1500 Word Assignment Tools of Research & Reflection – Listening To Needs Of Poverty Fall 2014 By: Charmaine Warford The tools of research and reflection available to the church to ensure it is listening deeply to the needs of the poor, prisoners, the blind and the oppressed are many and varied. There are both quantitative and qualitative means of research that can be used for reflection by the church to assess the needs of the people. Issues such as poverty are being dealt with by the church continuously and striving for ultimate effectiveness. As long as poverty exists the church must strive to improve its tools and implement effective methods to eliminate it’s devastating consequences. Anthony B. Bradley says; “The mystery of Christ’s concern that we focus on the needs in front of us to pursue not a results-oriented utopia on this side of Christ’s return, but rather to pursue endeavours that support human dignity by establishing frameworks of trustworthiness so that people can plan to deal with one another in mutually beneficial ways.” A strong church starts with a clear vision. 1. Church birthing begins with personal conviction. Recognize the need exists – Inspiration See the solution – vision Conviction that this need must be met – determination Steps taken for a solution – action 2. To build the church we need: Vision and mission statement. Location and demographic research of your planting area. Development and implementation plan i.e. the number of people you
During the spring break, I went back to Houston. My friend introduced me to one of the veterinarian technicians at the Sugarland pet hospital. Since I have no experience with any medical procedure yet. We just went over the basic things that other veterinarian assistants do.
“A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor
In the introductory chapters, she draws upon her own experiences overseas and comments on the mistakes she has made and how they can be prevented through best practice. Next, Butrin outlines methods for assessing communities through identifying the resources individuals possess, the needs of the community, and strategies for meeting those needs through meaningful partnerships with the local people. She asserts that our view of poverty directly relates to how we act in compassion and if we view it only as material deficit than our work will never truly alleviate poverty. The church should play a large role in this entire process because proclamation of the Gospel is a vital component of holistic ministry. Only God can bring true transformations to communities and people. If the message of salvation is absent from efforts towards justice than we have barely scratched the service and are responding to the external as opposed to addressing the root causes. The text concludes with decisive commentary on applying the principles of best practice to all
Not just any institution, the Catholic church yields power and influence on a global scale. Yet again, we see the presence of both an oppressor as well as the oppressed. The Catholic Church has been viewed as the ‘defender of all that is right and just’ throughout history because it claims that many of its unholy actions were carried out in the name of God. As we study history to make sense of the present, we can often become naïve, accepting ‘facts’ at face value. With that said, we form ‘silences’ just like in the historical narrative
The short story “Life in the Iron-Mills” by Rebecca Harding Davis is about a town that centers around an iron mill and the workers whose lives revolve around the mill. At the beginning of the story, this becomes evident when the narrator says, “The mills were deserted on Sundays, except by the hands who fed the fires, and those who had no lodgings and slept usually on the ash-heaps” (1715). The only day that there are not workers at the iron mill is on Sunday because most of Sunday is spent at church. In the short story, Davis begins to suggest that there are strong, spiritual elements throughout the story. Most people who think about God believe that God and faith can bring those who are struggling out of the dark cloud that seems to be encompassing their lives.
Whilst the Uniting Church recognises that oppression is systemic, it attempts to subdue unjust discrimination and oppression by promoting social justice via advocacy, welfare, education and training for all invested. Also, they reject a policy that contradicts its morals, ethics and values, personalises interactions, provide program/practice critical evaluations, and researches and innovates collectively. All in all,
Billingsley lists seven characteristics of churches that make a difference when it comes to outreach ministry. “These are denomination, church age, size, membership composition, ownership of church building, number of clergy, and other paid staff. (Billingsley95).” He believes that more characteristics a church possesses the more valuable the outreach they provide. A separate 15 year study of the black church is outlined in Lessons Learned: Conducting Culturally Competent Research and Providing Interventions with Black Churches. In terms of research to determine the true effectiveness of the black church several researchers conducted the study to determine how social workers can play a central role in church outreach. At the conclusion of their research they “experienced a number of challenges and barriers. These challenges and barriers that impacted the research process are communication, cultural insensitivity, theology and branding, gender, position of the pastor,
The approach of the church to various challenges such as the reformation and the worldwide refugee crisis has resulted in change to many aspects of the Catholic church. In response to such challenges, new traditions were introduced, as well as a command in effort required from different christians to tackle such challenges. Furthermore, it has also made the church more relevant to
Mid-nineteenth century southern America, the writer asserts the churches in America are failing mankind by not being inclusive rather than exclusive and turning a blind-eye to the topic. Failing to live up to the core tenants of Christianity are things that erode the church and society alike. He also recalls his personal experiences with his grandfather, who was a minister, and his uncle. How his uncle had the job of being the caretaker of
Many people believe that that the motivation of the Christian church is to radically “change the world”. However, through his book To Change The World, James Davison Hunter explains how this common believe is a misconception. Rather, he shows readers that, from a sociological perspective, while Christians thrive in many areas of life by reaching others individually, they fundamentally components of creating cultural change.
Protecting the rights and dignity of the poor and oppressed is the most important moral duty of the church.’ Critically evaluate this statement with reference to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King.
Poverty has many negative effects on many people. In this paper I will be focusing on how poverty effects a person’s faith. Will this person’s life values and meanings become more centered on wealth, power, and materialism? I will view how this is sometimes the case in popular culture, sociological studies, and even my own life.
At present I am applying out of cycle from my graduation year. Immediately after graduation from medical school, I enrolled at Tulane University School of Medicine to pursue a Master’s in Clinical Research where I completed a 6 month research clerkship in trauma and critical care. Additionally, I have remained active in the clinical setting, completing a 3 month outpatient family medicine clerkship and a 3 month primary care and medicine clerkship. My drive to become a physician has seen many hills and valleys, but I am hardworking and determined to succeed as a resident physician. Particularly, I hope to have an overall medical residency education, rather than just focus on one area; this will allow me to take care of an entire family as they grow, from caring for a mother throughout her pregnancy, to performing minor clinical procedures, delivering babies, and finally to caring for an aging grandparent mainly in a medically underserved community.
A friend of mine named Marc worked as a producer, making films, animation shorts and a TV series for one of the Canada's largest TV broadcasters. Not long after he first became a follower of Jesus, he noticed something staggering in an Old Testament story. 'I was re-reading the story of the exodus from Egypt,' he recounts this illustration to me one day as we were grabbing a cup of coffee in downtown Toronto. 'I'd been trying to work out how a filmmaker like me could use his gift for the Lord. Then I noticed that there were several distinct stages in the deliverance of God's people: slavery in Egypt, then the Red Sea, then the wilderness and finally the Promised Land. Suddenly, it dawned on me: that's the way movies are made!'
The next text is from the 2nd Vatican Council called “Pastoral Constitution,” which focused on bringing the church into modern times. This text focuses on the importance of helping those being marginalized, those who are on the brink of society, and what is the best way that the Church as a community can fight to protect them.