"A journey suggests passage--movement from one place to another--which relates to the developmental and evoloving nature of collaboratives.  A journey may or may not start with a fixed destination in mind and a prearranged itinerary.  Sometimes we know where we want to go and the stops we will make along the way.  We know what the end destination looks like so we know when  we are arrived.  At other times, we may not have a final destination in mind before we start.  We are not sure what we might encounter along the way or where we might wish to stop.  We are not even sure where the trip might end.  But, in any trip, the traveler uses road signs, markers and striking event to document the journey, celebrate attainments, report progress to friends and family and/or to make modifications in the journey.  Such milestones and critical events are important components of evaluation for monitoring progress, identifying modifications or changes needed and celebrating achievements."

I read this in an article on Evaluating Collaboratives put out by the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension in 1998.  This makes me think about my personal journey and the journey lately of my involvement with a variety of organizations that are working towards building community: The Dane County TimeBank; Consulting for Organizational Reflection and Effectiveness (CORE), the Allied Community Cooperative, Nehemiah Urban Leadership Foundation, the Greater Isthmus Group.  I am learning a lot about the complexities of collaboration and what an exhilarating journey it is.  What I am learning is how to navigate work and relationships in and through a more emergent process.  Life is constantly changing and if we think that whatever structures, groups, organizations and institutions that exist stay the same.  The life journey is to stay true to who you were meant to be as a light in an ever changing world.

I recently finished an excellent class on Non-Profit management at the community college.  Much discussion was how to run NPOs as business and something in that rubbed me the wrong way.  I'm finding that the potential for the NPO world, a world that addresses community concerns, either conforms to the world or provides an alternative way of being.   In more cases then not, collaboration is become more and more of a necessity.  We can no longer function as islands unto ourselves, building our own kingdoms.  However, how, community weaves together in a holistic fashion has almost become so foreign, creating great challenges for individuals, families, organizations, and other social entitities.

I hope to chart my path on this journey and the lessons learned.

TimeBanking and the Body of Christ

DEFINITIONS:

TimeBanking:  based on the belief that our communities work better when all of our contributions are valued. It rejects the notion that we belong in separate classes of "givers" and "receivers" and establishes a way to reward all types of work -- caring for our children, elders, and others who need it, building community, helping out our neighbors. 

Body Of Christ: a common, yet complex term used in the Christian faith. The body of Christ is the Church, made up of all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Each Christian, then, is a partof the body of Christ. 

DISCLOSURE:

While TimeBanking is for any and all in community I am personally interested in how to engage the faith community to incorporate it as a tool for building community.  "Faith Community", however, is diverse and varied.  While there are commonalities, I think it is far more helpful for each member of each faith  community to focus on applicability in the context of the particular faith.  As a Christian I am then focusing on the Christian (generic) community.  I am speaking here as part of that body, as a Christian.  And while I think there is something for others to take away from this, I am certain there is some thing fundamentally Christian here.  I'm just pointing in the direction to spark thought.  I speak in language, using terminology that is generally understood by most Christians, so I'm not further defining words such as "Savior", "world", "salt", "Biblical mandate", "faith", etc.  Even amongst Christians these terms may hold a wide range of meaning. But my ultimate goal, the reason I am prayerfully wrting this to start a discourse:  to be a catalyst for renewal and transformation (Romans 12:2).

SCRIPTURE:  I Corinthians 11:17 - 12:31    Please read it first before reading on here.

So when speaking to the Church I would suggest that TimeBanking addresses two concerns:

1. the Body of Christ functioning in a healthy way as is described in Ephesians 4:14-16 &

2. the Body of Christ seeking the peace & prosperity of the City (Jeremiah 29:7)

        -empower/valuing the "poor"

        -being salt in the "world"

To use the Body metaphor I propose that the Body is sick as is also the World that the Body lives in.  We are disconnected.  The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing (which is often not a good thing).  A lot of eyes are trying to be ears, because we don't value exactly how the eye is seeing what the ear cannot hear. 

TimeBanking is a connector.  The nervous system, if you will, that connects all the parts of the Body together.  While I clearly am trying to encourage people to participate in the Dane County Time Bank. In truth, I am more interested that the Body of Christ is healthy and that it's saltiness is being disbursed throughout the city in ways that really bring life to the community (not just a band-aid).  My belief is that "co-production"* or timebanking is already in our DNA.

My message is "Silver and gold have I none, but then, God did not create silver and gold he created community!" What we have to offer as the Church is power from God to reconcile people to God and to community. Time is what we have to share with each other. [the conclusion in Paul's teaching on the Lord's Supper was for us to "wait" for each other]  Gifts he has equipped us with as well as our position in the body.  So whether you use the existing tool in our community, or apply the timebanking principle within your church or between churches, the fact remains that those of us within the Body of Christ need to have our minds renewed on how we perceive "community" and get those connectors flowing within the Body of Christ.

CORE PRINCIPALS of TimeBanking

• Assets: We are all assets. We all have something to give.
• Redefining Work: Some work is beyond price. Work has to be redefined to value whatever it takes to raise healthy children, build strong families, revitalize neighborhoods, make democracy work, advance social justice, make the planet sustainable. That kind of work needs to be honored, recorded and rewarded.
• Reciprocity: Helping works better as a two-way street. The question: “How can I help you?” needs to change so we ask: “How can we help each other build the world we both will live in?”
• Social Networks: We need each other. Networks are stronger than individuals. People helping each other reweave communities of support, strength & trust. Community is built upon sinking roots, building trust, creating networks. Special relationships are built on commitment.
• Respect: Every human being matters. Respect underlies freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and everything we value. Respect supplies the heart and soul of democracy. When respect is denied to anyone, we all are injured. We must respect where people are in the moment, not where we hope they will be at some future point.

  SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

 1) What are examples of how this might work out in your church?

 2) What do churches already do or try to do that are essentially TimeBanking?

 3) Where do you see alignment with your faith / Biblical mandate to the Core Principals of TimeBanking? 

*  Another term instead of TimeBanking is Co-Production.  

Co-production is about moving away from the idea of the undervalued and passive individual, to an approach which focuses on the value people can bring to the development of a community. The rationale is that public service are often failing at the point of delivery as they are not reflective of what the public think is relevant for their communities, because of a concern that the fabric of communities unravelling, because of a concern that active citizenship is weakening (Sarah Burns (2004), "Exploring co-production- an overview of past, present and future") 
For more information see Edgar Cahn's No More Throw Away People