Like a pebble in still water

A new idea is like dropping a pebble into still water. It hits hard where it lands and then the ripples expand from there, creating a bit of a disturbance because a change has taken place which moves further and further away from that singular point of impact.

Community Renewal is, in some ways, just like that. When we make contact with people and share the basic premise of our movement — that intentional friendships can not only change our lives, but our neighborhood, our city and our world — something stirs in them. A pebble has been dropped. A disturbance is felt that something now is not quite right and could be better. And THEY can do something about that. Then they carry that with them until they are ready to take action on their own toward renewing our world — and THAT is when the ripples begin.

An example of that is Girma and Lensa who live in Lancaster, PA. They learned about the Community Renewal movement from our wonderful International Community Coordinator here in the capital area, Teshome Wakene, and decided they DID care enough about the world to participate in renewing it. Here they are around their home table, with learning materials and Community Renewal International bumper stickers, planning the first steps they will take in their neighborhood. Step One: They joined the We Care Team.

It seems like a small thing. Two people sitting at their kitchen table. But what you see here in this photo is the drop of a stone in still water…. with ripples we can’t yet see but know are coming as Girma and Lensa start to share with others their vision for an intentionally caring neighborhood.

That is what commitment to caring is. In our world today it is an essential form of change. The question for each of us in Community Renewal Capital Area is – how many individuals can we reach and motivate to turn a quiet pool currently accepting things “as they are” into a kaleidoscope of ripples that change relationships, neighborhoods, and begin to joyfully expose the capacity of love and care hiding in full view in our diverse and beautiful city and its surrounding areas.