Global Support with a mission

We would like to take a few weeks and let Diane Ellis and Leigh Buchan tell you the story of how the mission group below is coming about, read and feel free to comment.

How to make a difference on a Global level and what motivated us to launch Global Support with a mission

During our travels overseas over the last 4 years we have been exposed to a variety of eye opening, cultural experiences that awakened in us a desire to do something about the plight of others less fortunate. I don’t believe it was coincidence that brought us across the paths of the poorest of the poor in the world. It seemed those that were the most desperate, the most troublesome to us were the children.
The children that we met had no say about the conditions they were born into, about the injustices they were being subjected to. They had no voice in how they were living, no voice in their future. We realized that we had to help, that we had an opportunity to help. But how?
We knew we didn’t want to just throw money at projects or organizations that we knew little about, and we knew we were not in a position to start our own program in a foreign country. No, we needed to find someone that was already doing the work we would like to do, someone that we could come along side and help support what they were doing. So we began to evaluate what we liked about existing programs, what we thought worked and what didn’t. We knew we wanted to stay in a long term relationship. We knew we wanted our efforts to be directed primarily toward children, to help them have a voice in their destiny, in their future. We knew that we wanted to somehow bridge the gap between the resources that are available to us and those that had nothing. But how would we do that? Where would we start? There are thousands of worthy causes, millions of marginalized people. How would we choose? Could WE really make a difference? Still, more questions than answers. Next week more on Global…

More Turning Point

I have been listening to different folk talk about their perception of Christians. I don’t know the source of a recent survey, when young people ages 16-29 were polled. They were asked the question, “what do you think of when you hear the brand “Christian”? The top three answers: 1.anti-homosexuals, 2. judgmental, 3. hypocritical. I think this is a sad commentary. Whether it is reality or not is not the issue here. Most of us know the saying, “perception is reality”. Part of our vision for Turning Point is to somehow join with other Christ followers to help change that perception. My reality and the study of our sacred text help me understand the opposite, that Christians should be the most generous and kind people on the planet. To that end, we at Turning Point want to serve those that don’t have economic access to food, shelter, and education that teaches relational life skills found so often in issues of divorce, domestic violence, substance abuse, etc.
We are at the very beginning of developing Turning Point, an organization that will partner with other organizations and individuals. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel. Where we can, we want to bring support. There are many opportunities available now in our community to serve. Go to the service opportunities link on our website and you can see different ways to partner with the Center for Human Services as well as IHNS to serve our community. We also want to be about the development of new areas to bring needed support to families in Shoreline. We have hosted two brunches and will host another on Sunday, November 9, 2005. We are working on getting certification to offer an educational course, Couple Communication Workshop. Watch for details on how you can help and be a support to Turning Point.

Generous Orthodoxy Conference D.C.

Back from Washington D.C. where I participated with Off the Map's event...GO Conference. What a great time. Highlights:

Working with Bob Bowen, Elizabeth DiCandilo, Craig Spinks, Jim Henderson, Dave Richards, April Stace, Nuc, Posido, Robert, Brian, Ryan Beatty and others...

Meeting Bill Bean, Aaron Klinefeltor, Brooke, Allsion and all the others...

Listening to Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren and Martin Robinson and others....

Co-facilitating a workshop with Rachelle...

The conversations, the meals, all in all a good time...don't miss Seattle November 4-5th..it will be a good time