BUILT FOR GOOD?
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Built for Good? |
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an exploration of sustainable communities,
environments, and the role of Christians and churches
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| Introduction: Central to the work of the East Midlands Churches Forum is the churches role in influencing community building. Churches of various types are present in every community, providing support, buildings, care and the commitment of volunteers. A new wave of development is imminent: |
| · New towns, eco-towns and major urban extensions are again at the centre of planning activity |
| · Sustainable Development has been identified as a key aspiration of policy development |
| · Major building projects will progress in the drive for economic recovery |
| · That progress is less likely to be market led than in recent years |
| · The need for affordable housing dominates many local concerns |
| · All are concerned about ecological and climate impacts |
| · Community building is now recognised as vital but there is little consensus on means |
| · Churches which have been at the heart of many historic communities are lower in the developers priorities but re-emerging as defenders of “Life” values in our society |
| Key messages: |
| · Growing and Changing Communities need anchors and champions committed to the common good. Those anchors are about people and values and despite the common factor of “place” are unlikely to be generated by local authorities and political leads. |
| · Faith and other community leaders are legitimised by culture and tradition for this role and should be able to claim support from authorities, developers and funders. This is not about special pleading but about historic reflection, an understanding of “culture”. |
| · New build should be located and constructed sustainably – and again history has much to teach us about factors to consider. This is symbiosis, not just materials engineering. |
| · Technological change is real influencing the problem solutions – but we need a long view, encompassing interactions at least as complex as the Regional Integrated Strategy |
| · Public policy needs to be steered in better directions but progress will be both pragmatic and piece-meal – there is never a blank page. |
| · For our churches the challenge is always to be incarnate in community – positioned as a channel for service - concerned with the whole person, whole society, whole earth |
| Inputs to the Forum: |
| Community: What are the key needs of new or redeveloped communities – how far can they be relocated – what links are essential to existing economic and social structures to underpin social health. How can we establish identity and belonging around new places. Where do culture and aesthetics enter the calculation and how can they be grounded where ordinary people can engage. |
| Planning: What are the key drivers, decisions and opportunities for influence in the planning process to achieve a sea-change from mechanistic thinking. Is there a social “sequential test” which can be set alongside the spatial ones. How do economic and ecological sustainability affect the equation. |
| Technology: Most would want to place the impact of IT alongside the current need for transport, while building materials and energy use are subject to massive research, while many existing technologies are underused. |
| People “owning” Places: is the declared objective of all – what models of community planning and initial support can be shown to work with the political realities and the people themselves |
| Active churches: What approaches are relevant to church planting, church building, community support and wider mission in communities in transition. What is the model for “urban church”. |
Spiritual reflections will be offered by church leaders, drawing on the themes and discussions of the day designed to point us towards a spiritually inspired model which we can promote to policy makers and planners, an approach around which we can coalesce for church engagement at community and political levels.
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| Interjections will be invited throughout the day with a more complete analysis in a workshop ahead of the plenary conclusion. |
| Who should attend: local, sub-regional and regional strategists and activists from both church and secular society across the region. Political leaders, Officers, Arch-deacons/rural deans and equivalents, mission planners and any interested in growth areas from a political, environmental or community development perspective. |
| To reserve your place please e-mail: emcfadmin@btconnect.com with full contact details and indicating any special needs by 5th March or call 0777 877 2176 to check availability. |
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Built for Good 2010 Hand Bill.pdf | 2.51 MB |
| Built for Good PROGRAMME.doc | 1.49 MB |
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