DOOR Atlanta

Summer Begins in Atlanta

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Mon, 30 May 2011 17:22:00 +0000

Throughout the past week, we welcomed three of our Discern staff to Atlanta: John, Emily K, and Emily P. They have settled into Capitol View Dwell, making community alive again in a house that has been occupied by only the Gerber family for the past 4 months. The Gerbers have enjoyed having a fellow Kansan (Emily K) in the house, three new playmates for the kids, and the enthusiasm that John and the Emily's bring to the community. Emily P and John will continue to reside in the CV Dwell house in the fall, when they begin their Dwell/YAV year.

Will and Lacey of Columbia Theological Seminary also joined us this week as a part of our Discern staff. As our Program Staff, they have been working hard to create worship and reflection programming for the summer, which they will also be leading every week. They were able to test out some of their ideas this weekend, while we hosted our first summer Discover group.

First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, NC brought a group of 15 to Atlanta, and spent Saturday serving a total of 4 agencies. Hosting this group was a wonderful way to introduce our staff to the Discover program, both because it was a short weekend group, and because this church is well acquainted with DOOR, having come to Atlanta for a week last summer.

I am incredibly happy with how the weekend went. Our new cook, Lathette Brooks, went above and beyond with food service, even decorating tables with flowers. Lacey and Will led beautiful worship and facilitated reflections that were creative, insightful, and conversational among the youth. John, Emily, and Emily were enthusiastic and eager to serve. Working alongside such wonderful staff has relieved a great deal of my fears for the summer, and given me a renewed sense of excitement.

Lastly, today we all attended the ordination of Maggie Leonard at Mercy Church. Maggie is a former YAV, a pastor at Mercy Church (where we will be sending Discover groups this summer), and a friend. At her ordination service, one of her colleagues read a Fransiscan Blessing that I had heard once before while I was on a mission trip to Mississippi. It had really affected me when I first heard it as a sophomore in college, and it did so again when I heard it today.
“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.”

I pray for that kind of foolishness...for our groups, our summer staff, our agencies, and ourselves.

Megan Warley
Co-City Director, DOOR Atlanta
404-438-9859

Grant Park Dwell House Spring Projects

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:08:00 +0000

At the beginning of the year, members of Grant Park Dwell had three projects in mind for the house.

1. Get an energy efficient refrigerator/freezer to replace the ancient, inefficient refrigerator and freezer. (Bonus: we had enough money left over for a dishwasher! Thank you, scratch and dent store.)

2. Build a compost bin to replace the compost "mound" (Thanks, Don Webster, for all of the materials!)

3. Build or buy a rain barrel. (Alan went to a class, and got one for free!)

As of March 19th, all projects are complete!

Staff Team in Place and Empowered to Continue

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:50:00 +0000

In the last local Atlanta board meeting, big decisions were made. The Atlanta board decided to affirm and empower the work of David York, acting Interim Director and Megan Warley, Discover Coordinator as the Transition Team until December 2012. David and Megan will act as co-directors and will bring stability and vision to the Atlanta program.
Already this winter, many groups have been welcomed into God's work in Atlanta. The board has welcomed three new board members. We are excited about the ministry of DOOR Atlanta into the future.

Below is the contact information for David and Megan.

David York

David@DOORnetwork.org

404-295-9922

Megan Warley

Megan@DOORnetwork.org

404-438-9859

Dwellers Retreat together with Volunteers from Nashville

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Our Dwell participants traveled to Tennessee to participate in a vocational discernment weekend retreat. They were joined by the participants in the Nashville Epiphany Project.
It was a beautiful weekend, especially compared to the snow storm that happened last year! You can find pictures of the retreat on our Facebook Fan page.

Christmas time in the city

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:55:00 +0000

Our Dwell houses gathered for a joint Christmas party. You can see a few of the pictures on the Facebook page. Good conversations and good times.

Atlanta's Public Housing

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:17:00 +0000

Atlanta has played a leading role in the changes nationwide in the public housing arena. Atlanta was the first city to tear down all of its public housing and replace it with mixed income housing. There has been a lot of debate about how effective these changes have been. Here is a link to an interesting article on Atlanta's Housing Authority, and the ways they are hoping to transform the culture of public housing in Atlanta. http://city-journal.org/2010/20_4_atlanta-public-housing.html.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

Shared Economics

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Joyce Hollyday comments: “I have tried, in this stage of my life as in every other, to ask this one question: What does being faithful to Jesus and the demands of the Gospel require of me in this moment? Of all the aspects of life this question entails, none is more confusing than my relationship with money."

I asked the Dwellers to reflect on how money has played a role in the Dwell community. Our Dwell houses share a common grocery budget and many are on a very tight personal budget. Shared economics, especially when scarcity is a concern, brings challenges and opportunities to life in community. Below is a reflection by Sonia, one of our Capitol View community members.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

"Living in community this year has forced me to be aware of nearly every cent I spend and I am encouraged to save money via avenues I have never ventured on before living in this year's Dwell Community. I moved into the Capitol View Dwell Community to a house with all the fixings! I brought my bedding and clothes, but everything else here is for me to use during the year. Having the house furnished relieved me from the burden of finding and purchasing furniture and cookware.

Currently, the six of us each contribute a monthly amount of $80 into the “money pot” for our food budget. Before community living, I remember paying nearly $80 a week to feed myself when I lived alone in an apartment! We spend $120 dollars per week which mainly goes to prepare the dinners that we cook for each other. Sometimes we have gone over the $120 limit in a week of shopping, but this week, for instance, we were $30 below the limit giving us extra money to splurge on ice cream!

Funds toward house maintenance is another area we address in the community. Today, for instance, the HVAC maintenance came and noticed that our filters needed to be changed. So, at our Dwell night tonight, I will propose that we purchase new air filters. We, as a community, will then agree upon where the money will come from—either our food budget, our retreat money, or straight out of our pockets as an extra financial contribution to the house. So far, during this Dwell year, we have decided to use our food budget to purchase cleaning supplies and toilet paper.

We plan to go on three retreats during the Dwell year and there is a separate budget that is alloted to us for such expenses. However, by planning to be very cost efficient on the retreats, we have had enough money to get chickens—yes urban chickens! We are building a chicken coop in our back yard and will hopefully see fresh eggs by April. Planning to purchase chickens was a extensive process, but by the time we have eggs, we will not only be able to self-sustain ourselves, but also provide eggs to our friends and neighbors (and maybe even for a small fee, so that we can make some money for the Dwell Community).

When it comes to expenses, living in the community is sometimes no different than living in an apartment. Our utilities, trash pick-up, house alarm system, and extermination expenses are all taken care of by DOOR. We all pay monthly rent, but the sources and amounts of income do vary from community dweller to community dweller.

We always use the discount card at the grocery store. We tend to steer away from the brand name products and look for the discounted food items on the “manager's special”shelf—things I rarely did when I lived alone and bought food for myself. Within the community, I have not felt hindered to stay faithful to the gospel with the issue of money. And, when others in my community need financial assistance, we as a community agree to make sure that everyone is comfortable and not financially suffering. Personally, living in a community with a shared expenses has opened my eyes more fully to the understanding of hospitality and sharing. "

~Sonya, Dwell community member in Capitol View house

The Chickens are coming...

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:13:00 +0000

The chickens are coming to the Capitol View Dwell house. This week 26 chickens will arrive by the United States Postal Service to begin their new life in intentional Christian community. The Capitol View Dwellers have been busy preparing a new room for the chickens. It is a spacious coop in the backyard, with plenty of open space for the chickens to frolic. The yard is a perfect place for the new members of the community. It is filled with small rocks and is rather shaded, so no pesky grass or vegetables can grow in that area. It is just wide open play space for the chicks. These chickens are not just for show; they are contributing members of the household. They will provide local, sustainably produced eggs for the house to eat and even some extra to sell or give away to neighbors. They will provide organic fertilizer for the community garden plots the house maintains, further allowing the members who are on a tight budget to stretch their food budgets by growing their own vegetables. We are so excited to welcome these new residents of our Dwell community and look forward to the learning opportunities they will provide. Welcome Chickens…we’re so glad you’re part of the community.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

Kickball!

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:05:00 +0000

This past weekend, the Dwell houses hosted a Kickball game in Grant Park. Beautiful weather, friends, and competition made for a fun filled day.

DOOR Atlanta is featured in the magazine "The Mennonite"

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:52:00 +0000

Community connection is key to service
By Melanie Hess

When Joel and Leslie Gerber said they were thinking about a service term, they got some funny looks. They weren’t typical service workers; they were a young married couple with a child and full-time jobs in rural Kansas—not young adults fresh out of college or retirees with time on their hands.

But the strange looks were few and far between compared to the outpouring of community support for their plan. When the Gerbers decided to serve with Dwell, a joint program of Mennonite Mission Network and Presbyterian Church USA, their congregation, Pleasant View Mennonite Church, was full of encouragement.

“Some fellow church members have been critical in encouraging me in this direction and I would not [have applied] if it wasn't for them,” said Joel Gerber.

Dwell is a part of DOOR, a program that began in Denver and came out of a desire to “see the face of God in the city” by helping people to see how God is at work in urban areas around the country.

There are two ways to enter the Dwell program: one is to come to the city for a year or two of service and life in community. But Dwell also encourages local young adults, who often have more traditional jobs, to come live with the service workers in intentional Christian community as “tentmakers” in their own backyards. Residents of Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Hollywood, Miami and San Antonio have the opportunity to live in community through Dwell.

Coming to the city
Joel and Leslie Gerber and their 11-month-old daughter, Cora, moved into Dwell’s Capitol View house and began their term of service in early September.

Joel and Leslie were both teachers in Harper, Kan., but the desire for a change prompted Joel to think seriously about service, something he’d been considering for years. He convinced Leslie to apply to international and U.S. service programs, even as they looked for other job opportunities. In the end, the fact that they had a small daughter and a second child on the way narrowed their possibilities considerably. But the Capitol View house in Atlanta had room for a family.

“It was a good time for us—we had already missed our opportunity to do service straight out of college, but it was something that Joel had always wanted to do,” said Leslie. “We said ‘Cora’s not in school yet, so let’s take this opportunity to go now before we need to stay in one place.’ ”

The community made a difference for the Gerbers—it was their church family who helped make service seem like a real possibility.

“A lot of people from our church have done service for many, many years, most of Joel’s family has done service, and there were three others my age who are doing international or U.S. service for multiple years. It’s just something that they do,” said Leslie. “When we mentioned making a job change, people came to us and said ‘why don’t you think about doing service.’ I think that’s maybe what put the bug in our ear to apply. There are so many people that have done it and have had great experiences.”

The Gerbers continue to get support from the members of Pleasant View—in the form of encouraging emails and financial gifts, since Dwell program members raise part of their own support.

As for their service placements, Leslie works for Neighbors’ Abbey, a church in their neighborhood, where she does administrative work and works with a mentoring program at a local middle school. She helps with a life skills class for middle school girls and also helps match them with mentors from their own community.

Joel works at homeless men’s shelter and as a “gardener in residence” at a charter school. His farming background allows him to share his knowledge about growing food and composting with children who haven’t had experience with agriculture. Recently he spent an afternoon pulling weeds with kindergarten-age boys.

Their new community living situation is a change for the Gerbers, who’ve spent the past three years living in a farmhouse in “the middle of nowhere.” But the practical aspects of their community living—not having to cook every night, not having an entire house to clean, and readily available baby-sitters—are a benefit, said Leslie.

They’re also taking advantage of life in the city, an adjustment that hasn’t been as difficult as they expected. “Living right in the middle of the neighborhood is a great way to meet people,” said Leslie. And being within walking distance of some of Atlanta’s many parks helps them find inexpensive and fun things to do with their daughter.

Finding life in community
Tommy Flynn represents the other way to serve through Dwell. He is a long-term resident of Atlanta and a nurse who has lived in the Grant Park house for the past two years.

“The local young adults are the anchors,” aid Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta’s city director. “They’re here for multiple years and they’re able to really build relationships and provide consistency.”

After a few years in more formal church ministry, Flynn was looking for a way to live his faith in a different way. He was interested in the community and connection that Dwell could provide.

“I really felt a lack of fulfillment in the strict Christian ‘systems’ we have offered to us from the church,” said Flynn. “There are small groups, Sunday school, and service opportunities, but barring certain extremes like long-term mission, you don’t really get many opportunities to live your faith day in and day out and struggle through some of the really hard questions that come along with it.”

For Dwell house members in Atlanta, living together intentionally is an important part of their spiritual and intellectual growth.

“We meet every week for dinner and discussion, whatever falls on that night,” Flynn explained. “We also have nights for celebrating things like Advent, exploring different Christian practices and learning about social issues like gentrification, racism, the sex trade, poverty, hunger and our response to them.”

When Flynn first joined the house in 2008, community questions revolved around chores and logistics—the basics of setting up a household. As time went on, Flynn says, they had to deal with more intense conflicts and questions.

“Conflict is one of the key elements of living in community—it’s easy to avoid unless you’re actually living together,” said Flynn. “You either stop talking to each other or deal with it somehow. It’s pushed everyone in the community to work with others in love and understand others better.”

Every year there are new Dwell participants. “Turnover every year changes the feel of the house, because everyone brings their own contribution, personality and vision,” said Flynn. “Every year we take a different direction and get new energy.”

The community also serves as support as members go out to their jobs or service placements, giving encouragement and strengthening each other.

“The communities serve as families, even though they’re not biologically related,” said Thomas. “It’s amazing to see just how supportive they are of one another and how they can be brothers and sisters in Christ to one another.”

In Atlanta, those who come for a service term are placed through connections with the Presbyterian Church, but there’s also a strong connection with Atlanta Mennonite Fellowship, who owns the Dwell house in Grant Park. Dwell members were living in the Grant Park house with others when the house was known simply as AMF’s hospitality house. When AMF began to revisit the mission of the house, they saw that the Dwell vision fit their hopes for what the house would be, said Thomas, and Dwell and AMF decided to partner together.

“We’re part of the ministry that AMF has in the city, through their house,” Thomas said. “So we like for the church to be involved in things that happen in the house—game nights and music nights—informal connections that we try to keep open.” In addition to inviting AMF members to be a part of their hospitality nights, some of the Dwellers go work on the farm connected with the church.

Flynn said the lessons he’s learned from living in community are going to remain with him for the rest of his life: communication skills, leadership, and care for others.

“I’m going to take with me a more profound ability to love more people, perhaps all people, because we’re put in this house together—we don’t pick each other,” he said. “God picks us and we just end up together. We have to learn how to love people we don’t normally have to relate to.”

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Another reflection on the topic of "Neighboring" by Megan Warley, a member of our Grant Park house.

"At our house retreat last weekend, my housemates and I discussed our status as neighbors in Grant Park. We came to the realization that, besides the occasional wave or small talk with our neighbors immediately to the left and the right, we have minimal relationships with our Grant Park community. It is so easy amidst our hectic schedules to stay focused on our relationships with our families, friends, churches, and coworkers, and forget about the people who live only a few feet away from us.

We decided at our retreat this weekend that we wanted to be intentional about building relationships with our neighbors- to show them that we value their presence in our neighborhood and in our lives. As my housemates and I began to discuss the concept of being better neighbors, we noticed several ways in which we could be doing a better job. Some ideas included inviting our neighbors over for meals, making our front yard more aesthetically appealing, and hosting events like pumpkin carving for our neighbors with children. We left the retreat with plans to be more intentional about building relationships with our neighbors.

Ironically enough, when we returned to our house after the retreat, we were greeted with a card and a sack of apples from our next door neighbors. They had gone apple picking that weekend and wanted to share with us the “fruits” of their labor. It was such a simple gesture, but we were all touched by our neighbors’ thoughtfulness. And while we hope to continue and reciprocate such kind gestures, we hope to share so much more than kind gestures. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 comes to mind as I consider what it means to love your neighbor (or anyone for that matter).

"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

~Megan, Grant Park Dwell Member

It can be hard to be a neighbor in a neighborhood like this

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:30:00 +0000

I asked two of our Dwell participants to reflect on the question "How do we be a good Neighbor?" Steve Andrews, who is a second year Dweller, and a chaplain at Grady Hospital, wrote this piece on his time in the Capitol View Neighborhood. To learn more about our Dwell program, please feel free to contact me at jannan@doornetwork.org.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

"I have lived in the Dwell house in the Capitol View neighborhood for a year and a four months. A little over a year ago, I met a local minister who was interested in starting a GED prep program, to help people pass their high school equivalency exam. As luck and providence would have it, I was a professional GED prep teacher for two years. We soon became partners and started an educational ministry together.

I had the educational expertise to get the program off the ground--to choose the right resources, to lead classroom activities, and so on. She provided strong leadership and funding. Much as I know about the GED test, there's no way I could lead this ministry in this neighborhood on my own. I don't have her rapport with the people who come to us for help; I don't have her ability to set and enforce clear boundaries. Most importantly, I don't yet have her ability to pray, but I am learning more and more about prayer. The minister down the road is helping me learn to pray like I mean it.

It can be hard to be a neighbor in a neighborhood like this.

I'm white, and many of the people around me are black. I'm college-educated, and many of the people around me are not. No matter how hard I try, there will always be some distance between me--as a person with resources--and those among my neighbors who don't have the same level of access. But we can try to level the playing field a little bit. We can try to be partners with the people around us, and not simply helpers giving them something. It's easy to see how that dynamic works with the minister, but my hope is that I bring this attitude of partnership to the classroom, as well--that I am working to empower our students to go forth on their own and do what they are capable of.

It's not as simple as 'giving a hand up rather than a hand out,' because in that metaphor, I'm still the sole giver and the other person in the exchange is the sole receiver. Ideally, the students and I, and my neighbors and I, can reach a point where we are both giving and receiving with each other."

~Steve Andrews

Meet Myra Miller...

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:45:00 +0000

Myra has joined the Grant Park Dwell house and is part of the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Myra is not new to our ministries at DOOR; she served on our summer staff last summer and lived in our Capitol View Dwell house. This past year she worked at Calvin Center, the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta’s Camp and Conference Center. One of Myra’s favorite ministries while on summer staff was The Friendship Center at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church. She is now serving at that ministry for the next year through our Dwell program. Myra says that “throughout my life I want to serve because I believe it is one’s responsibility as a human on earth to give back and help other fellow human beings. The only way to feel alive is to spread compassion and kindness where there is suffering and pain in the world. There is a common unity that forms around healing and helping others.”

Meet Sarah Bellacicco...

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:39:00 +0000

Sarah has joined the Grant Park Dwell house and is part of the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Sarah just graduated from Presbyterian College where she served as the Student Volunteer Services Intern. Sarah has traveled both to Germany and Africa; trips that have had an impact on her faith journey. Sarah says that “Looking back on my month in Malawi, I can see what a large role God played in my time there. Through the people I met in Malawi, God showed me what it means to live with few earthly attachments, loving and caring for all those I came into contact with, and trusting fully in God for protection and sustenance – a lesson I will spend my life trying to fully understand and replicate.” This year Sarah will be serving at the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center working with those who are homeless and the working poor.

Meet Megan Warley...

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:37:00 +0000

Megan has joined the Grant Park Dwell house and is part of the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Megan is from Erie, Pennsylvania and just graduated from Penn State. Megan says that she is interested in living in intentional Christian community for several reasons. “Living in community allows you to grow as an individual. When living with other people you are often forced to examine aspects of yourself that are selfish or unloving. Whether this examination occurs as part of a disagreement or differing opinions, you are given the opportunity to see another perspective and learn more about that person. Living in intentional Christian community also provides a supportive environment in which to go through a new experience. It is comforting to know that as I live in a new city and start a new job, I would share that experience with other people in the same situation. By living in intentional Christian community we would be able to encourage one another and share insights so as to enrich one another’s experience." Megan will be serving with DOOR as the coordinator of our Spring and Summer Mission Trip program.

DOOR Opens for Intergenerational Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:21:00 +0000

The following article was in the Calvin Court newsletter, The Messenger. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Calvin Court in the future.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

It's hard to tell who had more fun this summer - the seniors or the youth - when teens from DOOR Atlanta visited Calvin Court each Tuesday to interact with and enjoy the company of residents.

A faith based network in six U.S. cities, DOOR (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection) provides youth with opportunities for service, learning and leadership development within an urban context, explained Sally Stephenson, Assistant Coordinator, DOOR Atlanta. Volunteers can participate from a weekend to a week or longer. They stay at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Atlanta and take part during the day in a variety of service opportunities. At the end of the day, we ask participants, where did you see the face of God in the city today?" she said.

This summer was the first time DOOR and Calvin Court teamed up, giving two generations of people who normally wouldn't have the opportunity to interact a chance to get to know one another. Both sides found the partnership inspired and inspiring. Every Tuesday, a group of youngsters, ages 12 - 19, and young adult leaders visited Calvin Court residents to play Wii bowling, join together in exercise classes, participate in pool tournaments and more. Some youth even judged a best T-shirt contest.

"Of all our stops, Calvin Court is my favorite," said Charlayna Braxton, a DOOR youth leader and student at Mercer University. "I'm an athlete, and I loved walking into the exercise classes and seeing 84 year old residents exercising, lifting weights and keeping fit. I know people 20 or 30 years younger who don't have the energy of the Calvin Court residents! They truly embody the saying you are only as old as you feel."

The youth also asked residents to share their life stories, asking questions about faith and family and inquirng about the best and most trying times of the seniors' lives. Resident Willard Odenwelder enjoyed the time with the teens. "It was refreshing having the kids participate in our activities," he said. "They visited with us and got a little of our stories and we, in turn, asked questions about their lives. It has been a great experience. I hope they can come back next summer."

"The interaction is so natural, so genuine between the generations," Charlayna said. "The seniors might see in the young people's faces the faces of their own children when they were young, or maybe the faces of their grandchildren or even great-grandchildren."

In the faces of the seniors, Sally added, the young can often discern the face of God. Drawing from a number of biblical passages, including the Good Samaritan story, the ministry's theme this summer was Welcoming the Stranger. "This was truly the experience between the generations at Calvin Court," she said. "For both the younger and the older generation, the partnership was a living example of offering hospitality to a stranger and leaving not as strangers but as good friends."

Meet Sonya Chelliah...

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Sonya just joined our Capitol View Dwell house after moving to Atlanta from Miami, Florida. Sonya just finished a Masters program in Biomedical Science and is preparing to apply to medical school. Sonya is excited about living in the Dwell intentional Christian community because she wants to “grow in her walk with Christ. In Ephesians 4: 11-13, Paul talks about how the different talents that we all have prepare us to do God’s work, serve others, and grow in faith in unity as One Body in Christ. I want to learn how to contribute my talents to a community so that God is glorified.” Sonya is one of our tentmaker local Dwellers.

Meet Joel Gerber...

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:59:00 +0000

Joel and his wife Leslie, and their daughter Cora, just moved into our Capitol View Dwell house. Joel and his family moved from Harper, Kansas where he was a health and 9th grade PE teacher. Joel and Leslie are members of Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church. The Gerbers were encouraged by members of their church to consider a year of service. Joel says: “My home church has always had a strong connection with mission work outside of the home community. This connection has made me more aware of people in need and how good I do have it. Some fellow church members have been critical in encouraging me in this direction and I would not [have applied] if it wasn't for them.” Joel will be serving with Clifton Sanctuary Ministries, which is a homeless men’s shelter. He will also be serving as “Gardener in Residence” at Imagine Wesley Charter School.

Meet our Dwellers!

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:25:00 +0000

Meet Cassie Ford...

Cassie just arrived from Burlington Vermont. The past few years she worked at Howard Center Baird School. She worked one on one with students with emotional, social and behavioral disorders. This is not Cassie’s first experience of Atlanta. A few years ago she served as an intern at Rescue Atlanta Ministries and couldn’t wait to come back to Atlanta. Cassie is excited to join the Dwell intentional Christian community “because I am excited about the friendships that could be formed from living with people who are like minded and doing ministry work also. With those friendships would also come a sense of accountability to each other and to God. I find, at least in my own experience, that when I live or interact with other Christians and do Bible studies or outreach with them my relationship with God strengthens. I am also just excited to know that I would have a place to go home to where I could share my experiences of the day and be supported in areas of ministry that might not be easy.” Cassie is living in the Capitol View Dwell house and will be serving with Street Grace, which works to eliminate the sexual exploitation of children in Atlanta.

Meet our Dwellers!

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 01:34:00 +0000

Over the next week, I'll be introducing you to our Dwellers. These 12 folks have come together to live in intentional Christian community over the next year. If you or someone you know is interested in our Dwell program, please feel free to contact me for more information. We accept both local Atlanta folks interested in living in community, as well as, folks interested in coming to do volunteer work for a year or more in Atlanta.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

Meet Leslie Gerber...

Leslie and her husband Joel, and their daughter Cora, just moved into our Capitol View Dwell house. Leslie and her family moved from Harper, Kansas where she was teaching secondary math. The Gerbers were encouraged by members of their church to consider a year of service. Leslie says: “I grew up in a church where voluntary service was not something many people did unless they were going to be a preacher. Since then, having gone to Hesston College and now attending Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church, I know many people that serve and use it as a positive learning and growing experience. My Christian community now has played a major role in my decision to serve, talking to those who have served and those who had the chance but did not.” Leslie will be serving with Neighbors Abbey where she will be doing community organizing in the neighborhood where our Dwell house is located.

D-Lite or Dwell Neighborhood Addition

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:46:00 +0000

I had the privelege of meeting last night with folks from both our Capitol View Dwell house and Grant Park Dwell house, as well as folks who live in the neighborhood of Capitol View who are invested in what we are doing. The purpose of getting together to eat good desserts was to talk about how people who are interested in what we are doing, but who do not live in our Dwell house, can be a part of Dwell. What seems to be brewing is something we are calling D-lite (Dwell Lite) or Dwell Neighborhood Addition. Our Dwell house would remain the core of our ministry in Capitol View, but we would begin to have a bigger family of Dwell in the 'hood. The foundation of which would be relationships. I don't know how this will develop over the next few months, but I am really excited to be having these conversations. And in reality, I also recognize that we are just putting a name and developing some structure for something that already exists. Our Dwell houses can't be who they are without the greater community. And we hope that the houses are also able to be a support and sense of joy for those in the community. The challenge moving ahead will be around staying intentional about these relationships, but also allowing things to develop organically, as they have before.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

Creativity and Service

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:10:00 +0000

A reflection from Edrick, one of our Discern summer staff:

"The word of the week for this week was creativity. Looking back at the summer, I realize that creativity is necessary for the work in which we are taking part in this summer. Creativity is defined as the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, and interpretations. Throughout this summer, the staff has used creativity to the utmost effect. Being able to think quickly and provide solutions when things don’t happen the way they’re supposed are essential to being able to survive in a ministry of this magnitude. This summer I learned that creativity can come in many forms. And that this creativity, this ability to think on your feet is a skill that you must have that you must continue to hone and master in order to serve God. To be open to creativity is to be open to the many things and plans that God has for each and every one of us, to be open to the will of God. This summer especially asked me to be creative. Not only in the confines of Central Presbyterian Church, but at every worksite I visited this summer in Atlanta. Being creative is not only a gift to be used sparingly, but a tool necessary in the service of our Lord."

DOOR Atlanta Volunteers in "Grow: The Movie"

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:19:00 +0000

Our friends at Oak Leaf Mennonite Farm, one of our partner ministries for the summer, are being highlighted in a documentary film about small farmers in Georgia. Because of the work our Discover Mission Trip participants have done on the farm this summer, they were also included in some of the filming at the farm. Here's a link for more information about this film. http://growmovie.blogspot.com/. The picture above came from the filmmakers, Christine and Owen.

Well Done Good and Faithful Servant

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:35:00 +0000

This week we are focusing on "Persistence" as our leadership word of the week with our summer staff. Persistence is something that God often asks of God's followers. In my mind, persistence means trusting and following God, even when we're not sure how things will turn out or when it is difficult to follow God. When the Israelites were wandering in the desert for many years, God asked them to trust and follow. God asked them to follow even when it was hard and the promised land seemed to be only a dream. And eventually God's people reached the land of milk and honey. When the early Christians were being persecuted, it would have been easy to give up their faith. But the early Christians were persistent in their faith and eventually Christianity was spread far and wide. Although not as drastic as these biblical accounts, working at DOOR sometimes requires persistence as well. Our staff and participants see injustice, need, and sometimes disrespect all around them. At times it is tempting to believe that what we do doesn't make a difference; doesn't make a positive impact. We ask groups to weed in community gardens, to sort clothes at thrift stores, to prepare meals for soup kitchens, and play games with children who are homeless. But at the end of the week or summer, there will still be folks who need a meal, weeds will continue to grow in the garden and there will still be children who are living in homeless shelters. And so we must turn to God and persist in our belief that God can use our humble offerings to bring about God's mission in the world. That God can take the seed of what we do this week or this summer and grow it into something amazing. Sometimes I don't know how God will accomplish this, but I am persistent in my belief that if we try to be faithful, God will find a way to use our humble offerings and will ultimatately be pleased by our desire to glorify God through our service.

Now, here are the reflections of one of our summer Discern staff on "Persistence".

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

"Persistence is, in the end, what separates the winners from the losers; but it also does not come naturally. This past week, we reflected on this word and how we can start applying it to the rest of our summer as staff. My first thoughts were to keep persisting in the way I show hospitality to our middle-schoolers and high-schoolers week by week: greeting them with a smile and a “how are you?”, willingly helping them when they’ve asked me a question, and giving them my best if I have to help lead an activity one night.

God also calls us to persistence when He sees that we’re losing speed in our lives. A perfect example is found in Matthew 7:7 when Jesus says “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you”. The Lord says that if we keep on praying, we keep on having faith, and we keep believing in Him, there is no doubt we will find Him! In the context of this summer, if we, as staff, keep persisting in the way we facilitate different groups’ experiences week by week, we will also earn a reward. Not only will we learn more about serving young people and our community, or about a hard summer’s work. But at the end of our summer, God will smile down at us and say “well done, good and faithful servant”."

Betty, Discern Summer Staff

Presenting is an aspect of Hospitality

noreply@blogger.com (DOOR Atlanta) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:17:00 +0000

This summer DOOR Atlanta is focusing on welcome and hospitality during our mission trip programs. We are asking folks to explore the ways Christ calls us to offer hospitality to those around us. At the same time, the summer staff are exploring different leadership traits each week during the summer. So far this summer we have studied and practiced initiative, motivation and problem solving, among others. This week, Charlayna, one of our summer staff explores the intersection between our leadership trait of the week and our theme of hospitality. Her insights make all of us think about how even something we do all the time, like presenting, can be hospitable to those around us.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

"Presenting is an aspect of hospitality. Here at DOOR Atlanta, we, the staff members make certain of presenting ourselves to the new groups that arrive each week. Each week we meticulously make sure to do an outstanding job in presenting their living space, the agendas for the week, their freshly cooked meals, and expectations through the philosophy of ministry. We can also attest to the significance of presentation from the different staff members of the agencies we visit throughout the week. The manner in which staff introduce their agencies and treat their clients has a strong effect on the perception and work attitude of the DOOR groups. And lastly, an essential aspect to how the groups return home to tell of their trip and lessons of hospitality is through their presentation of the trip. It is very important that we avoid complacency to present our ideas and other things in the best possible condition. "

Charlayna, DOOR Atlanta Discern Summer Staff