micah challenge: voices for justice 2010 #2

Well, I’m sitting down typing this, waiting for the last session of the day to begin. Today has been a great day – thought-provoking, encouraging, challenging…

Arrived in Canberra about lunch time before hitting registration and then the first session with Dave Andrews talking about “The Be-Attitudes: Be The Change You Want To See In The World.” Dave spoke about the Beatitudes as a way of life set forth by Jesus for his followers requiring them to identify with the poor, mourn with them, desire justice, demonstrate integrity and respond non-violently to injustice done against oneself. This was followed soon after by a time of repentance – we must live the kind of lives we tell others to live.

I then sat in on an elective run by Dave Andrews entitled “Facilitating Social Change Through Community Development” where he answered questions about that topic. Dave’s proposed method on how to enact change in the context of systems and institutions went something like;

1. Don’t be conformed, but be committed to transformation (Romans 12).
2. Be smart about it – be as conformed as you can without compromising your commitment to transformation (Romans 13).
3. Look for a sponsor – someone higher up in the system to protect you and create space for you.
4. Find a couple of supporters – people who may be on the same level as you in the system but who will work with you.
5. Have a long term strategy – changing a regime does not change the system, and overthrowing the people on the top will only change the regime.
6. Have a short term strategy – simply moving up the chain of the system doesn’t help, as the people at the top are just as captive to it as anyone. Experiment on the edge – it doesn’t threaten anybody, and if you succeed the system may accept you and you may just transform it.
7. Subvert relationships – Make friends with all people so that no one holds the power.
8. Hold your experiment out on the edge as long as possible – Allow the system to collapse (like all systems eventually do) and this will give you the opportunity to bring your experiement into the institution as it is. This will transform the system.

Dave Andrews is an absolute freak (in the best possible way). His perspective on things is inspiring and challenging, and requires your full attention. I hope to hear much more from him over the next three days.

In other news, my Micah Challenge group has meetings with Sharon Bird (Member for Cunningham) on Monday and Scott Morrison (Member for Cook [my electorate] and Shadow Immigration Minister) on Tuesday. Please pray for us, that our meetings will have a lasting impact and will help make a transformation in Australia and the world, even if only small.

MCA