Called to Transformation, a partnership between The Episcopal Church and Episcopal Relief & Development is returning to the Hines Center for Spirituality & Prayer in Houston August 19-21, 2019!
This four-night, three-day conference invites clergy and lay leaders from across The Episcopal Church to an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) facilitator formation workshop where participants will learn about the theory and the practice of ABCD work, and begin the process of creating a workplan to implement an ABCD project in their own ministry community.
This workshop can help faith communities partner and engage with one another as they work together toward a common goal. This workshop is for any individual, congregation, organization, or community wishing to shift away from the “needs” model of development, and instead engage a life-affirming, asset-based approach. Those who complete the program will also be trained to serve as facilitators for other communities that would benefit from this methodology.
What is Asset-Based Community Development?
The Episcopal Church and Episcopal Relief & Development describe Asset-Based Community Development as “an approach to engaging your church and community that is centered around the belief that individuals, groups, and communities already hold the gifts to address the needs of their communities.”
The framework is theologically based. 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that each of us are given different gifts to serve the community and we are all a part of the body of Christ working together. This methodology helps to move individuals from thinking there is an inadequacy that they are unable to address, to believing they have an abundance of gifts to address their communities’ needs.
Often as a church, we see a need and want to respond to that need by asking people to sign up to help or volunteer for the cause. An asset-based approach flips that thinking around and begins with seeing what gifts and assets individuals and communities already have. Those gifts and assets, once articulated and connected, allow us to see a new and different future. An ABCD approach empowers people to use their given gifts, to imagine something different, and then to respond to what they are being called to do, whether the need is in the room, in our communities, in our hearts or in our souls. An asset-based approach invites us to use our gifts in the service of each other and the community to create the community God calls us to be.
More information on the Called to Transformation workshop
If you would like to learn more about ABCD training, visit the Called to Transformation website, or contact EHF.
EHF can offer financial assistance for you to attend. EHF also works with the Texas Rural Leadership Program to support ABCD initiatives with congregations and their community partners.
Other learning opportunities with EHF
EHF continues to invest in congregations to develop leadership skills, build relationships with communities, and improve community health through ministry and outreach programs. We’ll continue to connect congregations with upcoming programs, trainings and events offered by community organizations.
- Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour, evidence-based course designed to empower individuals with no clinical training to help those with mental health needs by appropriately responding to signs of mental illness and effectively referring them to professional help. EHF offers these workshops throughout the diocese to help equip people with the tools they need to recognize individuals experiencing a crisis, and connect them with the right services.
Livingston (Adult) St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
If your congregation is interested in hosting a Mental Health First Aid workshop in 2019, please contact Melodee Toles at (832) 658-2662.
- The No Need Among You Conference can help you learn how to empower the poor, move from relief to development, have a place to honestly talk about racial reconciliation, find ways to confront unjust social policies, network with others who work with the homeless and victims of sex trafficking, have creative children and youth programs, challenge predatory lenders, and more!
Dates: Wednesday, September 11 – Friday, September 13
Location: San Antonio, TX
EHF offers financial support to those interested in attending this Summit. If you’d like to request financial support to attend, please complete the EHF Request for Financial Support form.
- Together at the Table: Hunger and Poverty Summit, hosted by The Texas Hunger Initiative, will be bringing people together from across the country for three days this October for focused learning about the latest developments in public policy, effective community organizing strategies, and cutting-edge research.
Dates: Wednesday, October 2 – Friday, October 4
Location: Baylor University Campus in Waco, TX
EHF offers financial support to those interested in attending this Summit. If you’d like to request financial support to attend, please complete the EHF Request for Financial Support form.
- The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) National Conference is a unique gathering of practitioners and partners dedicated to the work of transforming and restoring communities through presence and practice. The National Conference sets a safe table for engagement, creating a space for challenging conversations to happen around a common table.
Dates: Wednesday, October 9 – Saturday, October 12
Location: Dallas, TX
EHF offers financial support to those interested in attending this Summit. If you’d like to request financial support to attend, please complete the EHF Request for Financial Support form.
For more opportunities to explore conferences, trainings, and events to increase knowledge and skills for congregational engagement, please visit EHF’s Learning Opportunities webpage.
We’d also like to share any upcoming events hosted by your congregation or within your community. Please send us an email describing your event, the date and time, and a contact person.
