COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION
“Be the change you seek in the world,” Gandhi once said. This profound quote embodies the vision of our community transformations ministry. We want to disciple the world to relate to one another with the same power as was seen in the early Church (Acts 2). To do that effectively, we know that powerful Christian love and community needs to first begin with us. So, when we strive to positively influence our surrounding community, we do it as a community.
Within our YWAM community, there are dozens of different talents and strengths represented. Keeping each person’s strengths in mind, our vision is to strategically send our staff/students out to serve our community in groups whose strengths compliment one another. Through this process of synergy, it allows us to meet the needs in our local community in a way that involves the very thing each person is passionate about. Someone interested in management and finances is able to connect with local businessmen. Someone with a passion for working with kids can teach at a local school. Someone who loves nature can get involved in any number of outdoor projects. Get the picture? In short, we serve the community not out of obligation as Christians—because we feel we “have to”—but we are excited to fill an important need by doing something we already love to do.
The scope of our community transformation ministry is three-fold…
1. Go help
In Ferny Grove—the section of the Brisbane city suburbs where our base is located—we have seen the need for a connection between community members and local businesses. We designed our Go Help website as a way to serve the community by facilitating these important connections. This site functions as a business directory, an events board and an opportunity for people to volunteer and get involved with social services in their community.
2. Community care
We believe a Christian’s spirituality isn’t just measured by the amount of time they pray or read the Bible; that spirituality can and should be practical. Keeping that in mind, an important ministry we engage in each week is community care—providing practical service to our neighbors by mowing lawns, picking up trash and offering routine home maintenance. We want to show people in our community just how much we value them—and we believe that can begin with the simplest of actions.
3. Political awareness and action
The Kingdom of God is meant to influence every sphere of society—government notwithstanding. As a base, we choose to be a part of our local government as a strategic way to influence our surroundings with a biblical perspective. Our staff collaborate with the Brisbane City Council, as well as local advocacy and service groups, in order to influence the decisions that affect our city’s 20 year plan. Additionally, we also strive to create awareness among Christians about the importance of social action as a way to invoke change in our society.