COMMUNITY MEANS EVERY PERSON PARTICIPATING IN THE LIFE OF THE HOUSE

By now the house has a bit of a life of its own as we have settled into some natural rhythms and practices. We meet on a set night to discuss house matters and make decisions together. We gather each Sunday for reflection and prayer. We each have our nights where we make sure we're home to spend time with the young people in our care and share dinner with them. Having said that there's been a lot that has gone into getting the initiative off the ground and even now there are key areas to not only keep on top of but to see that we keep growing in these areas, using our God-given skills, innovation and imagination. We see these each of these areas as a shared responsibility but we're currently working towards matching people up with roles to oversee as part of the house. We see the following as important areas to maintain and develop:

Community care - ensuring that as a community we're looking out for each other, that we are making space for rest and fun and closer relationships.
Finance and property - making sure that money is coming in and out in an appropriate manner, that the house itself is being looked after properly and our relationship with the real estate agents is being nurtured.
Mission initiatives - being committed to using our gifts and passions to go and bless people and places that God calls us to.
Discipleship - ensuring that we are growing in our faith, letting go of things that don't belong, learning to hear from God more and more
Youth Support - making sure that the young people in our care are supported, safe and feeling at home as they work towards independent living.
Networking and partnerships - building important relationships with those who can strengthen and empower the vision of the house.
Hospitality - creating a genuinely inviting space for people in our homes, in our lives with food, drink, laughter, kindness and celebration.

We make decisions prayerfully and thoughtfully together. We recognise that autonomy creates a satisfied minority at odds with a dissatisfied majority whereas democracy creates a satisfied majority at odds with a dissatisfied minority. We believe that it is only through consensus and every one participating in the decisions of the house that true community can be created. No individual runs the shop. This seems to us to be the best possible environment for encouraging creativity and imagination, initiative and innovation, nurturing and unleashing gifts and passions, taking responsibility and developing leadership.

Pray that we'd continue to love and serve each other in the house in all the areas that we need to attend to, that God would give us inspiration and energy and that as we make decisions together we'd do so in the most loving and faithful ways.