Church Related Community Work
Conversation
A conversation between two church
members in Runcorn about a Church Related Community Worker and the work
she’s involved with.
It illustrates some of the practicalities involved
with community development work and the changes that can occur…
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Paul: Morning
Claire.
Claire: Hello again,
Paul.
Paul: It’s been a while since we talked
about how Alison’s getting on: so, is she living up to your expectations
yet?
Claire: (hesitantly) Um….well….
Yes, I suppose so.
Paul: You don’t sound very convinced
about it!
Claire: Well, the thing is, my
expectations have changed. When she
first came I think we were all hoping
for something a bit more…. a bit more ……
P: Spectacular? Immediate?
Life-changing? Exciting?
C: Yes! All of those things!
P: So you thought she’d be the answer
to all your problems?
(Looking round as if to assess the number of
problems still
around) I can see that must have been a big
disappointment!
C: I think at first people were
disappointed, and confused,
because she didn’t really seem to be doing
anything. She spent all her time watching and listening and just chatting to
people, and we wanted action!
P: And what about now? Is she doing
anything now?
C: Oh yes! In fact, now I can see
that she was doing
something all along. It’s just that it has taken time to
see the results.
P: So what was she doing that you
hadn’t noticed?
C: Well, nothing! She was doing
exactly what I said:- watching, listening, chatting to people. The
difference is, now I realise how important that was, and still is!
P: How can chatting to people be
important? I mean, it’s very nice and all that, but it’s not exactly work,
is it?!?
C: Yes, it is! For one thing, you
can’t find out what people are hoping for, what their needs are, without
watching and listening and talking to them, and for another you can’t expect
people to take risks and do things they wouldn’t normally do unless they
know you and trust you.
P: Take risks?!? What are you talking
about? She’s a community worker, not an arctic explorer! What risks are
there in that?
C: Oh, people have taken plenty of
risks, believe me. What counts as a risk depends on what makes you feel
apprehensive. Volunteering at the Holiday Club can feel like a very big
risk, and so can even just chatting to some of the lads who hang around
outside. It all depends on what you’re used to.
P: I see what you mean….. The Holiday
Clubs have turned out to be quite popular, haven’t they?
C: Oh yes, they’re a great success,
and lots of fun!
P: Is that what you meant when you
said she’s living up to your expectations now:- that things have finally
started to happen, even though on a smaller scale than we’d hoped?
C: No, not at all! I thought I’d
explained, things were happening all along. I’ve learnt to look for
different signs of change, that’s all.
P: What do you mean? Either things
have changed, or they haven’t!
C: But even subtle changes can be
very significant.
P: True enough. Give me some examples
of the subtle changes, then.
C: Well, for example, I think the
attitude within the churches has changed. When we first started the
community newsletter it was hard work getting fifteen hundred delivered, and
now we do three-and-a-half thousand several times a year, because lots more
people have volunteered to help.
P: Yes, the newsletters are a good
way of publicising our events, and just letting people know we exist, aren’t
they? What else?
C: Well, here at Bethesda we’re
taking better care of our buildings. Of course, it’s a great help not having
to spend half our time clearing up broken tiles from the Lapwing Centre
roof, and there’s a lot less graffiti, and the garden and car park look much
more cared for…..
P: That hardly counts as community
work!
C: Oh, you’d be surprised! Showing we
care about our building and grounds makes so much difference to other
people’s attitude, too. Do you know, some of the young people who used to
hang around outside thought it was just a derelict building, because it
looked so neglected, and they’d never seen anyone going in and out.
P: So now they respect it, just
because you’ve cut the grass! Pull the other one!
C: There’s more to it than that, of
course. It’s also because we respect them. We talk to them. Some of
them come to the Holiday Club, or Genesis or TNT during the week, or Drop In
after school. They know the building isn’t derelict now, because they use it
themselves, and they know some of the people, too.
P: So people in the churches are more
willing to take risks and volunteer for things, the buildings look a bit
more cared for, though I have to say only someone who’d seen them before
would really be able to appreciate that, and the local children have a
better attitude to the place and have even been inside. Great. I bet they
don’t come on Sundays, though!
C: Oh, I was waiting for that one!
Church is about so much more than Sunday. At least now they trust us, and
feel comfortable asking us questions. They feel connected to us – we’re part
of their community, and they make the connections between the assemblies Sue
and Kristy do in their schools, the Drop In, the Holiday Clubs and Fun Days.
They know that all those things belong together, as a way of life.
P: Well, that all sounds very good,
but what about the adults? What about all the community groups who were
supposed to be using the Lapwing Centre to help pay for all the work with
children and young people. They haven’t materialised, have they?
C: No, it’s true that the Lapwing
doesn’t get used as much as we would like. Some groups have tried it and
moved on, others use it on an occasional basis, and of course we use it
ourselves, but there’s plenty of scope for more people to use it, certainly.
P: Because we need the money!
C: No! Because it’s a useful
community resource!
P: You mean we don’t need the
money?????
C: Well, of course, it would be nice
to have a little extra, but actually our finances are quite healthy at the
moment.
P: So that’s another way in which
Alison hasn’t fulfilled our expectations! We were all afraid she’d cost us
lots of money and we’d struggle to keep the project funded! But I suppose if
she doesn’t do much, of course she doesn’t cost much!!!!!
C: Have you been listening to
anything I’ve said? She doesn’t do what we expected, but actually, taken
over the time she’s been here, the results have been pretty much what you
said at the beginning: life-changing, exciting – it’s just that they’ve been
gradual and subtle rather than immediate and spectacular.
P: Oh well, I suppose you can’t have
everything! (Wanders off, leaving Claire looking frustrated for a moment.
Then she leaves, too.)
© Alison Micklem, June 2003
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