Action Learning Circle: Many heads and hands make light work. How have you met together to plan and evaluate? Who outside your circle have you found helpful in your learning?
The internal reviewing process has been explained. Additionally we have engaged with local organisations and government representatives who have shown tremendous interest in the project. The latter have been willing to offer suggestions and moral support and encouragement.

Worship goes to the people, by the people for the people: in a restored Cobb and Co Coach Workshop

Your Project Wavell Heights Uniting Church Garage Sale
Title: A few key words that describe your project.
To rise money for chaplaincy IN Schools, the Church has a garage sale three times a year.
Project Location: Where are we?
Wavell Heights Uniting Church Hall, 147 Rode Road Wavell Heights.

Timelines for Project:When did we get the ideas? When did we start planning? When did we implement the project? Is it still going? Is there an end point or a new stage in development planned.

We have been doing this for about ten years. Our minister saw the need at Wavell High School, and Chaplaincy was just beginning. We planned to gather saleable items by encouraging our own people to go through their cupboards. As our older folk began moving to retirement villages we asked them to give us any unwonted items. The project has gathered momentum and we now support two High Schools and two Primary schools.
Local people now are aware we do this, and often contact us with saleable items. We put up a banner a fortnight before the date to reach out to the community, and we advertise the date in the local paper.

Contact Person:
Name Joan Cook Landline (06) 3266-3407 Mobile
Email jmc50349 at bigpond.net.au Website

Your Project Story (description): Please include aim and to-date achievements/developments including photo overview. Where possible, send 3-5 photos separately.

The aim is to raise over $1,000 three times a year, by setting up on Friday morning, and having the sale from 6.30 to 12 noon on Saturday. As we have become known the amount of goods has grown, and the sales have also risen.

Church groups undertaking/sponsoring the project e.g. UCA congregation, Informal local church grouping, NGO, service association etc.ng Uniting Church congregation.
Wavell Heights Uniting Church with the support of the Geebung Uniting Church congregation

Your group story: Who are you and how did you get and keep going?
Reason for starting the project. The project was a part of a series of innovations introduced through Rev Bob Warkick in the early noughties as a community service and outreach in order to generate funds for chaplaincy and other similar causes with a particular emphasis on youth in the area.

Outcomes of Project to date: Outputs are the things the project does. Outcomes relate to the impact of the project in the broader community context e.g. An employment project has output relating to numbers attending a training course. The outcome may relate to the people gaining employment, and the impact on those people’s lives as a result.

Assessment of effectiveness of project outcomes: How does the outcome compare to the aims of the project? How would you rate the success of the project and the journey you have travelled in implementing the project?

Project Management: What have you learned about the management of the project? What structures were needed (e.g. leadership, reporting, budgeting, risk management, insurance)
What resources did you need to start and sustain the project? How did you find those resources?
Funding (finance, funding, grants, in-kind assistance)
Personnel

How have you found the emotional intensity of the project? That is was it uplifting &/or hard yakka?
It is very hard work. We need about eight men to assemble the tables and place the boxes of goods on them on Friday morning. Mostly the ladies then begin unpacking, pricing and sorting the goods into categories. The Church Hall stores the tables, and has a room where goods can be gathered and stored until the date. Personnel is recruited from the congregations, and breakfast and morning tea is provided. We have no grants or funding, as goods are donated, and personnel is voluntary.

Action Learning being applied:
What we have learned is we provide a service to the community, and the pleasure of meeting people who have become familiar with each sale. We have valued the friendship of the ‘workers’ as we share stories between times. We have learned to streamline the sorting
And packing up of the ‘remainder’. We have learned who is good at assessing crockery, books, clothing, electrical goods etc… We are now adding activities to encourage children on the lawn, with face-painting etc, sometimes a sausage sizzle, a cake stall and plants for sale.

Learning Insights: Relationship benefits: What were the relationship benefits for your group?

Action Learning Circle: Many heads and hands make light work How have you met together to plan and evaluate? Who outside your circle have you found helpful in your learning?
The planning Committee consists of four. One overall co-ordinator who keeps an eye on activities and does the general organising, one adviser who communicates to volunteers etc..by email and generally helps the leader, and one younger member who organises the weekly notices and requests for goods etc…. We have now recruited another younger couple who are organising the ‘lawn’ activities.

Title: Compassion Candles is a project developed by Proserpine Whitsunday Uniting Church, focusing on making and selling quality candles, to sponsor as many children living in poverty as possible.

Timelines for Project:When did we get the ideas? When did we start planning? When did we implement the project? Is it still going? Is there an end point or a new stage in development planned.We began making our first experimental candles (24 May 2009). We are planning to officially launch Compassion candles at the end of August 2009, with the first candles on sale 2 weeks later at the annual Flower Show that we host in Proserpine. We will be making candles between now and the Flower Show on money donated to the project, thereafter it will grow and sponsor on profits.

Your Project Story (description): The idea for a candle-making club for upper primary and lower secondary students arose in April 2009. The idea of using profits to sponsor children in poverty arose just before, but independently from, a visit to our church by Compassion Australia on 17 May.

Compassion Candles grew out of some simple God-timing – the idea of a candle making club; the idea of sponsoring children out of profits; and a visit by Compassion Australia. You have to realise that in Proserpine we don’t get too many visiting speakers from beyond Mackay. We got the point – but it is exciting to see the fire in the eyes of our young people who realise that they have the chance to start something that can make a difference to some other lives.

We are making palm wax pillar candles and soy wax container candles.  Most are scented, especially the container candles.  We are making Advent Candle sets for churches, which can be pre-ordered on our website (see below).  People who come and see what we are doing are amazed by the quality of the candles, and equally amazed to hear that it is all for the benefit of others.

Compassion Candles will be officially launched in worship on Sunday 30 August 2009, and our first sales to the public will be at our Proserpine Flower Show on Saturday 12 September 2009.

We are making palm wax pillar candles and soy wax container candles.  Most are scented, especially the container candles.  We are making Advent Candle sets for churches, which can be pre-ordered on our website (see below).  People who come and see what we are doing are amazed by the quality of the candles, and equally amazed to hear that it is all for the benefit of others.

Compassion Candles will be officially launched in worship on Sunday 30 August 2009, and our first sales to the public will be at our Proserpine Flower Show on Saturday 12 September 2009.

This is, at present, an idea within Proserpine Whitsunday Uniting Church. Money to kick start the project is coming from people within the congregation.

The first of the first group members were Jemimah Thompson and Suzie Porter, who recently both attended CQ Rendezvous (annual Central Qld youth camp) in Clermont. We talked about the idea on the way home, and that produced the startup energy.

We have required financial donation to kick-start production. That has all be found in our local congregation. We don’t expect to require any outside assistance. Resources (product and expertise ) have been acquired from “Natural Candle Supplies” online.

Everyone understands child sponsorship, inside and outside the church. It gives hope to those who have no chance of a future with their own resources. Not everyone has the resources for the long term monthly commitment of child sponsorship, but this project, if successful, will generate funds out of the profits. For a few children we might get to be the light of the world!

Outputs are the things the project does whereas. Outcomes relate to the impact of the project in the broader community context: We’ll come back and edit this as the outcomes become clearer.

Thus far it has been inspiring to see young and not-so-young people keen to be involved. It has also been inspiring to see other people inspired as they hear the story of what we’re trying to do. Of course it hasn’t really started yet.

Learning Insights: So far the learning insights have all been “hey, we can do this” moments, following instructions, melting wax, handling molten wax, pouring moulds etc, all for the first time. Each time we go through the process we do it more efficiently.

We know we will need to do careful cost/profit analysis, records of what has been produced and sold. It will involve ongoing R&D, ordering, production, sales, and financial control. It will also involve advertising, product branding including the project purpose.

Intentions: Compassion Candles could grow to other branches if other people see the idea and want to run with it. I imagine one financial base and a joint sponsorship base.

Contact Person
Rev Wayne McHugh 07 4945 1078 0438 688 422 wmchugh at comcen.com.au

Our website, www.compassioncandles.ucaweb.com.au , will be advertising Compassion Candles soon.

About Adult Learning
Today much education, esp. in schools, is undertaken in classrooms with structured lessons and teachers in authority and exams at the end of it. Adults can learn this way however we prefer to learn as Adult Learners. Adults generally learn through building on their life experiences, and in undertaking team or group learning directed at concrete projects (such as we are talking about here in this Lay Forum project i.e. we as adults tend to use action learning.

Three types of Learning for and from life: To do this we need to consider learning as a (1) life-long learning and (2) life-wide learning and (3) life-deep learning process.

The former where we learn progressively throughout our lives (life long learning) the latter as we learn about related bodies of knowledge such as say carpentry and plumbing or related areas in a project such as design, admin, book-keeping, project management, accountability and so on (life wide learning). To these three we add the third (life-deep learning) and in particular this is what we are speaking of in this initiative.

Life deep learning then is about understanding at depth the other two and to grasp the layers of meaning that derive from our day to day lives and thus our day to day projects. So that when we undertake, for instance, a church based project there is a depth of possibility and potential that we can bring to bear on the problem the project seeks to address – it is not a kneejerk reaction or a superficial gloss. The possibilities emerge from the design of the project, the problem it seeks to address in some small local yet meaningful way and, our own life experiences and, commitment and compassion and expertise in assisting in its design and/or implementation.

So when we are undertaking action learning through a particular project we need to keep records and bare these three dimensions of adult learning in mind: life-long, life wide, and life deep learning.

See - ALA – Adult Learning Australia

What is a learning circle?

Learning circles are a type of community engagement process that can help people explore complex issues, make decisions and take action. During learning circles, members come together to have dialogue on an issue. It is a community driven process. Learning circle participants are recruits from all parts of the community. The learning circle process begins with community organising. It is followed by facilitated, small group dialogue and planning that leads to change. Learning circles are not designed to advocate a particular solution or someone’s wheelbarrow. Instead, Learning circles welcome many points of view around a shared concern. They can then democratically and collectively prioritise action options and choose and enact the circles choice of action and of enacting that action.

A single learning circle is a small, diverse group of 5 to 12 participant citizens who meet for about 2 hours weekly or fortnightly for 4 to 6 times (a ’round of learning circles’), to address a critical public issue in a democratic and collaborative way. Often there may be a gap of up to two weeks while actions are carried out. They are led by a neutral facilitator, who can rotate from meeting to meeting, and all circle members seek to consider an issue from many points of view. A Discussion Guide allows the participants to progress their conversation from personal experiences, to sessions that examine many points of view on the issue, to a session that considers strategies for action and change.

The term ‘learning circle’, ’study circle’ and other derivations are often used to describe a range of approaches to small group discussions.

The Australian Study Circles Network bases this approach on the community wide study/learning circles program model. To understand this approach, it is useful to ‘park’ your previous ideas about what a small group discussion is.

What isn’t a learning circle?

It is also helpful to look at what ‘learning circles’ are not.

Learning circles are not a…
(1) Focus group: these are usually organised to gather or test information from members. Respondents are sometimes paid and are often recruited because they represent a particular viewpoint or target audience. Participation may not be open to everyone.
(2) Discussion group: small but may not accept anyone, often homogenous – similar minded people and it does not necessarily focus on important and controversial issues. They may not have Discussion Guides and are not structured nor aim for action outcomes. They also may not run for a set amount of sessions.
(3) Traditional education or training: often compulsory, even if informal or student centred. A teacher or expert imparts knowledge to often large numbers of students. There is a set curriculum, examinations and tests and financial costs.
(4) Facilitated meeting: such as a committee or board meeting, where positions, power structures, majoritarian voting, goals and agendas are established ahead of time, predetermined outcomes, sometimes formal, compulsory and too frequently adversarial.
(5) Public hearing or public meeting: begins with specific desired outcomes, large numbers of people, debate, formalities and a Chair controls proceedings. There is little if any genuine opportunity for contribution or to formulate ideas and share with others.
(6) Conflict resolution process: a set of principles and techniques used in resolving conflict between individuals or groups and often compulsory (although these techniques can be useful in learning circle facilitation).
(7) Mediation meeting: a compulsory process used to settle disputes and relies on an outside neutral person to help the disputing parties come to an agreement (although mediators can assist good learning circle facilitation).

Source: developed from: Australian Study Circles (accessed 05-2009)

Action learning and action research are closely related processes. The terms have been defined in a variety of ways. For present purposes, we will use the following definitions.

Action learning

Action learning can be defined as a process in which a group of people come together more or less regularly to help each other to learn from their experience.

As Reg Revans used and described it, it was mostly used across different organisations i.e. the participants typically came from different situations, where each of them was involved in different activities and faced individual problems. Most commonly the participants have been organisers or managers, though this is not essential.  The current practice more often now is to set up an action learning program within one organisation. It is not unusual for a team to consist of people with a common task or problem.

There may or may not be a facilitator for the learning groups which are formed. Revans mostly avoided them. Current practice, I think, is mostly to use them.

Action research

Action research is a process by which change and understanding, in addition to learning, can be pursued at the one time. It is usually described as cyclic, with action and critical reflection taking place in turn. The reflection is used to review the previous action and plan the next one.
It is commonly done by a group of people, though sometimes individuals use it to improve their practice. It has been used often in the field of education for this purpose. It is not unusual for there to be someone from outside the team who acts as a facilitator.

A comparison

I used to think that action research was the umbrella term, and action learning was an application of it. Some of my colleagues, I found, argue that action learning is the umbrella term. On reflection, I don’t think it’s worth debating.

As they were previously practised, I think a useful distinction could be made. In action learning, each participant drew different learning from different experience. In action research a team of people drew collective learning from a collective experience.  More recently, the advent of in-company action learning programs has begun to change this. The use of a team with a common project or problem leads to an action learning program which looks remarkably like action research.
There were also some differences, on average, in field of application. Action learning was more often used in organisational settings. Action research more common in community and educational settings. This distinction, too, is beginning to blur.

Drawing a bigger circle and including both – Experiential learning

Both action research and action learning may be seen as a form of experiential learning.  As usually described, it is a process for drawing learning from, and building on, experience. The experience can be something which is taking place, or more often is set up for the occasion by a facilitator or mentor. Clearly, both action research and action learning are about learning from experience. The experience is usually drawn from some task agreed on by a person or team.

All are cyclic i.e. all involve action and reflection on that action. All have learning as one of their goals. In this way experiential learning can be seen as the basis for the learning component of both action learning and action research.

Further both action learning and action research are intended to improve practice. Action research intends to introduce some change and deepen understanding; action learning uses some intended change as a vehicle for learning through reflection.

In action research, the learners draw their learning from the same change activity. All are stakeholders in this activity. In action learning, as I said earlier, the learning and the activity used to be unique to each learner. With the increasing use of project teams in action learning programs, this is no longer true.

The experiential learning cycle

Consider the following simple learning cycle. It appears to capture the main features of experiential learning, action research, and action learning. At its simplest, it consists of two stages: action and reflection:
(1) action –> reflection ~ in an ongoing series of cycles.

However, the reflection gains its point by leading to learning, which in turn leads to deeper understanding and ultimately to changed behaviour/actions in the future:
(2) action –> reflection –> action

We can therefore expand the action component to include observation via. notes for learning journal for instance (these notes can be used to write up your project for listing):
(3) action –> observation –> reflection –>

Next we can expand the reflection component to include change that is intent to act differently next time. We want to take into account that it is a critical review of the last action and also planning/intending for what will happen in the next action cycle.
(4) action –> observation –> reflect –> planning –> (action – next cycle)

After several iterations (action cycles) we can use the reflection phase to ‘generalise’ or observations and to link them to our reflections i.e. we can start to add ‘theory’ or principles to this. In our review, we can only make sense of the world ‘from the ground up’ in ways which build on our prior understanding. In enhancing that understanding, we become better able to act on the world.

When we are acting, we often don’t have the time to be deliberate about what we are doing. The ‘theories’ we draw on are intuitive theories. In reflection and planning our theories can be made explicit.  In other words, action is informed by intuitive theories which, in turn, are informed by our actions. Critical reflection and planning can then build generalisations and theories (bottom up) and may be informed by conscious theories and assumptions (top down). These generalisations as such are derived deliberately from recent experience, and used to plan the next experience.

You could say, then, that experiential learning functions by a dual alternation: between action and reflection; between unconscious and conscious theories; between grounded (bottom up) and grand (top down) theories. By engaging with both of these in a cyclic procedure, we integrate them.

Now to return to action research and action learning…

In each, action informs reflection and is informed by it. The reflection produces the learning (in action learning) or research (in action research). Think of both learning and research as understanding. In the latter, the action is changed in the next action cycle as a result of the learning/research in the previous cycle, and thus leads to more learning/research.

Source: developed from Bob Dick 1995-2000. http://www.alara.net.au/aral/actionlearning  (accessed 05-2009)