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Who We Are: Located in Macon, the Centenary United Methodist Church was founded in 1884. Once a vibrant congregation, changes in the neighborhood overtime dwindled the the congregation's numbers. It became clear that both the church and neighborhood would not survive unless major changes were made. In 2005, the church began to work actively to reach out to and engage the surrounding neighborhood. The neighborhood reached back and the church was saved. The congregation is now extremely diverse and dedicated to addressing the concerns of the community in long-term and sustainable ways. The diversity of the congregation, both racially and socioeconomically, is something Centenary not only embraces, but is proud of.
Community member poses with his best friend in Macon
Macon Roving Listeners Green Team heads to their next interview
One of this summer's Macon Roving Listeners at workWhat We Do: Centenary has participated in Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) Real Communities by seeking ways to welcome people with disabilities and their families into the congregation, and offering opportunities for them to contribute. In the past, Centenary started a community garden and a transitional housing program for men. Centenary founded the Bicycle Program, which has adults with and without disabilities as paid employees who repair donated bicycles and give them to people without transportation.
Since 2012, Centenary has organized an annual summer Roving Listeners program with the goal of finding intentional ways to meet and make connections among people with and without disabilities to make the City of Macon a better place to live for everyone. Roving Listeners pays youth and adult supporters with and without disabilities to go into their community, meet their neighbors, and learn more about people’s individual gifts and talents. They aim to discover what they love about their neighborhoods; what their dreams are for the future; and how to connect them to others who may share common interests, gifts or dreams. The Roving Listeners host regular community dinners designed to bring neighbors together and support these connections. They also employ a Roving Connector who seeks opportunities to connect neighbors to one another.
In Summer 2014, listeners focused on revisiting neighbors they met over the past two to find ways to connect their gifts and passions to others in the community. They hosted four community dinners, two community clean-up events, expanded their relationship with Star Choices – a local disability support organization that is seeking to be a better part of the community – and provided six mini-grants to community members to teach a class or support a small community building project. As a requirement of these mini-grants, a person with a disability had to be a part of the project team. Additionally, two Roving Connectors were hired to work five hours per week to support the project, deepening connections that were formed over the past year.
In Summer 2015, the Roving Listeners project expanded and was asked to come to East Macon to be in partnership with the Mill Hill Project. Mill Hill is an artist residency and community revitalization area, spearheaded by the Macon Arts Alliance and the Urban Development Authority. The Roving Listeners are working with the residents of Mill Hill to listen for their hopes, dreams, identify their gifts and make sure the voices and talents of existing residents are a part of the planning and implementation of revitalizing their neighborhoods. This has involved genuine dialogue and empathetic listening to arrive at a true understanding of the community’s hopes for their neighborhoods. The listeners approached every household in the area and recorded the interviews done so that radio quality audio was captured. Professional photographers also worked with the Roving Listeners to capture portraits and candid shots of neighborhood residents. Their relationship with Star Choices continued and they added a new partner, Woodfield Academy, with two students and a teacher from the school working with them.
In 2016, the Roving Listeners will return to East Macon and work with artists to continue to hear and tell the stories there. Construction has already begun on the Mill Hill Arts Village and it is crucial that neighbors have input into the design and function of the public spaces.
For more information on the Centenary United Methodist Church or how to get involved, contact the Community Builder, Stacey Harwell, at .
In the News: The Centenary United Methodist Church Real Communities project was featured in an article from the Emory Candler School of Technology Click here to read the article.
Who We Are: The Korean Coalition - This group consists of first generation Korean immigrant families in metro Atlanta who have family members with disabilities. In our purposeful learning process, we have seen that often starting as a family group can be a powerful and empowering first step in building a group to act in the larger community. Once parents have the opportunity to connect with others who are facing similar barriers, access basic services and build some strength as a smaller group, they are more likely to join the larger community. Through learning journeys, relationships, Personal Futures Plans and Circles of Support, the members of the Coalition see the limitations of disability-only groups and the appeal of widening the lens to the entire community has become more clear and apparent.
The Korean Coalition community builder & a parent & active member in the Coalition
Two members of the Korean Coalition at a monthly meeting
First annual "Circles of Circles" picnicWhat We Do: Personal Futures Plans have been effective in providing opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in the Coalition to connect with families and the larger community. This allows the larger community to see the person with disabilities as a valued member of the community who has many gifts and talents. New friendships have been formed and new opportunities have been created as well. To date, six people have had a Personal Futures Plan, and many more people will have one soon. These Futures Plans have led to Circles of Support for many of the young people who have had one, thus opening avenues to community and opportunities both socially and economically.
Personal Futures Plans helped start a larger conversation within the Korean community, especially the churches, about how to remove social barriers to create a welcoming environment so that all people, even those with developmental disabilities, can participate in all aspects of church. The initial conversations with a couple of Korean churches have sparked an interest in other Real Communities across the State to work with religious organizations and community organizations to create welcoming spaces.
The Coalition hosts monthly meetings for anyone interested in joining them. Often meetings will be on a specific topic that families have requested. For example, the group has hosted trainings on topics including how to use assistive technology such as iPods and iPads, which was presented by the Institute on Human Development and Disability at the University of Georgia (IHDD), and a workshop presented by the Office of Civil Rights on the rights of non-English speaking families and people with disabilities in the school system. These meetings also serve as a time for the group to plan future events and community partnerships, as well as an opportunity to provide mutual support and networking.
On April 6, 2013, the Korean Coalition hosted their first "Circle of Circles" picnic at Jones Bridge Park in Norcross. For the picnic, members of the Coalition invited members of their Circles of Support for food, games and fun. Over 150 people with and without disabilities attended.
In June 2013, the Coalition and Circles of Support volunteered to host a booth at the Atlanta Zoo's Asian Heritage Day. Volunteers from the group, both with and without disabilities, taught traditional Korean games and crafts to attendees throughout the course of the day.
