Community Backyard Relationship-Building:  A Partnership between the Church, Government, and Local Stakeholders

James Larkin Pahl

Etd

Community Backyard Relationship-Building: A Partnership between the Church, Government, and Local Stakeholders

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

James Larkin Pahl. Community Backyard Relationship-building: A Partnership Between the Church, Government, and Local Stakeholders. Virginia Theological Seminary. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/17f187e0-0c5b-4dde-9fa4-a5b1d361ea02.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

J. L. Pahl. Community Backyard Relationship-Building: A Partnership between the Church, Government, and Local Stakeholders. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/17f187e0-0c5b-4dde-9fa4-a5b1d361ea02

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

James Larkin Pahl. Community Backyard Relationship-Building: A Partnership Between the Church, Government, and Local Stakeholders. Virginia Theological Seminary. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/17f187e0-0c5b-4dde-9fa4-a5b1d361ea02.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

James Larkin Pahl

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In Copyright

Abstract

Transformation blossoms in the context of a deepening, sustainable relationship, where individuals engage one another on equal-footing. When relationships deepen, personal and community transformation occurs. By extension, the generative hope of a community and its children prosper.The people of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Oxford, North Carolina want to know their neighbors in the perpetually declining, poverty-ridden neighborhoods around the church. This poverty-trap imprisons parents, children, and families without hope of a different future. Our community and its citizens can be so much more than we are; and the faith community offers a unique commodity in this transformation. Jesus Christ calls us beyond our comforting walls to address socio-economic issues that plaque our communities. Through the love of God and deepening relationships, we authentically experience transformation through parity.The faith community cannot accomplish the mission alone. St. Augustine of Hippo directs the citizens of the City of God, temporarily residing in the earthly city (Babylon), to identify the 'common good'. Our Christian commodity is a 'peculiar peace' and love of God, which draws us outward to our neighbor. This project is local, community relationship-building - a partnership between St. Stephen's, Social Services, and the Boys and Girls Club. The church, government, and local stakeholders identify the common good, as we jointly offer and engage practical resources for the parents of children enrolled in club activities. It is not another program; rather a space to grow and learn together with neighbors. The social principles of subsidiarity, sphere sovereignty, and generativity under-gird this faith-based partnership; and qualitative data in the form of surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews highlight the research methods. In the end, the experience of participants is transformative, with new neighborhood partnerships forming, and deepening, holy relationships changing hearts, one-by-one. 'This is the place where we step onto the floor and dance with the wind, touching upon the mountain-tops, sailing up to the stars, reaching for heaven with a hopeful glare, and with all that we can be, and not just what we are!'

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