I sat at the table with the four of them. They were optimistic, smart, creative and educated. And they wanted to help provide housing for the homeless. They had contacted me to see if The Episcopal Church of the Advocate (Chapel Hill, NC) might be open to the possibility of allowing a cluster of "tiny houses" to be built our land. They had creative ideas for funding, design, and development. They had thought through many dimensions of the project, but were open to questions and ideas, open to making adjustments. In other words, they were open to collaboration.
I sat at another table, this time with two university administrators who had gone by our church site on a Saturday bike ride and spotted at an old barn located on our property. The Advocate had acquired it when we bought our land, but over the years, it was deteriorating to the point of becoming a liability.
But it was perfect for the program these men had in mind. They were looking for old barns throughout the county that could, with the owner's permission and outside funding, be taken apart, board by board. High school students would be brought on field trips to learn local history and construction processes. Weathered old boards would be offered to local artists. Beams and rafters would be salvaged for adaptive re-use, made into furniture or sold to local builders for use in new construction. Though they had ideas and a well-developed plan, they were open to questions and other ideas. They, too, were open to collaboration.
We live in a time of innovation and collaboration. People, institutions and organizations are coming together to create systems and businesses that improve our environment, our democratic processes, and the lives of the poor in our communities and in our world.
Much of this work comes under the umbrella of "social entrepreneurship". It includes a business plan that would allow for some profit, but not a lot; the motivations more for societal gain than for material gain. Projects are designed to be "scalable," to be adjusted and applied in a variety of settings. Sometimes these efforts include local governments, sometime they emerge despite local governments.
Often, they happen without the church.
More people are acting for good
Christ transforms culture with or without the Church. Concurrent with a decline in institutional church attendance, there is an increase in the number of people who are choosing a simpler life, eschewing greed and acquisition, finding ways to work with others and help others, within their own community and beyond. The "Buy Local" movement is part of it; adaptive re-use of structures and support for the arts are, too. Social media allows for grassroots fundraising and investment in small businesses near and far.
Certainly not a prevailing trend, but increasingly, individuals, organizations, and institutions are doing good and philanthropic work in the world. Those outside of faith traditions are finding ways to honor the dignity of others, to bring about social justice and societal change, what Jews call "the repair of the world." While often local and small scale, this change is not just happening with a handful of optimistic young adults like those who came to speak with me about tiny houses for the homeless and barn wood for local use.
