If I was a Community Pastor I would… #3 KNOW KEY PLAYERS

Who are the key players?
They are the people who know people…The faces everyone recognises. They are the institutions in your local area.

Where do you find these people?

• Local neighbourhood centres?
• PCYC?
• A youth centre?
• Adult Community Education Schools?

Go take up a course there, check out what they do and involve yourself in something.People who care about community, who are open to local relationships or who are lonely or are new to the area and don’t know many people congregate around these places.

Check you local council out also?
Most councils will hold Precinct Meetings – or something similar. These are areas in your local area made up of people who actually care about the community. You get to discuss local council plans, DA approvals, vibe & vision of the community and provide means for open communication between council and the people.

It is usually full of oldies who don’t have much more to do with their time, and like to catch up on local gossip. These people hold a wealth of local knowlege. They know who is moving in and out of the local precinct area. Often it can be boring but there is opportunity to get to know your area better and it is a point of contact for locals who have concerns and need help with DA’s for example. The other week when I was at my local Precinct Meeting a young dad come along to ask for our backing for his noise complaint against the local Spanish resutrant. You get an opportunity to love, help and share wisdom. It is a great way to hear the concerns, needs, issues and cries of the community. And hopefully hear the joys too!

Find out who council employ to care for your community?
Most councils employ a community worker – who cares for the socially isolated or those who need caring. I have a catch up with one of the council workers (Aged Care & Community Worker) once a month. He is responsible for caring for seniors and the social isolated. He thinks up programs to entice those people out of their homes, provide assistance and be ready to help those in need. When we catch up I get to hear about the ways they are caring for the community and also share about the ways church is trying to care for the community. From it I get to discuss, share ideas, motivations and also my faith & motivation for the work I do.