So that walls become tables….
A colleague I met at a conference said this was her guiding phrase as she worked to build up a community of people inspired by their faith to live differently, to know one another deeply, to love differences, and to be hope for others. I asked if I could share that guiding phrase. She replied, “Absolutely.”
This blog contains stories of walls becoming tables in communities throughout the Hudson River Presbytery, a regional body of 83 Presbyterian congregations, where I serve as the Cross-Cultural Catalyst. They are stories of congregations and communities working together to break down the barriers between people and to build up strong, resilient communities.
Many of the stories emerge from my work alongside the White Plains Presbyterian congregation as we deepen connections within the community through the Groundswell Community Garden plot, the beginnings of a fair trade cafe, a community supported agriculture partnership with Lineage Farm, English as a Second language classes, and growing friendships between the three congregations that share space in the White Plains church building.
All of the stories begin with the simple act of listening….to neighbors and strangers, to voices often unheard, to the voice that calls us to one another. I hope you’ll listen in on this blog.
I have learned that when we begin listening to each other, and when we talk about things that matter to us, the world begins to change. Human conversation is the most ancient and easiest way to cultivate the conditions of change — personal change, community, and organizational change. -Margaret Wheatley
Cross-Cultural Catalyst 