J.R. Briggs

Missional [Q]: What are ways to get involved in my community?”

July 24, 2009

Before we talked about who to spend time with to get to know the needs of your community. Some have asked another question: “What are ways to get involved in my community?”

1. Join a gym. The YMCA is a great place to see and meet a diverse group of people.
2. Join the Chamber of Commerce. It’s a great way to get to know area businesses and businessmen/women. The whole point of the chamber of commerce is networking. Very few churches join, but its a purposeful space for connection.
3. Attend council meetings. Yeah, the open secret is that they are long and boring (even council members will tell you that) but coming 30 minutes before they begin and staying after they finish allows for some great connections to be made.
4. Get an official city calendar of events and attend them. Concerts, educational workshops, kids productions, volunteer opportunities. Your local government office should have a calender, either in print or online.
5. Coach little league. One of the best (and often overlooked) ways to serve and get involved in the life of families in your community.
6. Hang out regularly at the library and read the posted signs and advertisements. Lots of ways to get involved if you just look around the checkout desk.
7. Volunteer. Somewhere. Anywhere. Doing anything. Just do it.
8. Host your neighbors for a dinner/BBQ/party.
   
9. Walk the streets to meetings. If you can’t walk, bike. Rearrange/reschedule your meetings, if possible, to be closer.
10. Frequent popular restaurants and get to know the regulars and the wait staff.
11. Find a local barber. Sure, Super Cuts can cut your hair, but (for males especially) getting a real, old-school barber can be of the best resources you could find. They’ll tell you everything that is going on around town and introduce you to some others who are experts in the community.
12. Find the “third places” in your community – coffeeshops, parks, pubs, libraries, hangouts and watering holes, both inside and outside.
13. Do a ride-along with the police department. I mentioned this in the previous post, but its so significant I’ll mention it again, but in greater detail. Many law enforcement departments (like ours) allow local citizens to ride along with the officers for a shift – sort of like a real-life COPS* episode in many aspects. I did an 11pm to 8 am ride along shift when we lived in Colorado Springs with a friend of mine who is a police officer. It blew my mind. Call the police station and ask if your city allows for ride-alongs. If they do, schedule a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night shift. They’ll need to do a background check beforehand, but it is a fantastic learning experience. If you decide to do this, be prepared. You won’t look at your city the same again. It will mess with you as you see first-hand the brokenness on streets that you’ve only seen in daylight. You have no idea what goes on in your community while you sleep.
14. Read these two books: If you are unfamiliar with the term “third place” I recommend you read The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenberg and Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks).
15. Read -and write to – your local newspaper: Seems obvious, but one of the best ways to learn (and pray) for the needs of your city is to read the paper daily (if possible) – before they go out of business. Maybe even consider writing an editorial for the paper when appropriate.

Any other ways you’ve participated in and would recommend?

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