Imagine NW! Blog

ABCD Training in Minneapolis

2011-03-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

It was grey and cloudy, much like our great Northwest, but Minneapolis was the place to be on Saturday, March 19th.

We had 15 gather for our 1-day ABCD training. Great insights, reflection and applications came from this group of Community Heroes. Thanks to Starfish Ministries for hosting and sponsoring this training. And much appreciation to the Eastern Minnesota Deacons Association for underwriting this for the participants. Sweet!

Oh Yeah...I was in New Orleans to Work.

2011-03-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

French Quarter

Yes, the reason to be in New Orleans Nov. 9-10, was to attend the Communities First Association meeting...so I have included one picture of our CFA group. The others are selected scenes from around New Orleans.

CFA is a national organization seeking to increase the number of communities transforming into places and people of blessing. Think shalom...that's a good picture of what CFA and Imagine NW! are all about = everything for everyone is simply wonderful and just and right and joyous! Transformation.

So during the 2-days we learned a lot from each other and guest trainers. Coaching was the biggee this time. This was a very insightful session that began to provide our membership with skills that help us in our work as consultants, advocates, yes, coaches.

My favorite picture [attached here] is my favorite found place and people in N.O. It was Gregory & Pete's Restaurant located at 515 Baronne St. Nothing fancy, but real good people, real good food...loved the grits! It felt like home, where I was accepted instantly, great conversation with the crew and other patrons. It was rich community ALREADY present. Keep it up. Still miss you guys.

This guy was GOOD! Somebody book him.

[left to right] Pete, Gregory, Steven and Charisse!

French Quarter

My CFA Colleagues in deep meaningful conversation.

ABCD Training in Whatcom County Washington

2011-03-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

I had a fabulous time meeting new people...actually new people who are Community Heroes. This happened at an Asset Based Community Development training Imagine NW! facilitated on October 18th in Bellingham

Thanks to the splendid support and leadership from our friends at the Whatcom Family & Community Network, Mosaic Church, The Whatcom Dream and Sonlight Community Church, we had a successful training. I cannot tell you how much I learned from them!

Now these are real and true collaborators! Watch how these people are going to make a meaningful difference in the greater Whatcom County community.

In New Orleans...Post Katrina

2011-02-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Was in New Orleans November 8-10th...to attend the Communities First Association meeting. On the 8th, my colleague Al Santino (Northeast Community Transformation - NY) and I spent the day visiting much of the 9th Ward.

We spent part of the day driving around "site seeing". Felt a bit more than sad for what happened 5-years ago...lost lives, destroyed communities, etc. Then as we later learned, so much of the federal money (billions) earmarked by the feds for recovery, the vast majority still has not been used. And much of the 5th Ward is still in disrepair...whole blocks and apartment complexes are total ghost towns.

Al and I transitioned from sadness to anger as we learned this part of town has been so neglected and slow to get the resources they need.

In the afternoon, we had the very distinct pleasure to meet Marcia Peterson, Executive Director of CDC 58:12. She gave us a tour around a school building next to their offices. The building has been condemned...looks perfectly okay. But the salt water got to the structural beam foundations...and engineers can not and will not guarantee they will maintain integrity for 7 years out.

The most encouraging thing we learned from Marcia was that people are indeed starting to come back. There are new homes and apartments...not nearly enough, but some progress. The whole social glue and fabric once present, totally gone when everyone left 5-years ago, now will have to be regained.

Marcia's CDC and other groups like Desire Street Ministries, are the ones who are re-knitting this social and spiritual fabric. The strength and dedication they possess is most encouraging, inspiring!

Here's some pictures Al and I took.

The replaced levee that failed.

Al Santino and Marcia Peterson

Whole blocks of apartment buildings as "ghost towns"

ABCD Training Coming to Whatcom County

2010-08-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Imagine NW! will be offering a 2-day training on ABCD in Bellingham, WA.

This is for any and all Whatcom County residents, groups, associations, agencies or faith-communities.

Come one come all.

Go here for details.

Asset-Based Community Development provides a new paradigm that focuses on the gifts and strengths (ASSETS) of the residents, their associations and eventually their institutions.

Dreaming, Believing and Acting TOGETHER, any neighborhood or community can make life better for all.

Houston - ABCD Training

2010-08-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Wow what a great time being with such wonderful, caring, community-minded people! This happened in Houston Texas for me on August 13-14th.

I had the grand opportunity to provide these good folks our 2-day Asset-Based Community Development training. We had over 30 people there.

I continue to be amazed and thoroughly encouraged with how hungry people are to receive this sort of training...that is the principles and practices of ABCD. Just tons of confirmation that this is right-on-stuff for a wide spectrum of communities and neighborhoods.

One participant came up to me at the end of the first day to tell me, "Jeff I just about jumped out of my chair, when you talked about meeting people and listening to them in 'one-on-ones". I had this very thought just last week, 'I have got to go to my neighbors and talk with them'".

More was shared just like this from others!

My dear friend and colleague, George Montoya from the Communities First Association, joined me and team taught this group. I was blessed by George's presence and service to this Houston community.

Both George and I are very eager to see how the training helps add value to what is ALREADY good that is going on in a number of neighborhoods and communities in or near Houston. Go for it!

AmeriCorps Review

2010-08-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Two of our Seattle AmeriCorps sites were graced by Ms. Ruth Lampi from the AmeriCorps offices in Washington DC. Ruth visited with the Green Bean and Awake site supervisors and members July 28 and 29. Annually the federal program sends their program officer to one or more locations to review how things are going. This year, our northwest region received this review. I participated in both interviews by Ruth.

The first day the Awake - Aurora site was interviewed. Ben Katt (Site Supervisor) and Karen Cirulli (Member) and I spent time in the office with Ruth. Later we all went on a tour of the neighborhood on Aurora Ave, to see some of the activity that is part of Karen's work.

We were able to see the community garden and the under construction "Aurora Sharehouse". Very good stuff!

The next day, Ruth met with the Green Bean - Greenwood Neighborhood site. Summer Mohrlang (Site Supervisor) and Dan Moses (Member) spent time with Ruth and myself. As well, they took Ruth on a tour of the area near the old burned down Green Bean, and its new vibrant site today. Again, very good community stuff going on!

(AmeriCorps Member Dan Moses at the Green Bean)

(Dan Moses, Ruth, Summer Mohrlang, Jeff)

(Ben Katt, Karen Cirulli, Jeff, Ruth at the Aurora Community Garden)

(Karen, Ruth, Ben at the Aurora Sharehouse)

Lasagna and Community - Go Figure

2010-06-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Quiet now...secrets be told, I worked on Sunday, and right here in Lynden, WA.

Well, lets refer to this as an "adult Sunday School class" to get away with things. Hah.

Actually what happened this past Sunday, June 27th, was more of a co-learning, collaborative venture between Imagine NW! and a local congregation - Christ the King (CTK).

You see there are some members of CTK that have started a number of garden plots in the county for the purpose of providing fresh organic produce to the local food bank and others. They are also trying to learn how to best raise vegetables in ways that may be duplicated in some Third World nations they send support to.

So through the leadership and invitation by CTK's Clyde Fisher, I was able to describe to their garden group the work of Imagine NW!, what we do to train and equip people, groups and churches to use Asset-Based Community Development in neighborhoods. I shared how community gardening, especially, can be very effective with getting to know neighbors and build long lasting relationships, friendships. All this to get or keep the community building juices flowing.

So I shared how using a special way to garden, by implementing the "Lasagna" or "Sheet Mulch" method could increase productivity, reduce weeding and watering, eliminating tilling...etc.

I took the group over to the North City Community Garden and demonstrated how to start such garden. See pictures.

Even though it drizzled on us, all of us were enthused by having this great opportunity to meet and share. Good work is going forth by CTK. Way to go friends!

Imagine NW! Board Meeting

2010-06-29T11:59:00.001-07:00

From Corvallis and Portland, Oregon, to Lynden, Washington, members of the Board of Directors of Imagine NW! met on June 10th.

We had the honor of having this meeting in the Seattle Cluster offices at Greenwood and 85th.

Of course we got a number of things discussed and decided. However, most important was re-connecting with everyone.

As a regular part of our meetings, we always start off with hearing reports from all of our Board as to what's happening in their respective communities. That is what sort of community things are going on that illustrate promise and positive change for all concerned.

In addition, a fair amount of time was spent on the general conundrum of lower financial giving. We all agreed things are tough, and for just about everybody these days, businesses, families, non-profits and churches.

We are thankful to all those who do give, and most generously, to our community development work that spans through Oregon, Washington, and to some extent in Alaska.

Even though our organization is admittedly struggling in the area of finances, the recognition by a growing number of people and groups continues to expand. The relevance and need for community building is something most are beginning to see as crucial. Reliance on government or institutions or outside answers is weakening. Such forces are more often failing our neighborhoods. Now is the time for the neighborhoods and communities to work together for THEIR own solutions and futures.

So with the bitter and the sweet we continue to journey.

One item which some of our blog readers may wish to take note of. We are looking for 15 people, families, or businesses, will regularly give $375 per quarter or $1,500 per year to Imagine NW!

This will help diversify and expand in a very healthy way, our financial resources. This will wondrously build upon other current support by way of training fees, contracts, church or other individual support.

If you are interested, please contact me Jeff Littlejohn at 360 319-4772.

Thank you.

NCCG's Second Season Starts

2010-06-04T17:05:00.001-07:00

After a very mild winter here in north Whatcom County, the North City Community Garden community is raring to get another bountiful harvest of organic vegetables.

But this year, we have added something new. We added a row of fruit trees.

From membership dues, we were able to purchase and plant 5 varieties of apple, 3 cherry, 2 pear and 2 plum alongside our split rail fence.

With the help of many volunteers (some not pictured below) with digging 12 holes for the trees, we planted and staked all on March 27th.

[Above - Patty Phipps, Jeff, Karen Erhart, and Betty Collom]

Lower Yakima Valley and ABCD

2010-06-04T16:54:00.001-07:00

East of the Cascades, in what is referred to as the Lower Yakima Valley...there is a hunger for community.

I had the distinct opportunity to visit with 8 pastors and leaders from Yakima, Toppenish, Zillah, Sunnyside and the Tri-Cities on May 25th at Faith Community Church (Zillah, WA).

While it was my intent to share a brief description of Asset-Based Community Development and see if there was interest in the lower valley for training, I discovered more than that.

I heard many stories in how churches, businesses and municipal governments are forging very deep and profound relationships. This to bring positive change to their respective communities.

The level of collaboration is astonishing. I sense perhaps some type of turning-point where the old days of bitter division between the church and state and moved forward. Now, with a good healthy understanding for the role of each, knowing how to support each other as is appropriate, many groups are now finding this collegial stuff really "paying" out. People and places are transforming!

By working together, in the common public square, with each other...good things are happening from Yakima to the Tri-Cities.

I went to bless these folks. Well, they blessed me!

From this, there is a very good likelihood we will be able to conduct 2-3 ABCD training sessions in the valley. Wow!

ABCD Training Finding its Genesis in a Coffee House

2010-06-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

Whatcom County needs ABCD. Every place needs ABCD. So let's get the message out there - everywhere!

Okay slow down, take a breath Jeff and one-thing at a time!

Thanks to the hospitality of Sean Hall from Mosaic Church and great coffee and tea at the Lettered Streets Coffeehouse (Bellingham, WA), Sean and I began to plot one or more dates for a training on Asset-Based Community Development.

As of this posting, we think we have set up the first training for Wed-Thurs September 1-2. A second training may be offered on Tues-Weds October 12-13.

Collaborative Musings

2010-06-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

Is it possible for a pastor to do ministry and do community development, engage in meaningful relationships with neighbors, seek the transformation of the community, to have his feet embedded in both the "sacred and secular"?

Such is the question some of us are asking ourselves.

In a series of meetings just started between Pastor John Van Schepen (Bethel CRC, Lynden, WA), Pastor Aaron Walters (Happy Valley Neighborhood, Bellingham, WA) and myself, we are looking at how this question may be answered in at least one local context, that in Happy Valley.

We are wondering, even struggling with how the sacred and secular, often "oil and water" repellents can indeed be emulsified so that both may bless each other. How can such engage in meaningful collaborative levels so the whole community moves positively forward as more and more people dream, build and act - together.

So the three of us, initially, will be working on a practical document that will help guide our efforts. Hopefully we'll have something ready in mid fall.

[Below, John, Aaron and Jeff]

Community Gardening Keeps Spreading

2010-06-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have a favorite expression I often share while in my work of community development, "When you walk through one-door, don't be surprised to find 5 more waiting for you."

Meaning: when you take a risk and step out and try something new, in the community, that goes beyond your own circumstances or interests, you inevitably will find a world opportunities to join with others to bless their neighborhoods - together. It always happens!

I can prove it...read on.

As I have shared in a prior post, see how starting up the North City Community Garden (NCCG) has lead to OTHER cool things, like the Lynden Boys and Girls Club starting up their own Garden Club with their own garden plot there.

And now, we have the leadership of the Lynden Christian Health Care Center asking for ideas on what to do with some vacant property they own. This is just across the street from the NCCG garden.

After meeting with Anita Tallman, CHCC Executive Director, and with Dave Timmer, Director of the Five Loaves Garden, we came up with a plan.

The idea is to turn some of the sod into a community garden, that will produce some food for some of the community members nearby and for members of the CHCC staff.

We hope to integrate this effort with the current growth of people taking an interest in community gardening and healthy strategies for food production and the environment.

CHCC is so committed to this effort they are providing enough money for the summer to pay a 1/2 time position so to get this off the ground and operational.

Through the leadership of Dave Timmer, and his connections with A Rocha, a Christian conservation organization, we have been able to hire Walter Haugen to manage this fledgling project. He is proven and skilled in "working" the soil toward great harvests and is environmental sound and sustainable. We are very thankful to have Walter in our midst so our community can learn from him as others join in on the CHCC garden.

[Above - Jeff, Walter and Dave at Woods Coffee]

Learning the Way of Raised Beds

2010-06-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

On a very winding and cold Saturday April 3rd, several north Whatcom residents offered a workshop of Raised Bed Gardening with a side dish of lasagna.

Cindy Visser, Virgi Diephuis and myself shared the benefits with constructing and using raised beds. The greatest benefit is a substantial increase in productivity. Behind the use of raised beds is using the "Square Foot Gardening" approach - intense and dense planting with ongoing rotation of harvested and new starts.

Describing and demonstrating the construction of raised beds using Lasagna or Sheet Mulch gardening was done by Jeff Littlejohn. This method helps to build up the organic component in the soil, reduce weeding, watering, and little need to till or disturb the soil community.

The 16 participants were very interested and motivated to try out raised gardening.

It was a real joy to meet new people and to join in around this common interest together. True community building!

[To zoom click on the pictures]

Parish Collective Full Steam Ahead

2010-06-04T15:40:00.001-07:00

What an honor is has been and is, to have been included in some behind the scenes dreaming and planning associated with what is called the Parish Collective initiative.

This is the "brain child" of Tim Soerens and Paul Sparks. They have envisioned for sometime how things could be when faith communities band together in the place they exist. All to bless and be blessed by the community...their neighbors. And to link all this across geographical distances...all to build up and equip more and more churches with genuine community engagements.

I was able to hear this vision emerge from these two very creative men. I got to hear their initial vision start to be articulated at the Communities First Association in March in Seattle. Fantastic!

Starting Sunday, June 6th, the Parish Collective begins to rollout their vision and initial strategies. Centerpiece to this will be bringing in Michael Frost, noted speaker and author, to help chart a course. See their web page for details.

Without hesitation, I sense this effort by Tim and Paul (and now a ton of others) will make a remarkable difference in many communities. Communities where they live by the motto "Community needs Everybody". When everybody is at the "table", their dreams, gifts, action joining others, well, watch out what happens when transformation comes a calling!!

Tim, Paul and myself below talking over strategies and networking. Thank you gentlemen for your vision and hard work!

Jeff

Boys & Girls Garden Club Started

2010-06-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

This spring the Lynden Boys and Girls Club started their own Garden Club. In between numerous days of rain and down right deluges, 6-21 kids from the club have started planting garden seeds and vegetable transplants.

First they "framed" up four 4X4 lasagna beds in their 10X10 plot. Jeff Littlejohn helped them apply a variety of layers of straw, compost, grass clippings, soil to each bed. They used some boards to pack the organic material. After this the kids got in the box area to pack down the materials ... then the board frames were gently lifted off.

Then the kids began to plant. First of course was radishes...then peas. They also got to plant some spinach, lettuce, chard, etc. In the center of one is a climbing "Scarlet Emperor" bean. Fantastic red flowers!

We also had the kids move compost into a couple of our raised beds, getting ready to offer these to the elderly or disabled.

When asked to help weed the bamboo "People Pocket", I got a unanimous "Yeeahh!" A better attitude than I had when asked to weed as a child. Right-on B&G Kids!

The kids really love to find their garden transforming - growing every week.

Enjoy the pictures below.

Seattle ABCD Training

2010-02-26T15:53:00.001-08:00

Seattle is an awesome city! In-fact Seattle is such a great place, someone should shutdown I-5 that bi-sects it...this so people are forced to get off the "beaten path" so they can see and experience the richness of Seattle neighborhoods.

Okay DOT...sorry I'm only joking.

The good people of Seattle have forged much through hard work and effort, now seeing a network of neighborhoods that are vibrant full of community. Someone once told me that Jim Diers had something to do about this...what would that be I wonder? Perhaps kind of "people bumping into people" sort of thing. Yeah Jim, the best definition of community building around!

Anyway, I experienced another joy by facilitating a 2-day training on ABCD in the Greenwood Neighborhood. Meeting in the upstairs of The Upper Crust (what hospitality!). We had 30 people representing 16 different citizen or faith-based groups.

I have to tell you, during the first day, as the participants were gathered in their small groups, the buzz of conversation, the level of volume, the full participation and heightened anticipation was such that it almost brought me to tears. I mentioned this to the group as they got back together.

What I observed were people coming from very different backgrounds...etc., who really wanted to have meaningful conversations, learn, co-learn, and get out there and "do" this thing called ABCD! No intellectual boring deal that day!

That type of response continues to greatly inform me, inspire me.

Even with all the national and state political polarities, when you get right down to it, down to the local level, block by block, people really do care enough to act. People do want to make a difference, a positive difference!

We just need to realize this and not get deflected or discouraged by the curmudgeonly class that so run astray from our collective best interests. Hope is in our neighbor. It is not in our elected.

I count it a joy and honor to have been part of the greater Greenwood community in Seattle this past February 2-3, 2010 by leading in the training in Asset-Based Community Development. I love this work so, so much!

Portland ABCD Training

2010-02-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

I always love going to Portland. Portland is a special place. Portland is rich in many ways. Diversity...well there's no shortage of perspectives or world-views that's for sure! Big geographically - well spread out east to west, north to south.

The thing I love about Portland is that it is really working hard at the stuff of community. In-fact there is sort of a buzz going on down there, or is it, up there! When you meet with citizen groups or faith-based groups, even businesses, a large percentage of people in the greater Portland area have a good sense of what they are after beyond just taking care of #1. They hunger for community.

Well wouldn't you know it, I had the chance to add to the hunger, or better said, perhaps satisfy it somewhat. The East Portland Neighborhood Office (EPNO) and the School of Neighborhood Transformation sponsored a 2-day Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) training on Oct 31 and Nov 1st. Second Stories hosted this event with skill and a warmth I will never forget.

What a group that showed! Even a real "trooper" all the way down from Everett, WA. We had 20 people attend, representing 15 different civic, Native, or faith-based groups.

The learning was most impressive. It wasn't me so much, it was the conversations and co-learning that was happening in all the various forms of small groups they were in. It was intense, transparent, very insightful, each speaking from their own experiences or context. They related ABCD to their lives and work...and others learned from this.

The networking was profound.

There was definitely a collegial thing going on...it even felt a little like family actually if you want to know!

I just wish I lived in Portland, so I could continue and on a regular basis hang out with these community heros. I miss them.

Olympia and Community

2009-08-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

August 10, 2009

Church and Community Consultation

This past Saturday, I had the honor and opportunity to work with members of the leadership time at Olympia Christian Reformed Church (Olympia, WA).

We worked through several conceptual frameworks that provided a basis for the church to consider how to better serve individuals and their community overall.

We first considered where current outreach ministries fit into the "Developmental Grid"...give a fish, teach to fish, rent the pond, own the pond...continuum.

Next we worked through Robert Linthicum's "In,To, With" framework, which asks to the church evaluate the nature and focus of the congregation's community involvement.

Both exercises stimulated much conversation, created many questions, poised a number of healthy options as "next steps" for OCRC.

We ended with 5 work "take aways"...these leaders agreed to follow up on.

All in all, a wonderful group of folk, who really do care about people and their community!

Oh yeah...they were confronted with the dreaded "helium stick" as well. They did get it to the floor eventually, but at first it almost floated into outerspace!

ABCD Training

2009-08-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

July 27, 2009

ABCD Training

I had a splendid time Saturday down in the Cascade Neighborhood in South Lake Union, Seattle. We did the first of two days of training in Asset Based Community Development (ABCD). In attendence were representatives from the Cascade Peoples Center, Cascade Neighborhood Council, Upward Bound (City of Seattle), AmeriCorps supervisiors and members from sites in South Lake Union (DUST Church) and Aurora (Awake Church).

We covered three central ABCD principles and practices:

The Gifts or Assets of Individuals
Discovering What People Care About
How to Mobilize Groups

We will follow-up this training in about 30-days with:

Distinquishing between People and Programs
Describe How to Lead by Stepping Back
All People are to be Included in Community Building

It was wonderful to hear the passion and vision all in attendance had for their respective communities. I look for many good things to come from their work, using ABCD!

New Web Site

2009-06-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2009 -- Now News

New web site

Yes...we now have a new web site...end of story. Not so quick. Actually we have big ideas which we can not do alone.

We hope the new format and look will do more than just inform the bare bones of what Imagine NW! is or does. We seek to either inspire or provoke (whatever it takes) for people to seek the peace, prosperity or shalom of their community. This by working together as a community .

You will note we are heavy on mulitmedia...particularly video presentations...thank you YouTube! Through our own internally produced videos or from an array of external sources, we have embedded an array of subjects that are fun to watch or some that may agitate. Change can be exhilarating, often accompanied by skinned knees.

The world and its affairs are...ugh...not good...as we all know. If ever there was a time for an all out commitment in seeking the common ground, in common places, for our common good...today is not too late and a great place to start.

So we at Imagine NW! are laying out our new web site which we hope contributes to many real expressions of Community Transformations. Let's work and pray for this Shalom.