Religious Education and Social Entrepreneurship

Religious Education and Social Entrepreneurship can be fantastic partners.

this came to be very clearly in reading Chapter 3 of "Half the Sky", 'The New Abolitionists'. It tells of Zach Hunter a 12 year old boy living in Atlanta, who started a campaign he called, 'Loose Change to Loosen Change" and he asked school kids initially to donate their loose change to his cause which was of course, towards taking action t effect change in the human trafficking horror.

While doing this he also collected 100,000 signatures to take to the White House so that more pressure might be brought to bare on countries that do not enforce the law in this area.

His example is one one many where people of all nationalities and backgrounds who are starting movements that while based on a business model to generate income, donate almost all profit towards a cause which is designed to improve life for people or the environment in one way or another.

A group called Ashoka is an international organisation that promotes such ideas and causes. The first paragraph on their website I have put here:

What is a Social Entrepreneur?

Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-scale change.
Rather than leaving societal needs to the government or business sectors, social entrepreneurs find what is not working and solve the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to take new leaps.


A New Zealand organisation with the same goals is here and their website begins  here...

Social Entrepreneurship is found when an individual, group, organisation, or network seeks systemic and sustainable change on our most significant social problems.

Social Entrepreneurs create the innovations that will be “patterns for change” in what government, businesses, community groups or citizens will do to address these problems.

The New Zealand Social Entrepreneur Fellowship has been established as a peer learning community of outstanding New Zealand change-makers. Every six months this Fellowship meets to explore the skills of social enterprise, and to share experience on creating and supporting social innovation

One place to start: Tactics of Hope

The Tactics of Hope:  Social Entrepreneurship

Prayer in a time of need

Prayer is always an appropriate response to anything, to celebrate, to acknowledge creation in the environment, before a meal, at the beginning of a journey, to give thanks, and especially in times of tragedy.

We held a service fo the whole school today at St Hilda's to prayer for the people of Christchurch, to acknowledge our connectedness, our humanity, the fact that we cannot control the universe but rely on each other to get by, to accomplish anything. Often we can't even save ourselves and maintain our own sanity in life on good days!

It is at this time that prayer and holding our love and memory of people close to our heart, placing them before God and within God's presence, that we contribute deeply.

There is no one right response in tines of trauma, tears, for no reason, fear, and feeling sick are all a part of this painful experience.

There is a beautiful and very old sculpture known as the Pieta by Michelangelo in St Peter's Basilica in Rome.  Ithink it is how we (if possible) can look after ourselves and others in such times, with gentleness, with nurturing, and with patience.

We pray for you all
Pa Richard

Dear friends,

All Saints Church will be open all day for people to come in and light a candle and pray for the people of Christchurch.
All are welcome at 5.30pm today at a Holy Communion service with prayers for Christchurch. Please share this information through your networks.

Rev. Michael Wallace
Vicar, All Saints Anglican Parish
786 Cumberland Street, Dunedin 9016
Aotearoa/ New Zealand

We Pray for the People of Christchurch

Lord we ask your peace on the people of Christchurch, at this time of great mourning.  May we have the courage to offer our prayer, our homes, and our means however we are able to support and encourage them.

If you are not sure how to ray or what to say, you can simply bow your head, or kneel, or sit and pray these words below as Jesus taught. Or simply let your tears be the words of your heart placed before God.

As found in: Matthew 6:9–13

"Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil."

Amen

Prayer

Religious Education and long term benefits

Many people can rightly ask, "Does teaching religious education have any effect on long term (or short term for that matter) behaviour or faith practice?"

And to be honest, without serious research, one couldn't honestly say. I can however speak to my 6 years as Lay Chaplain of St Hilda's,  collecting anecdotes, and listening to past students, their parents, and the stories they retell.

This weekend as you can see by the photo (upper left), I was in Twizel, Lake Ruataniwha for the NZ Rowing champs. On Sunday I was back at school blessing two new boats, the Lucy Strack, and the Mick Strack.

Lucy and Mick have left an amazing legacy for rowing and success at St Hilda's Collegiate School.

Any way, Lucy's mum commented on how wonderful the school had been and the impact of the religious practice and classes, the expectation of behaviour and values was very supportive to parents and in the formation of their kids.

One important point I can make is that all we do is plant the seed of faith, and give witness to it through our relationship with the students and the way they see us behave with one another.

God's grace and the community, the young persons life experience all add a richness that can not be measured or valued. When we work with God, it is never according to our time, or our expectations, not that these are too great, more, that God's generosity is too great and we ask or expect to less. 

The growth of people in faith and in relationship with God as they have the capacity to understand and experience is never on a scale. It is a matter of love. All love reflects something of God.

Most of the time for something to grow, it requires a seed, some water, and some sunlight. I believe religious education through the content, or through the relationships example, possibly reinforced with Chapel services and prayer, can all play a significant part in the formation of young people.

If we do nothing else, they should experience and hear that they are loved, that they have infinite worth, and that God is love, and thats all there is to it!

I have great respect for the students I teach, it helps that I like them very much, they are great kids, great people to be with and enjoy life with.

Go well

God bless

Pa Richard