A few years ago we were gathered with a handful of local pastors at a coffee shop discussing this idea of being a public church. My co-worker Amanda and I were describing the posture of this work as one that shifts our attention from an internal one out towards the neighborhood, the larger context our congregations are located in. The rich imagination of the vision Ezekiel describes in ch. 47: 1-12 inspires this orientation. Ezekiel’s guide in the text points out how the water flows from the sanctuary out into the wilderness, bringing life and flourishing where-ever it goes; as it flows it gets deeper and wider until it is a river that cannot be crossed.��

Water in the bible often connotes a never ending resource of life – God’s mercy flowing in abundance beyond our wildest imaginations. The invitation to become a public church is rooted in this vision as it begs us to take notice of what happens where God’s mercy flows and to get caught up in what God is up to in those places. God’s abundance can be contrasted with what often feels like a scarcity mindset when we are closed off from the outside world, mainly absorbed with our own worries and anxieties. However, God’s call urges us into the larger environment and relationship there. I hear this as good news to those of us in congregations where the temptation of a scarcity mindset is a daunting reality.��

Sitting in that coffee shop years ago, as we dwelled in the vision Ezekiel stoked up in our imaginations for being public churches, one pastor offered a helpful distinction. She pointed out that being a public church is about becoming a vital neighbor within the larger ecosystem of the neighborhood we are a part of. (Shout out to Pr. Brenda at Bethel Lutheran in South Minneapolis for that little gem!) There is lots of talk about vitality and thriving in the church world, but what God’s promises often point to is an understanding of vitality and thriving that is mutual. That flows beyond the sanctuary. That is for all.��

This is the arena of our wonderings and work in the Riverside Innovation Hub. Helping churches be vital neighbors is what we are about. It is also the way those of us on staff at RIH have been imagining our role with our neighbors. If you are reading this blog post, you are probably one of our neighbors! Our work and the resources we are able to leverage help us come alongside congregations and ministry leaders chasing after this work of being vital neighbors in our places. And so, as new seasons and new opportunities unfold for our work at RIH, we want to continue to explore how we can be vital neighbors to you – the larger ecosystem of church and ministry leaders doing this work on the ground in your many and varied places.��

This February, we have had a couple key opportunities to listen to our neighbors, paying attention to your joys, your heartaches, your longings, and your curiosities.��

From Feb. 3-6 our team attended the ELCA’s annual Youth Ministry Network gathering, The Extravaganza, in Anaheim, CA. Here we spent time with children and youth ministry leaders, pastors and other church ministry folks. We had opportunities to share in several workshops what we’ve been learning in our work with congregations in the neighborhoods and with young adults. We had lots of conversations with folks who share our curiosity about what God is up to in this time of transition and upheaval – particularly with how churches have been thrust into a much more unpredictable time. We met some new and reconnected with old trustworthy conversation partners and heard what this time of uncertainty and discernment is looking like in their contexts – in places like Deerfield, Texas; Sioux Falls, SD; Faribault, MN; Orlando, FL; Rocky Mountain Synod; many Twin Cities Metro communities; NW Wisconsin Synod region; ELCA National Deaconess Community; ELCA Young Adult Ministry, and many more. The bad news, you may guess, is that folks are overwhelmed and disheartened by the heaviness they experience and witness in their places. But here’s the good news we heard – folks are sure God is up to something and eager to pay attention to it! Hope, curiosity and creativity are alive and well. And we are not alone.��

We left sunny California and went straight away to Indianapolis, Indiana to participate in our Lilly Hub Gathering with other seminaries and higher ed institutions accompanying congregations and ministry leaders. This collection of lovely leaders and humans is a rich ecumenical experience.�� Talking with congregational and community leaders and others who lead similar projects to RIH, we heard some of the doubt that comes with facilitating change work. Our colleagues are wrestling with questions like: Is the bigger impact we hope to have even possible? Can congregations and those of us leading Christian communities navigate the changes of our times to align more faithfully with God’s call to be church in this time and place? We spent a good amount of time with leaders from one particular hub in Waukegan, IL who has cultivated a deep sense of trust between congregations, young adults and the larger Waukegan community. Their work has often inspired us at RIH. They shared their deep laments about the sobering reality that comes with deep relationships in the neighborhood. Congregations and their leaders have been dedicated to becoming vital neighbors, but this doesn’t eliminate the fact that hard things continue to happen. Bad news continues to hurt folks, and sometimes the best good news we can offer in hard times is that we don’t have to go through it alone.��

And most recently, on Feb. 24-26, our RIH team spent the better part of the weekend with our RIH congregational teams at our Sustainability Retreat at Mount Olivet Retreat Center in Farmington, MN. We spent Friday evening with the team leaders, hearing the moments of desolation and consolation this work has gifted them with. We spent Saturday with congregational teams who sustained a contagious energy for big heart and brain work during the day. They were deeply invested in imagining how they carry what they are learning into the future – into their congregation and into their neighborhoods. These neighbors of ours offered an inspiring reminder that hope and imagination continue to resource this work in their contexts. There also is a healthy dose of worry and doubt about the capacity of teams and their congregations. Will we and our congregational community have the capacity and openness to take some small risks towards the invitation from God emerging? Will we be able to sustain our efforts towards being vital neighbors? We continue to remind one another that this is not a sprint. In fact, it may not even be a marathon. This work of being a vital neighbor does not have a starting line and finish line. It is simply a journey, one that lasts a lifetime, and one we can be grateful to have so many trustworthy companions who join us for different seasons of it.��

Our team is holding many stories, questions and the gift of connection with so many lovely humans we experienced this past month with our neighbors. We hold these interactions closely as we continue to discern our work being a vital neighbor to you and many others chasing after a vision of being a public church. We remain curious about what God is up to in your places – in both the challenges and joys. So consider this post not only an update from us, but an invitation into further conversation with us – your neighbors at RIH!��

Reach out to our staff Kristina Frugé or Ellen Weber to share your own stories, questions or to scheme about how we can be in this work together.

Curious about our upcoming learning community? Learn more here about our upcoming learning community and application process.��

The post Being A Vital Neighbor appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

This blog post is the first of many that will showcase the various ways we see vocation lived out on a daily basis in the lives and work of our Augsburg colleagues and our neighbors in the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods.

By vocation we mean the ways we are compelled, empowered, challenged, freed, and responsible to show up (individually and collectively) in ways that help our neighbors and neighborhoods thrive. We believe every individual and every institution experiences a vocational tug.

Augsburg University – as an institution – is committed to being an engaged neighbor with the Cedar-Riverside, Seward, and Phillips neighborhoods. Many would say this has always been central to Augsburg’s mission and identity, but our practices and frameworks for showing up as a compassionate and helpful neighbor have changed over time. This change is a necessity if one is truly committed to working towards the common good with their neighbors.

This is a story about how Augsburg does the work of becoming and being an engaged neighbor.

Steve Peacock joined Augsburg University in 2008 as the University’s Community Relations Director. Steve had spent the previous 17 years working for the helping people and neighborhoods thrive by creating partnerships to “close systemic gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity.” Steve feels a strong call to do work that supports people at the neighborhood level. He has formal training in urban planning through the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the University of Minnesota.��

This call, though, was shaped early on as the son of a campus pastor in central Illinois. Steve saw his father consistently working at the intersections of the university, the church, and the neighborhood. He learned first-hand about the positive impact local institutions can have on the lives of the people who share their neighborhood. Steve’s own personal call to do this bridging work has helped Augsburg University live more fully into our own call to be an engaged neighbor.

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Augsburg University president, Paul Pribbenow, claims Augsburg’s identity as an anchor institution in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and we now play a key role in convening the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership. “Anchor institutions are enduring organizations that are rooted in their localities. It is difficult for them to leave their surroundings even in the midst of substantial capital flight.” (Marga, Inc).��Augsburg is deeply committed to the location and neighborhood where we find ourselves and we believe we have a responsibility to function in a certain way as an institution so that our neighbors and our neighborhood might thrive. Steve’s work puts this commitment into practice.

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Through this work, Steve convenes the Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood Leadership Forum which is a community of business owners and leaders from the neighborhood who meet regularly to learn about one another’s work, discuss shared hopes and concerns, and create opportunities for collaboration. Steve sees his primary work as convener. These are gifts and committed leaders who don’t need Steve or Augsburg to lead for them, but they do need someone who is willing and able to convene other potential stakeholders and partners.

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Most recently, Steve has been working on a new initiative called Augsburg Local which “is a campaign to leverage Augsburg’s purchasing power to support local businesses by connecting locally-owned, Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC)-owned, and Femmes/Trans/Womxn (FTW)-owned businesses to the economic benefits generated by both personal and institutional purchasing by the Augsburg community. It is also working “to shift a portion of Augsburg’s investment portfolio to community-minded banks and financial institutions that yield economic benefit to underserved communities.”

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These initiatives grow out of the slow, hard work that Steve has done to build relationships. It takes time and energy to earn peoples’ trust, to get to the place where they will share their deepest hopes and concerns for our neighborhood. Over the years, under Steve’s leadership, Augsburg has learned to move from a charity model to a partnership model. Our neighbors do not desire our charity, but they do desire that we accompany them in creating the type of neighborhood where all can thrive.

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This work of humbly and consistently building relationships with your neighbors across your neighborhood is critical work for all institutions and individuals because . . .����

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1. Multiple studies are showing us that social isolation was on the rise even before COVID and has only become more pervasive with the pandemic. Some call the rise in social isolation a second pandemic, and we are just starting to learn about the physical impact of isolation on our bodies. It will take intentional work on the part of individuals and institutions to begin addressing this pandemic of isolation.
2. ��The powerful continue to get more and marginalized continue to end up with less. The organizing and innovation needed to address the growing wealth and opportunity gaps can only be done by cohorts of committed neighbors and institutions who collectively care for the wellbeing of their neighborhood and those who live their lives there.
3. ��It makes the institution a better institution that is more innovative, more in touch with its constituents, more connected, and more viable.

The work we do through the Riverside Innovation Hub in the Christensen Center for Vocation is very similar to the work Steve is doing. We are working to teach congregations how to become anchor institutions in their neighborhoods.��

Steve generously shared his tips on how to get started doing this work.

1. It’s relationship based. Do the hard, slow work of developing true relationships with neighbors and other institutions in your neighborhood. Take the time. Be vulnerable.
2. Listen. Truly listen. Try to hear what you aren’t expecting to hear. Don’t assume you know the details of your neighbors’ stories. Be humble.
3. Start small. Start with those you know you will be able to connect with. Start by collaborating on a small, manageable project. This allows for close coordination which creates space for relationships to develop. Get small wins and build a coalition and confidence.
4. Work within your limits. Be intentional about what can and cannot be done and be planful so you stay within those limits.

Engaging our neighbors is not only an essential responsibility we have as institutions, it is also the way we can find more life and joy in the work we do in our locations. We’re grateful to Steve for leading this work on behalf of Augsburg in such a gentle, humble, and consistent way.

The post Steve Peacock is Leading Augsburg into the Public Square for the Sake of our Neighbors appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

Throughout the past year, our leadership discerned that learning how to relate to the land as neighbor would be the most far-reaching and impactful focus for our RIH partnership. Over the past

winter, we had a core group of pastors, staff, youth, and adult members who met regularly to study the guiding philosophies and practices of permaculture in preparation for spring. The multi-year plans for our property were made after many discussions with our friends at Ecological Design [the women-owned design group behind Main Street Project, Tiny Diner, and more]; they incorporated a kid’s play area, culinary and medicinal herbs, fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, a pergola, and an outdoor worship space- all priorities for our community.��

When spring [finally] came, we got to work! Our regular core group meetings turned into work days, and we even had a few “Permablitz” events with the whole community to kick start some of the most needed projects: removing typical sod, spreading compost, reseeding bee-friendly lawn, planting trees and perennials, and a lot of weeding.

We were honestly surprised by the number of people who came out regularly for core team meetings and that even more came out for our Permablitz and work day events. We could see the enthusiasm spreading as real visible changes took root around the church- wildflowers and grasses that we’d maybe only seen in stores or pictures, and especially our herbs. Our community has been blessed by several meals made with herbs grown right outside our doors, that many of us planted and watered and weeded.��

We’ve also had many positive interactions with neighbors we’d not talked to previously. Many�� were grateful for the work we’re doing and curious to learn more. In addition, we’ve had talks with the local park just down the

hill, on our same lake- they’ve been working to foster native species all around their property and are enthusiastic. There was one individual who must’ve been upset over the temporary visual changes when we were doing initial digging and reseeding- they reported us to our local watershed district, but when the district came out and saw our plans, they were thrilled with the work we’re doing, as it will greatly slow the water flow and prevent erosion down into Silver Lake at the base of our hill.��

Our children have responded beautifully. They were deeply impacted by our VBS program we put on this year, which we crafted intentionally as an offshoot of our permaculture project, to help them understand what we were doing and feel included in it. As we’d spent a lot of time studying how water moves around our property (in preparation for the addition of swales and rain gardens), we created a curriculum around the many ways God uses water to bring forth and sustain life. We were astonished by the degree of attention, focus, and enthusiasm for the stories and activities this year- far more than any of the standard programs we’ve put on in the past. At the end of the week, they each got a watering can and helped water the herbs in our front yard.

A few weeks ago we had a special Sunday program where 20 of our grade school children helped us harvest some of those same herbs they’d helped water this spring, which we will be processing for our craft fair fundraiser this winter. We were able to teach them how to care for the plants and pick gently with gratitude for the work they have done to make this gift for us. We also showed them how to notice which flowers have bees but to not be afraid of them- because the bees don’t want to hurt us, just like we don’t want to hurt them. They also learned how to notice when the herb is too young or too old to be picked.

This aspect has been the most profound for many of us. In bringing many forms of nature closer to our building, we’ve been able to reshape the narratives that many of us were raised with: nature is an angry “other” that will harm us if given the chance. Instead, we’re able to experience and share with our children that the land is loving and abundant when we approach respectfully- full of food and medicine both for us and for the many forms of crawling friends that have moved in to enjoy the harvest. (The variety and quantity of bugs, bees, butterflies, and frogs has surprised even those of us who’ve lived in this area our whole lives!)

It has been profoundly healing for many of us not just to learn these things ourselves but to watch our children grow up in a community where the land as neighbor is part of the air we breathe- seeing them greet their favorite plants, not scream and run from grasshoppers or even bees but approach carefully, with curiosity. This re-narration of “other” into “neighbor,” then friend, and then family is fundamental to our ministry as a church. It fills us with profound joy and hope to work towards a future where the natural open-hearted curiosity of our children can be guided with love to carefully navigate and embrace the unknown, rather than shrinking back or isolating from it in fear. Their hearts and minds, shaped in this way, will shape a better world.��

Thanks to the support of our members and partners like RIH, God is bringing forth a harvest far beyond what we could’ve asked or imagined- in our land, and in our lives. We can’t wait to see the new developments next year will bring!

The post Permaculture as Proclamation: Understanding the Land as Neighbor appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.