What about???...

I hesitate putting too many specific ideas out into the world wide web for several reasons:  What if someone steals my idea and makes it their own?  What if someone doesn't allow me to pursue the idea?  What if it isn't a good idea? What if someone reads an idea typed out on a blog and things that the draft on the blog is the final product and makes quick judgments about something that is incomplete?...but I'm going to resist the urge to keep all the ideas to myself and I'm going to push myself even further not to claim the ideas as mine or take posession of them.  Thus, here are some of my specific ideas for the future of Hyaets:

Find some entreprenuers.  Ask them to bring their business to Tuckaseegee Rd.  Provide references for potential  neighborhood employees.

Start a small group in the neighborhood for adults.  The purpose of the group is to share with one another the needs we see among our neighbors and our thoughts/action for caring for our neighbors.  This is not a neighborhood association or a complaints meeting.  It is all about acknowledging that each member serves as a caregiver to the neighborhood.  We form a group identity and know that we are the Care team for the neighborhood.  We help each other help others and each of us does so knowing that we have the support of the team members.  Graft these team members into Hyaets at some level of membership or partnership.  Meet once a month or once every other month to talk about what's happening with the people we are caring for, how we might support one another, and what needs we see for the whole of the community.  Maybe we could use the shepherding language?  Or Caring language?  Not sure what terms to use, but can already think of a core group of 4 or 5 people who might be on a team.  Not religiously affiliated.

Instead of starting a microbusiness that requires teaching a skill to neighbors that they do not already know, build off of what they do know: hospitality. Utilize the new house (once purchased) partly (ie. mostly, if things work) as a bed and breakfast type of place.  The bed and breakfast (inn) is advertized as a perfect rest stop for musicians on tour (gigs).  Use the Milestone club down the street as a helpful connection.  Due to the hours that musicians have (late nights), the schedule for "work" would perfectly fit with neighbors' schedules.  Neighbors work as the hosts.  Maybe ask Johnson and Wales to provide some small amount of training or interns.  Neighbors run the inn: food, lodging, cleaning, security, upkeep, etc.  In the shed out back, there's a part art part music studio.  Musician may "pay" for part of their stay by teaching a lesson or two to kids in the neighborhood or providing other services at the studio.  Recording capabilities and relatively regular jam sessions would be happening at the studio, providing interest, networking, and amenities to musicians that they could not find at the typical motel. The fee for stay would be less than a nice motel's stay, but more than the local roach motels nearby.  Musicians could choose to lengthen their stay and provide a livingroom concert to neighbors.

Community life:  We're going to need some adults that are relatively close to our age and stage of life, I think.  It just helps to be able to share life with folks who "get" what's happening with our lives.  But, finding those types of people is not easy.  I spent 5 years working with college students.  Greg's really really good at mentoring interns and so forth.  We really like the idea of providing discerning students or recent grads and opportunity to minister in our neighborhood and live in community.  Students could engage in a short term partnership (1 year) with the option of extending it longer or more permanently.  These students, like the rest of us, would work for Hyaets and participate in community life.  I'm not sure about payment.  One trick is that the Tuck house will still have a mortgage that must be paid monthly, so we'll have to have people in it that can help pay that mortgage.  So, if a student wanted to be paid for their work and if Hyaets paid for their lodging, we'd have to find some grant funding or something of that sort.  But, if a student (are there any like this?) were to choose to live and work for free...and gain not a whole lot of monetary income but quite a bit of experience, then we'd happily accept them. :)  Mine and Greg's role would be something like an Abbot or Abbess within our community.

Change the afterschool program to no afterschool program, sort of:  Greg and I are very ready to make some drastic changes to the ministries that we are engaged in.  One program that has served a helpful purpose, but we seem to no longer have passion about is Afterschool care.  Our afterschool system is not alltogether that structured.  We are always home when school lets out.  We have afterschool snacks on hand at all times.  We interact with children and help them with their homework.  We entertain children and try our best to keep them from tearing up our house, yard, or the clubhouse.  We break up arguements and rangle kids.  The amount of participating children varies.  One day it could be one or two, the next day it could be 10-12.  Some kids bring homework to do, some don't.  Some need one on one attention for homework, some don't.  We've tried all sorts of tactics, incentives, and activities.  We are now ready to consider handing over the afterschool program to someone else:  someone who can do it well, with support staff, and with more structure than we're able to provide.  We've thought about somehow encouraging all the parents of the kids that we interact with to sign their kids up for the afterschool program that takes place at the rec center through the police athletic league.  (a blog about the role of police in our neighborhood and why this idea doesn't settle with us very easily might need to be included)  Our idea is that we would really really encourage parents to sign up for Afterschool at the center.  We might even be able to help provide partial or full scholarships for each of the kids.  Then, we go to the center and we provide ourselves and other church partners as volunteers at the program.  We get the parents to sign a waiver saying that we have permission to sign their kid out of afterschool.  This way, we'll be able to take them out early when/if we want them to come over for dinner.  We'll also be able to take a couple here and there out for some one on two time with us.  We won't feel like we have to be at home everyday afterschool.  We won't feel totally incompetant when we can't figure out how in the world to teach one of the kids how to read or do their math because there'll be other staff support.  We'll volunteer at the more structured afterschool program, make relationships with folks at the center and PAL, and have an opportunity to opt out of afterschool on occassion when we need to do other things like run errands, talk one on one with a neighbor, spend time with our children, etc.  This, in time, may lend itself to partnering with the PAL summer day camp program as well which has quite a bit of potential.

Hope Chapel:  One day a week this summer, the kids will go to Hope Chapel to work on upkeeping and repairing the building.  I wonder if there are possibilities for further partnership and growth in this area.

Jewelry Making:  Very informally and infrequently, we gather a few women or young ladies together to make jewelry.  We take that jewelry, on occassion, to speaking engagements.  Half the sales go back to the jewelry maker and half goes towards the supply costs.  I'd like to expand this into other art.  I'd also like to use the kiln I bought to experiment with fused glass jewerly or precious metal clay jewelry.  I really really want to turn the House to Home shed into an art studio for this purpose.

Thrifty Mama:  What if we asked all the supporting churches to collect baby clothes and items and maternity clothes and we opened up a thrift store for new moms.  We could hire women from the neigborhood to run the store.  The inventory would come from church people donations.  I know that when I was pregnant, I wished that there was a maternity consignment close to us, but they are all totally across town.  We could also provide, maybe, some pastoral care or counseling for new moms. (maybe) and maybe doula services/connections as well.

WE HAVE GOT TO FIND A YOUTH CAMP that is better geared toward our youth.  Economic class and race is so very evident in the planning of the camp that we currently go to.  I really really wish we could find a way to partner with some like minded ministries and groups to plan some sort of meaningful and unique discipleship and fun experience for our youth.  I've tried to reach out to a couple of camp organizations and people about this, but no bites.

More to come...maybe...hopefully...