The next couple of weeks I will spend some time reflecting out loud about my time at Wonder City. It is hard to believe that I only have two more weeks left at Wonder City after being here seven years. One of the things I that I have noticed the most over that time is the growth that has taken place at Wonder City. Seven years ago (back when I was a lowly apprentice) when Chris (the minister who founded Wonder City and whom I originally worked under) would bring up an issue with the church members to discuss they would usually automatically defer to whatever Chris thought. They had a hard time understanding and grasping that this was their church and they had ownership in the church. They had a right and a duty to help make decisions and shape the future and direction of the church. Now we have Servant Leaders. Spiritual ladies who help make decisions that affect the church. Even when an issue is taken to all the adults they don’t have a problem any more telling me what they think (without deferring to my judgment). An example is a couple months ago I had ordered some curriculum for the Wednesday adult class. After going through the first book, I had several adults let me know they didn’t like it and they thought it was under where they were. So I returned the remaining books and we started something different. This past Wednesday they let me know they like what we are now studying.
You may be reading this and not see anything significant about it. However, this is a huge step for the poor and depressed. They are used to having their lives acted upon and being told what to do. The government tells them where they can and cannot live, how much food stamp money they will receive, and the list goes on. As a result they lose any sense of ownership (even over their own lives). So when someone comes along and gives them a choice and sincerely wants their input, they don’t know what to do with that. Therefore they will usually defer to the one asking the question. Consequently learning the ability to regain ownership and no longer be a victim in one area (such as church) means they have learned a skill they can transfer into the other areas of their lives (schooling, housing, etc.). This is also a key to breaking the cycles of poverty. Adults who take responsibility and ownership of their lives can pass that trait and ability on to their children.
Wonder City has undergone tremendous growth over the past several years. This is just one example. There is not enough time or space to discuss them all.
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