I have in the past often used the expression "giving dignity". In reflecting on this I wonder whether this phrase is unhelpful. It seems to put power and control in the "giver". I wonder whether it is better to use phrasing like "recognize the dignity" or "acknowledge the dignity" or affirm the dignity".
Surely part of dignity is equality and affirming or recognizing that as we meet someone we are both of equal value. I remember a visit from an Australian friend of ours (Anji Barker) to a visually impaired friend of ours. One of the first things she did was to ask him to show her how to write her name in Braille. This simple, yet profound act was intentionally done to place her in a position of need and the man in a position as teacher. It was an act which recognized equality and thereby affirmed dignity. In our work in Hillbrow we are learning that we are not here to help our community as much as we are here to stand in solidarity with our community and to journey alongside as friends and neighbours. We laugh together, cry together, learn from one another and work as coconspirators of a new world together. We are friends and neighbours. #pondering
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We have recently set up a partnership with the James 1:27 Trust, who will now administer our funds. The Trust will provide: - Payment governance and processing; - Donations receipting and issuing of tax certificates in terms of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act of 1962; - The provision and auditing of a trust account on behalf of Neighbours - Receive international donations through PayPal or through direct deposits. The James 1:27 Trust is the first NGO in Africa to use SAP Business 1. Since then, the Mandela and Tutu foundations have also begun to use SAPB1. All this will ensure that all monies received and spent follow sound financial management practices. We would really value your monthly or once off contribution to our work. You can make contributions directly by following this link... DONATE or by making direct deposits into the Trust Account with the reference Your Email so we can correctly allocate your contribution and send you a receipt. Account Name: Neighbours Reference for Donation: Your Email ABSA Bank Brooklyn Branch code: 632005 Account number: 9310110831 SWIFT address: ABSAZAJJ Some change...
We have felt that as part of our learning and to better reflect the work we do, we want to change the name of our work to "Neighbours". We think this is a better reflection of our core value which is practising neighbourliness. We have developed the saying "we want to be friends to our neighbours and good neighbours to our friends." We keep asking how we can be better neighbours. We think neighbourliness is at the heart of the gospel. Our new mission statement (still under construction) is... "Neighbours is an intentional Christian community that stands in solidarity with the residents of Hillbrow and other communities deeply impacted by poverty, inequality and injustice around South Africa. We want to become good friends to our neighbours and good neighbours to our friends." Our new website will be launched in the next few weeks, but in the mean time, here is our new logo... Yesterday I had three little children from our block of flats: Sindi, Phana and Bongi visit me at the flat ... Sindi, who is 5 years old often comes with her brother, Phana, who is 6 years old and asks for an orange or an apple. Bongi is a friend of theirs who is also about 5 years old. Sindi was wanting to see Trish. I explained in broken Zulu that she was out and asked what they wanted. Sindi said she wanted clothes and so I asked them to wait for Trish. I asked why they were at home and not at school and Phana told me it was because their mom, had not washed their clothes. I remembered then that Trish had met with their mom (Zandi) just two weeks ago and she explained to Trish that she did not have money for school fees. Zandi is a sex worker who is struggling to break a drug addiction. Sindi and Phana's Dad is not allowed to visit after he tried to give the family rat poison in an attempted family suicide and there is a court order stopping him from from visiting. The 3 children went into our boys room and took out some toys and began to play with them. Out of the blue, Sindi said something which really struck me... actually her brother Phana translated it for me... He said "she want to be an Umlungu" (Umlungu means "white person"). I did not know what to say or how to respond... I said something like... "No, no... it is better if you be you", but these words felt empty... I have been thinking of this all night... what do you think I should have said to them? What is an appropriate response? What can we do to de-construct this inferiority and create a world where children do not grow up wishing they were not born black? Please note I have changed the names to protect the identity of the children. Our architects Urban Studio have taken a stab at what our reconciliation centre could look like… let us know in the comments what you think?
Here are just a few of our favorite news articles and television documentaries written/ made about our work over the last two years...
Daily Maverick: Hope in Hillbrow: ‘If Jesus lived anywhere, it would be here’ The Daily Maverick visits a white, Christian family who moved into the centre of white fear: Hillbrow in downtown Johannesburg. JESSICA EATON finds out why. (Photos by THAPELO LEKGOWA) Read Article here Oprah Magazine: In the Heart of Hillbrow (May 2013 Issue) A family shares the sights and sounds that make Joburg’s gritty inner city the place they happily call home. By Norma Young Read article here France24: Interview with Nigel Branken (second story) Watch it here And a blog from one of our friends Sami Awad Read it here To keep updated with our stories follow us on Facebook Follow us here Gandhi once said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." and later said "Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ. If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today." A Barna study found the three most common associations with the Christian faith by non-Christians are anti-gay (91%,) judgmental (87%), and hypocritical (85%). This should not be! Jesus said we should be known by our love and that our love will draw people to Him. The sermon on the mount and the teachings of Jesus are so far from this type of Christianity.
I was reminded of this today by a friend, Kevin Knight, who lives in the slums of Cambodia, when he posted this quote on Facebook by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "The renewal of the Church will come from a new type of Monasticism, which only has in common with the old an uncompromising allegiance to the Sermon on the Mount. It is high time people banded together to do this." Thank you for the reminder Kevin, it is indeed high time and we so desperately need this kind of renewal. I too have come to believe that the sermon on the mount and the words of Christ are central to how I interpret the bible and provides a call to a Christianity that is so needed by the world and yet is so dearly missing. When we read the bible through Jesus, it leads us to the margins of society, to fight for justice in our world and live out a radical counter-culture Christianity. May many be found in the place of blessing described in the sermon on the mount today... Be blessed |
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