How is your community rethinking economics?

[Mark Van Steenwyk]

In Body Politics, John Howard Yoder suggests that the Lord's Supper needs to be understood as a radically economic act. Table fellowship forces us to recognize the needs of the Other and share. The Church has been its most beautiful when it challenged the prevalent economic inequalities (not to mention racial, political, and gender inequalities) as it creatively found ways to live as the Eucharistic community.

How is your community (or other communities you've heard of) living out kingdom economics? How are you preparing for the growing recession? How are you pushing back economic injustice?

[Scott Peterson]

We have created a google group account for our church. We use it for people to post any need that they may have. It can truly be anything from a washing machine to a gallon of milk. As soon as it is posted an email goes out to the rest of the church and there is usually a response to fill the need within twenty minutes. That response also automatically gets sent to the rest of the church so that everyone can see that the person was taken care of. It has worked great during the last couple of months when people have had some severe financial problems.

[ryanwalton]

We've been having a lot of discussions lately about debt. We're realizing how many of us are handicapped by debt and therefore unable to move in ways we see the Kingdom moving in Sacramento (and around the world). We've made a commitment to be church that is debt free and move towards ways to be individuals that are debt free. We've been hosting small workshops that encourage money management that reflect the Kingdom of God. It's been pretty amazing as people have been extremely vulnerable about their financial struggles and are seeking help from others.

In two weeks we're planning a black friday fast (from food and purchasing of anything at all). We're ending the day by celebrating the Eucharist and making common vows to economics that are counter-empirical.

[Nathanael Snow]

Be careful with your debt - free initiative. I think it is a wonderful idea to espouse frugality, and fasting needs to be shared more and more and more. But the whole debt - free paradigm is easily compromised by legalism.
The ability to mortgage property has lead both to increases in standard of living, and abuses of the same. Debt is a tool, like a shovel. Sometimes it is misused, but often it is quite helpful, and the right thing to do. Before going full - out in opposing debt look into the right balances.

[Daniel Kam]

On Beauty's Road has begun a similar conversation to the one here. Just thought I'd try to connect the two.

[Martin]

The honest answer is we're not!

But thanks for asking the question and the few suggestions that have followed, this is definitely something I'm going to start a conversation about with my community. If we come up with anything I'll let you know!

[Eliacin Rosario-Cruz]

Well... I guess we are doing the traditional sharing of some of our resources. Buying most of our staples in bulk, Sharing as much, in order not to buy what others in the house already own, even if it is not "communally" own, there are many things that are shared. Growing about 40% of our vegetables in our little urban garden. Canning, processing, home baking, home brewing, home educating, home entertaining etc...

There not a big scheme, even though sometime soon we will be having a house meeting about home economics. Just simple everyday intentional decisions of what values we reflect and enact in the way we use our time, energy and resources.

Some of us in the Seattle local area, are working on the idea on how we can support each other in more concrete ways, maybe something similar to relational tithe, but at a local scale.

[Chris Smith]

About 10 years ago, we started a Community Development corporation (CDC), which provides a legal umbrella for the economic activity of our church. The CDC started doing traditional community development work, fixing up abandoned homes in our urban neighborhood, but has grown to be a sort of incubator for small businesses that emerge out of the gifts of people in our church community: e.g., my work in publishing/bookselling/book-reviewing.

Some of the things that we have appreciated about our CDC:
- Across the board, our businesses are not driven by profit and the market but rather by the actual cost that we incur for our services.
- It provides an opportunity for many of our people to work together
- It's a great way to engage our neighbors and work with them toward the restoration of our neighborhood (and at the same time hopefully staving off gentrification).

Chris Smith
Englewood Christian Church
Indianapolis

[Magdalena Perks]

That sounds like a great idea, wish we had time to organize something here. Black Friday isn't quite so prevalent in Canada - we've already had Thanksgiving. But many border people hop over to the States to shop that day. Who knows why? We are in total agreement about debt. It is an instrument of Satan. We've got one student loan hanging over our heads, and can't wait to get rid of it. For us, that is a huge change in paradigm, going without debt. It means we don't always have a car, or a house of our own and have to come up with some creative solutions. It means our home-based business gets put on hold from time to time until we save up for equipment and material. That's just the way it is. It also means we can give generously when the need arrives, because our earnings aren't committed six ways from First Day. Yes, we live small, but that's meant a stronger prayer life and better emotional health.

[Magdalena Perks]

It's astounding how many people no longer know how to garden, can, brew, sew or knit! These small initiatives on a personal/household basis can add up to a big change in a community if enough people learn how to do them.

[Carl Peet]

We're stripping down and paring back, given up our vehicle and taking the bus, homecooking and experimenting with clothesmaking( emphasis on the word experiment!). Space currently stops us from community gardening although when we move to Wales next year, gardening and growing are going to play a big part in our rhythm. We're seeing what appear initially constrictive moves quickly become freeing, with what were once held as necessities quickly becoming viewed as (unnecessary luxuries). As a family we addressed our debt a couple of years ago after a period of self examination, God has impressed upon us the need to tread lightly in the matter of finances, and its great to see my 6 and 11 year old excited at the thought on spending their pocket money on feeding others. We aim to carry this over into community with our focus on sustainability, simplicity and availability both in finances and resources. Travelling light is what we aim for!

[Magdalena Perks]

My recommendation is get a good sewing machine! For a long time I didn't attempt anything very complicated, but then I got a (free) commercial grade machine (a Pfaff) which my husband repaired and now it sews like a miracle. I am pleased to be able to make clothing and other things (seat covers are next, a rather complicated design.) Other suggestions: remake out of date or too-big clothes, use old gift wrap for pattern pieces, and buy the best thread you can. There is a big difference between the cheap dime-store stuff and the good European thread. Also, fabric and thread should be kept out of the sun, as UV weakens a lot of fibres. God bless you.