Author Archives: mbruno

Seeing What’s There

“Are you counting down the days?” Someone asked me this question after church on Sunday, after I told them I only had 3 weeks left. I replied that I only counted them to remind myself to make every one of them matter. This experience has been amazing. When I finished my interview with Broadway this past spring I remember thinking, “this sounds like it’s out of my comfort zone, but it can change my life if I let it.” The thing about change is that we think it will be dramatic and obvious, as if one day I would have an encounter so powerful I wouldn’t be able to see life the same way. However, that isn’t how it works. When I stopped to reflect I realized that I had grown a lot, it just didn’t feel that way because it has happened over time. I was walking around the neighborhood by the church on my own, and realized that I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing that my first few weeks here, but as the kids I work with–who go around the neighborhood to get to the know the gifts and talents of their neighbors–showed me around their neighborhood I became comfortable. That is how life works, it isn’t a magical encounter, but an effort to get to know the people around you. It isn’t shutting down a conversation when it gets uncomfortable or awkward, but trying to navigate through it.

At the Boston Public Library, on my trip to learn from the Family Independence Initiative.

At the Boston Public Library, on my trip to learn from the Family Independence Initiative.

I have had amazing opportunities this summer. I learned from an organization called the Family Independence Initiative in Boston about how other families and support systems are their greatest resource. I’ve witnessed a lot of amazing things around the neighborhood during my time at Broadway. I’ve witnessed a father express his pride for his son. I’ve witnessed neighbors telling the kids how great they are and to keep doing what they’re doing. I’ve witnessed people sharing their goals and dreams with the kids. I’ve also witnessed kids make connections over shared interests with neighbors. That’s the thing, I’ve been doing a lot of witnessing. These great stories I’ve witnessed happened regardless of whether they’ve been shared with me, but these encounters often lead to an acknowledgement of the great things the neighbors have done, and I get an opportunity to share what I’ve heard with others. The phrase for this at Broadway is to “make the invisible visible.” My time here at Broadway has shown me how easy it is to be blind to talent, and how easy it is to be surprised. The neighbor who seems reluctant to talk shares a powerful story. The kid who usually stands in the back, steps up and introduces the group. You never know what’s invisible. People are constantly surprising each other, and I wonder why I’m continually surprised that I’m surprised.

As I reflect on my time here at Broadway, I wonder if my own neighborhood is really that different, or if I hadn’t been paying attention. So, while I may only have a few weeks left at Broadway, I’ll go back to my own neighborhood and eventually move on to new ones, and I’ll be paying attention to the people around me and the value they bring to the community.

Gifts are Greater

I didn’t know what to expect this summer.  When I read the placement descriptions there was something about Broadway United Methodist Church that caught my attention: their focus on conversation and community.  However, it was at a church and I was not a theology major or planning to go into ministry work.  When I arrived on my first day I very quickly realized that Broadway was different than any of the churches I’d been to, and that started with the building.  Valpo may be home to the largest collegiate chapel in the United States, but I was still overwhelmed by the size of Broadway, or at least the way in which the space is used.  Broadway has 9 kitchens; it is home to an architecture firm, artists’ studios, a pottery studio, a dance studio, and a boutique.  I’m still not entirely sure where to find everything.  Broadway uses its space for the community and to support the community.  If the space can be used for someone share a gift or talent, it will be used.  This is because Broadway is focused on gifts and talents.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading and a lot of listening my first few weeks at Broadway to help me better understand their work.  Broadway practices Assets Based Community Development.  This means that instead of asking someone what they need, you ask them what they’re good at.  Sometimes I feel like I am having to un-train myself.  I think many people have become so accustomed to caring for needs and seeing volunteer work as servicing a need, that the idea that there is another way to approach work with those in poverty has never crossed their minds.  However, asking people what they need is also asking them what they don’t have.  Assets based work moves away from a needs approach and looks at what gifts or assets a community has.  As Rev. Mather told me in a story about some of his previous work on one of my first days, “we stopped asking people how poor they were, and started asking them how rich they were.”  This is about seeing worth; it’s networking and finding gifts in the community that can be shared to the benefit of others.  It is about communities that are invested in one another: people who watch out for kids and have skills that their neighbors can benefit from and vice versa.  Assets based work means that people have agency, and it also shows that communities already have the talent and tools to be stronger when people work together.  We all benefit from an assets based approach because we build relationships.

I’ve had many conversations and been introduced to many people in my first few weeks.  I’ve listened as an artist shared stories of his process, and shared insight into the power of observation.  I’ve interviewed students for the summer roving program—where kids go around to meet and bless their neighbors—and listened to them describe themselves and their neighbors.  This week we’ve been going to the homes of the students that were hired to get to know them and their parents.  As myself and the other intern and roving coordinators walk to these homes, I learn more about the neighborhood and the people I am working with.  The first visits in the neighborhood were intimidating.  Talking to strangers is not easy, but every conversation has taught me something.  Everyone is so friendly, and the conversations go in so many directions, pleasantly surprising me as I learn about the people in this community.  I find that I already recognize faces as we walk to the next house, and people are quick to say hello if you walk past them on their porch.  We live in communities and we benefit from remembering that, from having conversations and sharing our gifts.  When we start to build relationships we see people for what they have, and the idea that we can miss out on gifts because we focus on needs is a reminder of how important conversation and connection is.  We all benefit when we see our neighbor for their gifts and talents.