[{"id":2949,"order":0,"imagePath":"https://admin.ezystream.com/static/images/article/21ec3eff-1de0-4196-ae45-199a51a14277.png","type":"image","content":"https://admin.ezystream.com/static/images/article/21ec3eff-1de0-4196-ae45-199a51a14277.png"},{"id":2950,"order":1,"contentText":"This article by Dave Tims is reproduced with permission from UNOH Finding Life Newsletter, June 2022.
Urban neighbours of hope (UNOH) is an international missional order who in New Zealand are affiliated with NZBMS as ORBIT. Their workersu2019 mission is to immerse themselves u201cin the life of neighbourhoods facing urban poverty, joining the risen Jesus to seek transformation from the bottom upu201d. Dave Tims, Director of UNOH New Zealand, shares how change begins in our relationships with the people around usu2026
From the book Getting to Maybe: How the World Is Changed, the authors state:
u201cWe are living at a point in history when the need and desire for change is profound. Our current trajectory is no longer sustainable. We cannot ignore the compelling environmental and social challenges that vex todayu2019s world because they will undermine us all. We cannot dismiss the fractures in our own communities, or the fissures between those of us fortunate to live in comfort and the massive number of our fellow human beings who live under the crush of poverty around the world. It is a pivotal time. We need to be change-makers u2013 and very capable ones at thatu201d.[1]
Becoming u2018change-makersu2019 is one of the essential and profound grassroots tasks of UNOH. Acceptance of the status quo is not an option. We dream of seeing the church and our neighbours become key players in re-imagining how we can organise our lives. Lives that reflect a radical lifestyle like that of the early church in Acts, where disciples determined to live simply and willingly share their lives with the poor. Jim Reiher says, u201cthe principle behind the story of Acts 2:41-47 and 4:32-37 u2026is that we radically look after those in need, even if it costs us personallyu201d.[2] The pursuit of wealth loses its spark when we live close to the poor.
COVID-19 forced us to rethink our priorities and revealed the importance of connection and relationships. We had to learn to adapt to the u2018new normalu2019 and change how we lived in our neighbourhood.
It has forced us to refocus upon the sincere words of our Prime Minister,
u201cBe kind, stay safe, stay local.u201d u201cI have vivid memories of the first day of u2018lockdownu2019 u2013 the quiet street, the birdsong.u201d [3]
For us, the quiet replaced the noise of the police helicopters hovering above. The parks where I walked the dog were empty, silent of childrenu2019s laughter or the annoying dirt bikes screaming through them.
u201cTime passed and we adapted to the upheaval of our regular daily activities (work, social, recreational and cultural) and developed new routines as our u2018bubbleu2019 negotiated working from home. We were in touch with our friends [and neighbours] to share coping strategies, set up contact lists [and Facebook pages], and checked on our older relatives and friends to ensure they would be able to access essential supplies during u2018lockdownu2019.u201d [4]
The experience of COVID-19 reinforced UNOHu2019s deep value of staying connected to the grassroots, working with neighbours for transformational change, through the living Jesus, from the bottom up. A recent working partnership with the Ministry of Health found us labelled as u2018hyper-localu2019. We refused to take our successful model of neighbourhood engagement into another neighbourhood that was u2018unknownu2019 to us. The term u2018hyper-localu2019 relates to those who focus on matters concerning a small community or geographical area.[5] Our approach is not a project that can be u2018copied, uplifted and then importedu2019 into a new neighbourhood. The key to our success is relationships with each other. This approach takes years of work, leadership development and the concept of citizenship u2013 u2018being responsible for our own neighbourhood well-beingu2019. This model canu2019t be u2018cookie-cutu2019 and reproduced without the foundation of u2018neighbourhood buildingu2019.
We constantly face the challenge of change and are learning to be flexible, people-focused, rather than project-focused. This process requires us to adapt to who people are and what they bring. It does not allow projects to dictate what we can and canu2019t do. We are not brilliant at this, but we try. Our park contract, which involves picking up rubbish from all our parks and changing rubbish bags, would usually be given to someone with a driveru2019s license. However, no one was available to do this job except Franco, who wanted more work hours. We were able to think creatively and provided a mountain bike with a trailer attached so he could ride to all of our parks to complete the work. Franco got more work hours, and we fulfilled our contract u2013 problem solved. Another project involved creatively working with Manurewa Local Board (City Council) on plans to increase the tree coverage in our neighbourhood and city.
Change can also be painful. Itu2019s hard saying goodbye to neighbours who have been central to many expressions of community love over the years. We have shared laughter, tears, heartache and dreams many times together. However, as one season finishes, we find ourselves standing by a new door with a choice u2013 do we open and walk through, or do we stay? The door may offer the possibilities of a new season, with new friendships and a new journey. We walk u201cbackwards into the futureu201d through that door. u201cKa mua, ka muriu201d is a Mu0101ori proverb that expresses the idea that we look to the past to inform the future.
[1] Frances Westley, Michael Quinn Patton, and Brenda Zimmerman, Getting to Maybe: How the World Is Changed (Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2007).
[2] Jim Reiher, The Book of Acts: A Social Justice Devotional Commentary, 2014, 32.
[3] Robyn Munford, u201cReflections from Aotearoa New Zealand: Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Strong and Be Kind,u201d Qualitative Social Work 20.1u20132 (2021): 110u201315, https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325020973203.
[4] Munford, u201cReflections from Aotearoa New Zealand.u201d
[5] u201cWord on the Street,u201d January 2022, http://unoh.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Word-on-the-Street-2022.pdf.
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