With a slightly new role and different team dynamics, 2025 is shaping to be an interesting year. Also, with transitions happening at the same time as we flip to a new calendar year, goals and ideas are at the forefront of my thinking.
My biggest goal for 2025 is to “test the waters” in terms of local church engagement. My hunch is that there are some local churches interested in doing more to engage cross-cultural groups in the community, but that they have a shortfall with at least one of two things: manpower and figuring out exactly what to do. My proposal for some of our local churches is going to be that they consider offering space in their facility for half a day a week. With that half a day, we can work together to select some sort of outreach/ministry focus and work towards making it happen. I’m offering to help with manpower, ideas, and some experience with cross-cultural things. Drop-in office activity, English teaching/mentoring, computer/tech coaching, GED prep tutoring, and cooking classes are just some of the potential activities on the table.
Do you have ideas you might consider in your own context? Here are a few other things that have come to mind at various times: language learning (wouldn’t it be cool to be able to speak some Haitian Creole or Arabic?), partnering with a Hispanic church for some mutual purpose, community meals (with follow-up in mind), engaging with or starting a hospitality center, sponsoring a refugee through Welcome Corps, providing transportation to immigration hearings or medical appointments… the list could go on and on.
Other work ideas I have for my year ahead include small adjustments to further increase a sense of hospitality in our drop-in office and finding more ways to share meaningful information. Regardless of my ideas and plans, I pray that God will truly be our guide throughout this year.
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