Via Raineer Chu:
The Shalom house was created by urban poor mothers, consisting of four pillars or posts symbolizing the four minimum basic needs (housing, livelihood, education and health). The pillars are tied together by a beam which is community organizing. Community organizing empowers the community and allows them to access resources outside the community which they normally could not as individuals. The roof is Shalom which means the ideal condition for sustainability. Any work to last must contend with the elements of shalom——peace with God, peace with men and peace with creation…The church is at the center of the whole transformational work. The church must become the catalyst for change and empowering the people, organizing the community, sustaining projects, etc. Being an insider, the local church is the best candidate for these roles. Biblically, the local church should also be the central figure. The Bible says the
church is at the center of the whole plan of redemption…the gospel is a display of the human interaction within the Messianic Community, the local church living out the Kingdom.
Points:
- Success for individuals = poor move from being receivers to givers.
- Success for community = organized to meet common needs.
- The model described in the abstract above effectively guides community interventions.
- The local church should lead by being the model of a shalom community.
Factoids:
- Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) send $14B back home, greater than top 10 Filipino companies combined.
- 97% repayment rate in microfinance.
