Hope Together Resources

Thank you for participating in Hope Together: Adventures in the Spirit. Everything you need to share this journey with your church is below. New resources will be added following each workshop.

Please feel free to download these resources and print them for your local church. If you have questions or need assistance, contact Kristopher Swanson at hello@neighboringmovement.org.

Coaching Call

As a part of “Hope Together,” we are offering coaching calls with Rev. Adam between and post workshops. These calls can be used to brainstorm ideas, clarify homework assignments or content from the workshop, troubleshoot places of resistance, practice being free to fail, and celebrate along the way. Click the button below to schedule a coaching call for your local church.

Resources

Workshop 1: Remember and Abundance

The following resources were created to guide your ‘homework’ before Workshop 2. They are ready to download and use within your local church.

Homework Folder

Before the March Workshops, every church has the following tasks to do as homework.

  1. Individual ReCycle: Try out the Individual ReCycle Template as a practice of personal discernment. Start with an area in your life where you need some clarity or a next step. Make this your focus question and come up with a mini-experiment to move toward discernment. After you complete the mini-experiment, do the ReCycle again.

  2. Remember Step: Do the Remember step of the ReCycle for yourself and your church. Get started now putting the story together. The deeper the story, the more meaningful the Reflect step will be. Keep this process connected to building relationships.

  3. Learning Conversations: Do Learning Conversations with people who go to your church.

Click the button to get worksheets that will help you with the homework.

Handouts Folder

The following resources were provided during Workshop 1 in January. They are available for download to use within your local church.

Neighboring Movement Packet

You will find the handouts provided at Workshop 1 by clicking the button below.

DS Handouts Packet

The documents in this section inform your District Superintendent as to why an approach like The ReCycle and focusing on relationships and abundance may best guide us toward the future. The information about demographics, church size dynamics, church life-cycles, and church growth only provide background information that may or may not be helpful when putting your church’s story together. They are shared by the District Superintendent from a place of compassion, with the hope of validating each church’s experience since we are all in good company, and with a spirit of celebrating the existence of each witness of faith in so many communities where people live and work. This information is only descriptive and not prescriptive. The information may reflect some of our reality and we can do amazing ministry!  Stay curious and use only what is helpful to release the paralyzing effects of shame and guilt, and to shift your church’s focus from scarcity to abundance.

Workshop 1 Video

If you missed workshop 1 the video below is from the online session offered on Feb. 4, 2022. Feel free to share this with others in your congregation.

Workshop 2: Reflect and Authenticity

The following resources were created to guide your ‘homework’ before Workshop 3. They are ready to download and use within your local church.

Homework Folder

Before the next round of workshops, we ask that each church try out one of more of these homework activities!

  1. The Signs of Authenticity Exercise: We encourage you to participate in this exercise to help name what feels authentic to you as an individual and to your church family. We recommend either completing this exercise with those in your church who are participating in the Hope Together workshops OR with the leaders on your Administrative or Church Council.

  2. Learning Conversations: Do learning conversations with your neighbors - those who live next door to you where you live, those who live around your church building, those who participate in your outreach program, and those in your community!

  3. We Can Game (Adult or Youth Version): Bring the “We Can” game to a small group at your local church and remind one another of all the gifts and skills your congregation already has!

  4. Ladder of Participation: Invite a small group (or your mission/outreach team) to consider the programs and ministries within your local church. How might your ministries move up the ladder of participation so that participants are more connected and relationships can be cultivated?

Handouts Folder

The following resources were provided during Workshop 2 in March. They are available for download to use within your local church.

Workshop 2 Video

Workshop 3: Reveal and ABCD

The following resources were created to guide your ‘homework’ before Workshop 4. They are ready to download and use within your local church.

Homework Folder

Before the next round of workshops, we ask that each church try out one of more of these homework activities!

  1. Build An Asset-Map with Your Local Church: Before your network meeting, we recommend taking time with your local church to build your asset-map. This can be both within your local church and in the area surrounding. This way you can be prepared to combine your asset-map with other local churches so that the giftedness in your network can begin to be revealed!

  2. Learning Conversations: Continue doing learning conversations with your neighbors to build your asset-map. This can be with those who live next door to you where you live, those who live around your church building, and those who are leaders in your community!

  3. Attend a Network Meeting to Build a Community Asset-Map: Beginning July 1st, your District Superintendent will be districting your church networks. You can expect to receive an email from your network leader before Workshop 4 so that your network can begin to build relationship and build your network’s asset-map.

Handouts Folder

The Hutchinson & Salina District liaison, Rev. Melissa Gepford, presented on the tool "Mission Insite." Here are helpful links for you and your local church to begin uncovering the demographic details of your community:
The following resources were provided during Workshop 3 in late April and May. They are available for download to use within your local church.

Workshop 3 Video

We did not have a full online session for this workshop, but we did record a brief video sharing the essential concepts of Asset Based Community Development.

Workshop 4: Release and Our Growing Gifts Garden

The following resources were created to guide your work beyond Hope Together. They are ready to download and use within your local church.

Handouts Folder

During our fourth workshop, we heard from many speakers about different Great Plains Annual Conference resources that are available for you and your church to use as you discern how God is calling you forward. Check out the presentations below:

The Neighboring Movement Resources

Because of our partnership with the Great Plains Annual Conference, several resources from The Neighboring Movement are available to Hope Together participants at no cost.

The ReCycle Resources

If you would like to use our community discernment tool, The ReCycle, individually or as a church, click the button below. You can download a PDF version of the ReCycle booklet, order your own copy, or download other ReCycle templates.

Key Ingredients of Neighboring Worship Bundle

Interested in bringing neighboring to your church? Download this worship bundle which outlines a four-week sermon series focused on the key ingredients of neighboring. This bundle includes: a worship guide with liturgy, sermon notes, children’s sermons, and more & a four-week adult Sunday school curriculum complete with participant and leader guides.

Continuing Education Certificates

For any pastors wanting to include Hope Together in their continuing education requirements, please click the button below to download your CEU certificate. Note: please download the CEU certificate based on how many workshops you attended and mark which workshops you attended.