The Church is Alive

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Church is ALIVE through the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People!

Hey Friends!

We took a bit of a breather this past month, but now we're firing up the engines again for another season, so keep those submissions coming!

In the meantime, we've got a submission that we've kept on the back-burner for a while from the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People--Presbyterian Church (USA). They're doing AMAZING work all over the world (and they submitted some of their more recent work to us last year), and they've got four - count 'em, FOUR - videos to share with y'all.

The videos tell stories that cover the time gamut (some are several years old), but these tales of making the church alive through people are just at timely today as they were back then.

The submitter, Margaret Mwale, had this to say:
"The Presbyterian Church (USA) is engaging with and positively impacting disadvantaged communities through Self-Development of People. These videos share powerful stories of how the Church is alive in these communities!"
And now, the videos:

Story #1: In 1971, an association of Eskimos in Alaska were able to use a SDOP grant to help pay the legal costs in their battle to claim and keep their native land.



Story #2: A SDOP grant made it possible for Mapuche Indians in Chile to sustain their heritage through the building of a cultural center.



Story #3: In Virginia, a neighborhood group used a SDOP grant to buy and renovate houses and, in turn, provide affordable housing for themselves and others in their community.



Story #4: Kentucky tobacco farmers, faced with not being able to rely on the tobacco market, used a SDOP grant to collectively learn new ways to sustain themselves economically.



Awesome stories, right? You can find out more about what the SDOP does here and also apparently participate in their T-Shirt Design (which gets you money for college?!) contest here.

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Church is Alive in the Dominican Republic!




We got a pretty amazing submission the other day: This one comes from Michael Fagans on behalf of the Self-Development of People initiative from the PC(USA).

To Michael, the church is alive in service to others and in bettering the lives of those in need. He says this about his submission:

A ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Self Development of People is a partnership of love, justice and empowerment reflecting the image of God who stands with all people.

To each of us is given a gift for the building of a community of caring,
where we can learn to embrace our pain and overcome those oppressive
structures that would keep us in bondage and make us anxious.
-- Elizabeth O'Connor

This is why the church is alive!

This is a truly remarkable project, and one that everyone should check out.

For more information on how to get connected to this project, check the links below:

The Self-Development of People Website.

The SDOP YouTube Channel.

The SDOP facebook page.