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| Our Vision - Community There is an old song that says, “no man is an island”. Our lives are complex webs connecting us to family, friends, work associates, even our sometimes unwanted neighbors as well as other drivers on the road. In fact you could even say that we are created to be part of a community. Community is an inherent part of humanity. The question is what makes a community? Anthropologists, sociologists and arm chair philosophers have discussed this topic for centuries. A community can be a family, a tribe, or a regional group, but in the 21st century community has begun to take on a number of new meanings through technology, migration to urban areas and economic pressures of a globalizing world. Today community might be a group of friends such as those depicted and idealized in television shows like “Friends” or “Sex in the City”. A community also might mean a group of people who have never met, but connect through an on-line message board or “MySpace”. With a more negative connotation, a community might be a gang where members find a sense of protection. Whatever the reason for a group of people to form bonds and connections between one another, community is an inherent part of humanity. Considering the needs of our world as well as the needs of our hearts, doesn’t it make sense to look to developing community as a mechanism for making a difference in our world? To do this will look very different from traditional humanitarian aid, relief work or Christian missions. Creating community will require accepting mutual accountability across distance, culture and varying expectations. It will also require embracing forms of technology that create a space for community. Developing community as a vehicle of help and hope means joining our strengths with others to share ideas and resources as well as needs. Today each of us live at a unique point of time. Our world is at a unique point of time. The convergence of technology, economics, communication, and travel have created unprecedented opportunities, but unfortunately a large majority of the population of the world is not able to access them. Huge numbers of people live in poverty, famine and homelessness, with no access to education or even clean water. While some could point the finger at internal problems of corruption, lack of development and even faulty cultural beliefs, it is hard to escape the realization that there are people that every day live in oppressive poverty with no real opportunities, support or hope. Often the most impacted are women and children who primarily are the most vulnerable members of a community. Today each of us live at a unique point of time. All around us the world is shifting. It may not be worse than previous generations, but it is our time and our generation. It is our communities and our world. Will you join Circle of Hope's compassionate
community to make a difference? Find out how you can get
involved. |
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