Country Garden Apartments

Need Your Feedback

2009-01-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

Does the recent bad weather change our plans for tomorrow? Currently we have scheduled a Training and Background check for Volunteers at 10:30 am - and a door knocking campaign at the apartment complex at 1:00 pm... should we postpone???

Prayer Meeting and Training Day

2009-01-23T18:20:00.001-08:00

Hey gang. Just wanted everyone to know that I have sort of taken it upon myself to move the training day back one week. I have not heard from Chris and am not sure if we are ready to do background checks. Also, I need another week to finish preparing for the training day.

This means that training will be from 10:30 - 11:00 am on Jan. 31st. We will also door knock that day at 1:00 pm at CGA.

Prayer meeting is on at its normal hour tomorrow - Jan. 24th, from 10-11 am.

Hope to see you all tomorrow morning for perhaps the most important thing we could do for our friends and neighbors at CGA... pray.

Moving Forward

2009-01-10T09:52:00.001-08:00

Todays Prayer Meeting was wonderful! Thanks to all of you that came and participated - both your input and insight are valued.

I wanted to update everyone else on our plans for moving forward at Country Garden Apartments. After months of careful consideration, months of prayer, months of visiting, and months of brainstorming, we are finally going to put it all into practice again! And I couldn't be more excited. Not only are we movinig forward with prayer, planning and God's leading on our side - we also have the trial and error experiences and knowledge from our 2007 -2008 efforts at the complex! The timing is right, and its upon us!

Here is what we discussed this morning:

We will be hosting (in our apt. 103G) a reading group for the kids of Country Garden Apartments (limited to ages 4-10). It will begin Saturday, February 7th, from 10:00 - 11:00 am. We will begin our time with the kids by serving cereal as breakfast. Then we will have a time of sit down reading to the kids. After that we move to a time of craft, or activity or something. Eventually, we'd like to see a library of sorts that the kids could check out books from.

We will limit the # of children to 20, so that the time spent with the kids will be manageable, safe, and meaningful. We will have 3-4 adults inside the apartment during the hour along with 3-4 adults outside the apartment (and around the door). (Eventually we'd like to hand-select volunteers from the complex to help us.) Every volunteer will have to go through a background check. We will have a simple registration and check-in/out system in place. To register (the first time a child comes) a parent/guardian must come with the child to fill out an information sheet on the child. If the parent does not come with the child to register him/her we will go with the child back to the apartment and ask them to fill out the form. (There will be a waiting list, should more than 20 kids come one week. This way there will be equity in participation priveleges.)

We need a cleaning system in place, where the apartment is cleaned on a regular basis and therefore we need a good base of volunteers who are willing to do this on a monthly basis.

Tomorrow morning (Jan. 11) at church, there will be a sign-up sheet in every classroom for those who are willing to volunteer in any capacity.

January 31st we will be knocking doors and spreading the news of our new weekly event to the tenants. We will also give a flyer to the apartment manager (Kendra Throgmartin) to hand out to the tenants promoting it a couple of weeks in advance.

If you have any advice, input, questions, concerns, or prayers you would like to voice, then feel free to click on comments and have at it!

I want to remind all of you engaged in this of our mission and focus as we move forward -

"We are dedicated to partnering with our friends and neighbors at the Country Garden Apartment Complex in building authentic community."

Let's Get Goin!

2009-01-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Hey Team -

Its officially time to get going! I have met with several people individually, and I think we have a starting point for revitalizing our presence and building authentic community at CGA! We will start this Saturday at 10:00 am, (meet in the BLC Lobby), we will walk over to the CGA Complex and knock doors. We will be meeting the tenants and asking them two questions: Is there anything we can do to serve them, and do they have any prayer requests that we can take with us and pray for them about. We will do this Jan. 10, Jan. 17, Jan. 24, and Jan. 31st. Then starting on the first Saturday in February (Feb. 7) we will start a reading group at noon each week (on everySaturday) We will have two teams that will meet there from 12 pm - 1 pm every week from then on. A "Networking Team" and an "Educational Team" - The educational team will meet with the kids during the reading hour, and Cathy Mulhollen (spelling?) will lead this effort. The Networking Team will knock doors, visit with people outside, build relationships, take prayer requests, make needs lists, ask tenants for help with projects, etc. Also, the networking team will schedule dinners once per month with a few tenants to get to know them.

Please, over the coming month, come to the prayer walks, prayer over what you might be interested in, get engaged, and engage others in our journey. If you have any questions, feel free to call me. (926-3329) Or simply reply to this post in the "comments" section. Thanks, have a blessed week and weekend, and I look forward to seeing all of you this Saturday at 10:00 am.

Peace -

Joe James

Larry James on "People Power"

2008-12-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hey gang! I wanted to say thanks to everyone that showed up to help with Breakfast with Santa. I know we only had three kiddos, but we need to prepare big. We have a lot of new families at CGA now, and they need to get to know us! Please, please, pretty please, stay plugged in and stay involved! We need you every step of the way.

I have been wanting to post something here for some time now that I think is important for how we approach our freinds and neighbors up the street. It is "Part One" of a series of ten articles that Larry James posted on his blog a few years ago. The series was called "Community Development 101" and this first article is called "People Power". I hope you enjoy it, and I would love to hear your feedback in the comments section.

Community Development 101--Part One
One of the enjoyable aspects of my work is that I get to talk to people about urban issues and urban community development. I especially like the times I get to speak with students in university settings. Talking to students forces a clarity and a sharpness that otherwise would allude me.Over time I have developed a handful of ideas that I consider fundamental to nurturing community development in a social context dominated by poverty and its unique problems.This feels like an appropriate space to discuss some of these essential notions.People power.Without a doubt this concept or, better, this commitment is the most important truth I have learned in the past twelve years. People possess the power, the capacity and the desire to solve their own problems, if they are given the resources they need and the opportunity they crave.People don't need help nearly as much as they need a chance.I bump into this reality every day.Years ago, my role at Central Dallas Ministries was much different than it is today.When I first came here in 1994, I was spending five-days-a week interviewing low-income people in our Food Pantry. On Sundays, I was out in churches begging for money and volunteers.I wasn't doing very well on either ask because we were always short on both!Back then, all of our volunteers drove in from suburban or Park Cities churches and neighborhoods. Everyone who volunteered was white.All of the material resources were on one side of the equation. All of the need was on the other.Relationships with the community always felt pretty much "one down." You know, paternalistic, neo-colonial.One day my world and the world of CDM changed in a moment.I found myself facing three Hispanic mothers with their beautiful children.The three women were perfect strangers to one another and to me.Not a very "professional" way to do "social work."But then, I've never had a social work class in my life. The only time I've even been in a social work class was when I taught one at Pepperdine University last fall.But, back to the women.These three delightful people were attempting to combine their limited English to overcome my absolute stupidity when it comes to speaking Spanish.We weren't getting too far.As we sat there in growing frustration, Josefina Ortiz, an older woman who had already been interviewed and assisted, walked by.I stopped her and asked if she could help me.I learned then, and have learned many times since then, that this is a very important question for "helpers" to learn how to ask those they seek to "help."She replied that she would be very happy to help me. She sat down with us and translated the conversation. As a result, we were able to provide the assistance the three families sought.As they were leaving, I turned to Ms. Ortiz and began thanking her profusely, still not realizing what an asset I had right in front of me.She had the good sense to turn back to me when she reached the door. I will never forget what she said:"Larry, I could come back tomorrow and help you."I told her that would be great because, as she could see, I needed the help!Josefina came back "tomorrow" for nine years.That afternoon when the pantry closed, I returned to my upstairs office. As I was looking out my large window on the "crack house" next door, I received a very clear message.The message was in two parts.First, I was told that I was dead wrong about the neighborhood. Even though I thought I knew what it needed, I couldn't possibly know.Second, I had been wrong to look at the community only in terms of need, especially material need. I should look at the neighborhood in terms of its assets. And, I should realize that there are all kinds of asset besides the material variety.Immediately, Josefina's face came to mind.The lesson was so clear. The truth so obvious.Over the next forty-five days we set out to change our organizational culture and change it quickly.Every person who came through our doors was encouraged to talk not just about their needs, but also about their assets.Further, we invited every person who came to us to return and serve the community as a volunteer.Almost overnight we had more volunteers than we knew what to do with.Several things happened.We lost almost all of our suburban volunteers. We now have several hundred volunteers in our database and 99% are community people who continue to access our various resources and services.People from outside the community who were our supporters questioned our sanity."Looks like you have the lunatics running the asylum," one dedicated supporter told me with a smile."These people will steal you blind," I was told in countless ways, again and again.Finally, I had the presence of mind to form a standard reply that went something like,"You know, you are correct. In this business you're going to have some theft. But, I've noticed that it is one of two kinds. It's either canned corn or human dignity. I'm going with the canned corn cartel!" Over the years we've stayed with this model.It is the one essential, fixed, non-negotiable ingredient in our mix here at CDM.Whatever success we have enjoyed is directly related to this approach and to the principle of "people power" back of it.Our volunteers run our Resource Centers, both on Haskell and inside Roseland Homes.This amazing group of people serves as a 24-7 "think tank" of sorts.Every idea, every initiative, every response to poverty has arisen from the collective and individual wisdom expressed by these amazing people.There is no way for me to overestimate their importance or their continuing impact.Talk about wealth! Social capital and collective efficacy continue to transform everything about our efforts to re-invent and develop community in inner-city neighborhoods here in Dallas and in San Antonio where we have a sister organization.Mark it down.If you mission is to grow community then. . .. . .People cannot be treated as projects.. . .People cannot be treated as problems.. . .People cannot be treated as "opportunities for ministry.". . .People cannot be treated as if they should be disconnected or disengaged from the primary process at work.. . .People must not be seen as clients.. . .People must be trusted and valued as they are, for who they are.You see, transforming truth is quite different.The truth is, people are my neighbors and I am their neighbor.The truth is, people, all people are powerful.The truth is, people are beautiful, promising, full of wonder and great, great potential.People power--it is the only place to start, to live, to conclude.

Breakfast With Santa

2008-12-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

This upcoming Saturday morning (Dec. 13th) Southwest Church is hosting a new event called "Breakfast with Santa" where our families and children can hang with Santa Claus, singing Christmas Songs with Travis Eades, playing games, and eating a wonderful pancake breakfast.

Mrs. Joyce asked me to invite the kids from Country Garden Apartments to come join the fun, and after taking to several of you, we decided this was a great idea! Not only does it "get us going again" it also is opportunity to just spend some quality time with several new tenants.

So this last Saturday, several of us went to CGA and knocked doors to hand out invitations to the event. All in all it went well! We met several new people, had several face-to-face invites, and sensed some excitement in the voices of our neighbors!

Now we need to recruit as many willing adults as possible to be at the building from 9 - 11 am this Saturday to spend time with the kids for relationship building and supervision. Please reply to this post if you think you can serve, or if you have recruited others to serve this weekend.

We are arranging to pick up the kiddos at 8:45 am and have them at the building by 9:00 am. We will leave the building at 11:00 am and hopefully have them all back home by 11:115 am.

I hope you are as excited as I am to get some momentum going! See you Saturday!

Christmas ???

2008-12-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

Hey Gang -

Just wanted to throw something out there and let you guys give ideas, make suggestions, etc...

Should we do something for Christmas with our neighbors at Country Garden Apartments?

Peace -

Joe James

Prayer Vigil Tonight

2008-11-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Hope you all can make it tonight to the Prayer Vigil. We will meet in the lobby of the BLC at 9:00 and get instructions there.

Basically we are starting one week away from Thanksgiving to pray for our friends and neighbors at Country Garden's, and all over Jonesboro, that they might find some joy and wholeness in their holiday season.

In an economic recession we are all making some cutbacks in spending this year, but for some of our neighbors that means less food, less family, no gifts, no celebration. Our neighbors need more than just our prayers this holiday season, but prayer is a good place to start.

Hope to see you there tonight at Southwest BLC Lobby from 9 - 10 pm.

2008-11-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends!!!

So you all know that I am taking a class from Fuller that is related to urban youth ministry. I have a project due where I am supposed to present Ministry Implications to 3-10 people involved in this ministry. I am just going to post my assignment below. Let me know what your thoughts are.

Just a little backdrop. I read a book about violence among teenagers. I also researched J-town's crime statistics. Here are the implications I think we need with this ministry. I would love to hear your thoughts! (Trust me. . .these are brainstorming ideas)!

Affirm kids. This sounds so simple, and it truly is. The children that we meet do not have good self-esteem. For the most part, they think they are poor, stupid, ugly, and the list goes on and on. They have no goals. They have no excitement to live. They have no hope. We want our teens and children that we meet in our ministry to be affirmed. We want to encourage them. We want them to feel they are part of something greater. We want them to know they matter. By affirming our kids, we begin to challenge the notion that they aren’t good enough. We give them a place by affirming them.
Place of Refuge. Our apartment that we rent needs to be a place of refuge for these children and teenagers. There are so many places that are dangerous, and our apartment does not need to be one of those. We need to do everything we possibly can to make it a safe place. If they are scared, they need to know they can find our place to be safe.
Buddy up a Mentor. So many of the kids we meet come from single-parent families who often are working two jobs to make ends meet. When we encounter most of our kids, they are roaming the street by themselves. No adult is ever around. In order for the violence to cut down as well as immense growth, it is crucial we buddy up a kid with a respectful adult who shares the vision of our ministry. This will take time. But, it is a high value for our ministry.
Teach Kids Coping Skills. It is so important that we not only meet physical and spiritual needs, but social needs as well. We need to teach kids about anger and about patience. We need to teach them some self-defense moves. They need to know how to cope in difficult situations. If we teach them these values, it should decrease the violence levels.
Big Group of Volunteers. Obviously, there needs to be many volunteers who share in this ministry and our vision. There will be so many kids who are so unique that the more volunteers we have, the more likely that one of the adults will be compatible with one of the kids. It takes a team for our ministry.
Career Day. We want our kids to dream big. We want them to be able to explore different career opportunities. An idea: What if we had a Career Day once a week where someone from a specific occupation came in and hung out with our kids? We could have doctors, lawyers, garbage men, postmen, pastors, secretaries, scientists, teachers, etc.
Gang Awareness. Because there are small gangs being formed directly around our apartment, it is necessary that all of our volunteers go through a training session that relates to gangs and violence. They need to be able to spot a gang member, etc. We could even have the police help us with the training sessions.
Police Are a Good Thing. Our kids do not have good feelings towards police officers. We need to be trying to cultivate a different way of thinking. We could invite police officers to come shoot hoops with our students, come read books, etc. Most likely, they need to be involved in our ministry without the uniform. However, over time and once relationships are formed, then it would be appropriate to stop by in the police car or wear the uniform.
NO VIDEO GAMES OR MOVIES. When students are with us in the apartment, it needs to be a goal to not play video games or watch movies. Obviously, the media is saturated with violence. We need to be that safe haven of violence-free activities.
Pairs Policy. It needs to be heavily enforced that no adult leader is by themselves with students. There must always be at least two adults. No female should be by herself either. It is important that we are smart and aware at all times.
Written Policy. As soon as our students walk in our door, we must have a registration form on them. This includes allergies, parent contact information, emergency numbers. They will also have a spot for them to sign (or their parents) that stresses our NO TOLERANCE policy on violence. We must also have consequences if they break the NO TOLERANCE rules.
Get the City Involved. It would be great if our newspaper did a story on our ministry and got the community involved. Likewise, what if they did a weekly story on one of our students? This would once again instill in those kids that they are valuable and they matter.
Carpool. Since reading our specific city’s crime statistics, it is obvious that theft and car burglary are some of the most popular crimes. All of our volunteers will meet at our church building, then carpool over to our apartment. This limits the amount of cars we have over at the apartment.
School Visits. It’s important that we don’t do ministry just when it is convenient for us. There must be some of us who visit our students in their context: at their homes, in their schools, at their football games, etc. We also need to be a resource to the schools principles and officers. Likewise, they can be a resource for us.
Behavior Logs. Since there are so many kids in our ministry, as well as adult volunteers, it is important that we keep a written log of any misbehaviors. For example, if a kid hits another girl, it needs to be written down by the adult on a behavior log. This covers us in case there was ever to be any legal problems.

Once again, these are just ideas. Holla!

Abbey

Saturday Prayer Walk

2008-11-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

Don't forget that we will meet at the building at 10:00 am (BLC Entrance) this Saturday and go together over to Country Garden Apartments to pray and visit. I figure we will be done by or before 11:00 am.

Since We've Been Praying

2008-11-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

At our prayer meeting on the 12th we discussed several different things. First we had several things that we need to continue to pray for:

.1. guidance
2. volunteers
3. leaders to be raised up from the apartment complex
4. the ability to meet needs there
5. eventually the ability to reach other complexes in ourcommunity

Second we discussed putting a booth together for the ministry fair. A few of the things we will need or try to include will be:

1.pictures(kids,apartments,etc.)
2.a tri-fold
3.a needs list(things people from church could bring to help)
4.sign up sheet for prayer warriors
5.maybe a time line sheet for pastand future events at the apartment

Some of the different ideas were:

1.target a specific population or problem
2.focus on one building at a time
3.host dinners at the apartment maybe asking residents we have gotten to know to co-host
4.have a storytelling time
5.have a lending library at the apartment then trips to the public library for responsible book borrowers
6.donation box for books at the church
7.blanket the complex with prayer

I believe we have several groups interested in doing a joint project for the missions project on Nov.8. I have been very encouraged by the new interest in country garden. My prayer is that God will continue to give us guidance for this ministry and that we will allow God to have the glory for everything that occurs.

Jeff Smith
October 13, 2008 6:18 PM

Invitation

2008-09-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

Hey guys -

You are welcome to start discussing, praying and sharing on here!

Scroll down to yesterdays post and click comments to get us rolling!

Peace -

Joe

Prayers and Ideas - Sept. 28, 2008

2008-09-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Friends -

Thank you so much for your prayers this morning. I was encouraged by your presence! I hope that we can commit to spending time in prayer on a regular basis.

We told God this morning that we are open to His prompting, leading and guiding as we seek to move forward in this. And as we surrendered our hearts, we heard several things from God:

> Food
> Simple Relationship Building
> Continuing Engagement of Children
> & Reading and Learning Programs with Children

Just click on "Comments" to post your thoughts. Please sign your name so we will know who is talking. Let's start by simply sharing any ideas for simple things that come to mind over the course of this week. Also, please affirm ideas from others that excite you!

Look forward to hearing from our little "Community" of Ministers!

Peace -

Joe James