Global Engagment Constituency Input Session Results

A group of people passionate about Global Engagement at Trinity/Pointe of Grace gathered on Monday, May 16 to reflect on possibilities for that ministry area.  There is not currently an organized entity in our community that bears overall coordination for this area.  Many of the expressions of Trinity/Pointe of Grace reaching out beyond our local community exist as individual initiatives that have gained varying degrees of involvement by others in the community.  One of the things that happened at the meeting was that these individuals got connected and will begin to explore the possibility of increasing visibility of global engagement activities by collaborating in new ways.

The group celebrated a number of positive dimensions of their experience:

• Direct connections with people in their own communities kindles empathy and respect for the people.
• Relationships with women in Nicaragua warmed as anxiousness and nervousness gave way to understanding and grace.
• Living Water is widely owned by many in the Trinity/Pointe of Grace communuity and other churches are expressing interest in starting a similar project.
• Seeds of Hope was inspired by encounter with a mother who did not even enterain the option of sending her children to school because there was no way to purchase uniforms.  Now mothers like her are being empowered to realize that they do have options
• People are getting the message that they can actually make a difference in real places.

From stories shared, it is clear that globally focused activities at Trinity/Pointe of Grace are currently inspired as individuals who have traveled to various places where they have had personal encounters with the needs of the world, return with a burden to make a difference and share their stories and their vision with others.

Conversations about ways to improve the work of Global Engagement at Trinity/Pointe of Grace centered around ways to communicate  more effectively with others since growth of these ministries seems to be founded on direct personal experience and telling of stories.

A challenge identified by the group was that the variety of groups, each with differing passions and seeking support from the broader community, might be vulnerable to a spirit of competition for resources.  The group aspired to maintain a spirit of abundance rather than scarcity and to look for ways to collaborate rather than compete.

One idea that emerged from discussion was the establishment of some type of common infrastructure that would allow leaders in the various ministries to connect more regularly with one another to find encouragement, share their wisdom and experience, and collaborate on deepening awareness of global opportunities in our community.

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