Who: Tony and Elaine
Church: New City – Glenwood (Second Visit)
Lunch: Honey Seed
Topics: “Coincidences” and Collaboration
Well, it only took me 10 weeks to break one of the rules for this project… not duplicating church visits. But, I’m actually taking this as a HUGE moment of growth win. Ten years ago, I would have clung to the “stick to the rules” mentality at all costs, missing the bigger picture. But I learned years ago that flexibility and openness usually lead to the most meaningful experiences, even if it means letting go of my own expectations.
So, what precipitated this deviation…
If I was a betting woman… all my chips would be on the Lord.
And this is where my personal writing project intersects with my work life… and where things have the potential to become messy, complicated beautiful. For those who aren’t familiar with our story, here’s a very brief synopsis for context (as it relates to church/faith/ministry): Our oldest daughter, Sydney, started an organization called Be The Change Youth Initiative when she was 15… and it started as a ministry… born from a deep pain intentionally inflicted upon her by a misogynistic youth pastor who belittled her desire to create change in our community and actively discouraged other students from getting involve. (Yes, we know how asinine it sounds… but we also wouldn’t be where we are today if it hadn’t happened. So here’s to making some pretty great lemonade out of some really bad lemons.)
Sydney wanted to create a place where youth, no matter their age, would be ENCOURAGED to use their gifts and talents to help others. And that’s exactly what we did for two years… as a ministry. Essentially, this meant we were engaging with youth and families within Christian communities and the non-profits we partnered with were also faith-based organizations. But that changed in 2018 when we were approached by a chapter of Make-A-Wish in Texas and we took BTCYI on the road.
When we chose to stay on the road in 2019, focusing on conversations with youth and families about the mental health crisis, most of our contacts were within church circles because Sydney was still working with a team within the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) circles in Nashville. However, those connections quickly disintegrated as we recognized the link between youth mental health struggles and the trauma they were experiencing within the institutional church. This realization had a profound impact on the music Sydney and Brayden created and CCM wanted nothing to do with it. (It is also one of the reason why they now perform under the name In the Company of Wolves.)
And it was the absolute BEST thing that could have ever happened to my kids.
So… why do I share this?
Because last week Sydney and I found ourselves in a two day workshop with members of six other organizations to talk about collaboration… and half of the organizations were faith based. One of the men was Anthony, pictured above with his wife Elaine. I wish I could share all the “coincidences” that unfolded over those two days; but, needless to say, there were too many to actually be a coincidence. Each of us walked into this cohort, partnered with another organization, working on our own individual projects. But, as we sat together, each bringing our diverse backgrounds and unique experiences, sharing our stories, we began to see a powerful overlap in our work.
It wasn’t a duplication of programs or services, which can often happen in a town with so many non-profits. Instead, we began to see where one program ended, another naturally picked up. But, better yet, we each began to see how our individual programs could benefit from collaboration…. and not from a financial standpoint. Honestly, I don’t think any of us even talked about finances during those two days. We were more excited about the potential for true impact and transformation in our community… especially for youth.
So, a few days later I emailed Tony, told him about this project, and asked if I could attend church with him and his wife. Afterwards, we went to lunch and didn’t talk about the sermon once. But, we did talk about life and work and what happened over those two days at the workshop… and we began dreaming.
And since then Sydney and I have started putting work behind the dream.
A key goal of this year-long experiment is to discover how people of faith can come together to drive meaningful community transformation—without spotlighting any single church or denomination. The vision is to create a shared space where individuals, united by purpose rather than labels, can collaborate on initiatives that make a tangible difference. By focusing on values and the common good, rather than organizational affiliations, the aim is to foster a sense of unity that transcends traditional boundaries, encouraging diverse voices to contribute and allowing the impact, not the institution, to shine. This approach seeks to highlight the power of collective action, rooted in faith, that’s accessible to anyone committed to serving others and enriching the community.
I can’t believe I’m only 10 weeks in to this little project… and the threads I’ve been gently pulling are now intertwining. I’m not sure what the final product will be, but it feels like it’s starting to take on a life of its own. It’s like watching puzzle pieces fall into place—only I still don’t know what the picture will look like. There’s something so thrilling in the unknown. It’s almost as though the project is leading me.
And, if my children are reading… this is what walking by faith looks like.
CHALLENGE: Do you have dreams for your community? Spend some time thinking/talking about those dreams. Our family strongly believes that each of us has unique gifts that can help make our community a better place. (Follow-up question: What special gifts do you bring to the table?)
Searching for Jesus in A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶ Chattanooga 