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Helping Community Happen will be available at General Assembly for £3.00. Written by John Campbell and Alison Dalton. Pub Northern College
Helping Community Happen’ is a series of four Bible based group studies that aims to help participants think about the nature of ‘Community’, how it functions and develops, and encourage them to discover how they might have a positive impact upon the communities of which they are a part.
The four studies move from simply thinking about the diversity of communities found all around us as well as Bible communities (study 1), progressing to examine the meaning of community work and community development work (studies 2 and 3) before finally asking how we might co-operate in the shared task of building community (study 4). These are not ‘academic’ studies, nor are they Bible studies in the sense that each Bible passage is examined on a verse by verse basis but rather they provide a way into understanding some of the theory of community development work in a very accessible way.
As you might expect particularly from John Campbell’s involvement, the Biblical basis of all four studies comes from the books of the Old Testament. John and Alison use familiar stories, as well as some unlikely ones to illustrate points and challenge those taking part to consider some of the more difficult portions of scripture that might otherwise go unread. For example, by reading through Judges 4 and the blood way in which Sisera meets a sticky end at the hand of Jael the Kenite, the whole question of justice, retribution and how we deal with evil in our communities is addressed.
‘Helping Community Happen’ is probably best suited to a small group setting where people are free to think creatively and participate openly. It certainly intends that there is to be an outcome at the end with a commitment to putting into practice that which has been discovered. It would therefore be ideal for churches who are thinking about how they might engage more fully in the life of their community with a view to taking some action locally.
As I was only able to review ‘Helping Community Happen’ in draft form, I look forward to seeing the published edition and will certainly commend it to churches who are looking beyond their walls to the community outside – and more particularly to those who are not! David Salsbury is Training and Development Officer for mid and north Wales and a minister in North Wales District.
David Salsbury
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