Organizing

 A lay leader testifies to Organizing

"I am concerned with the way California is polarized by debates on issues such as Preposition 187. People begin to distrust each other and strengthen their negative stereotypes about those from particular ethnic traditions, especially Hispanics. This makes marginal people even more vulnerable and powerless. Metro Strategy helps people in our congregations develop personal and relational power so we can work together as change agents. Only when we act collaboratively can we get access to decent health care, education, or unemployment and retirement benefits. It's not enough simply to be a citizen or a voter when some of our neighbors have to work two or three jobs just to keep their families alive. To have an excellent parish means that lay leaders make a difference not only in our congregations but also in our communities. This is what the Kingdom of God is about. Most important for me is that I am learning to draw on my faith for meaning. Spirituality is sometimes seen as private or individual devotion, but I discovered it has even greater power when it bonds me to God and other people."

from Transforming The City, ed. Eldin Villafane, Bruce W. Jackson, et al. Eerdmans, 2002, p. 159.
Note: This quotation is from a case study and may be reworded to
some extent by the authors