i started a fantastic book yesterday. it was originally recommended to us in February by Larry Bourgeois of Old St. George in Cincinatti and it's called The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community . as i was reading the preface, the second preface, the introduction, and, finally, the first chapter, i was thinking, "everyone in North America needs to read this book!" (apparently, from their comment on the back, World of Beer magazine agrees with me.)
community development, inspired by the Spirit through prophetic imagination, is something that Rob and I are increasingly excited about lately and this book is going to serve as a great resource. i'm sure we'll be writing more on this topic as we do more reading and as Rob works on his Senior Paper for Goshen College on the topic. this line of thinking is inspired not just by our involvement in the wonderful city of Three Rivers, Michigan, but also by blog comments posted by Gideon Strauss.
what's fascinating about Three Rivers (though the web site certainly doesn't convey its true character) is that it's a moldable community, not too far gone to be able to become one of North America's best communities for the development of the whole person. it has incredible potential--but we need help! we're already meeting folks within the community who have a vision for the city and we're working with them on a coffeehouse collective, but we need more people who are interested in:
intentional community living
community gardens
racial reconciliation
small independent theatres (film and live)
microbreweries/pubs
recycling programs
a "Conscious Consumer" grocery co-op
ethnic restaurants
...because we need these things and more! real estate is cheap and abundant and the community is open to change. so if you are passionate about shaping a Kingdom community and perhaps are wondering where life will lead you next, consider Three Rivers. amazing happenings are afoot! to be a part of it all, contact me by e-mail at kirstinvgr*at*cultureisnotoptional*dot*com or by mail at *culture is not optional, P.O. Box 1, Three Rivers, Michigan 49093. and if you're not ready to make the big move, please be encouraged to come for a visit any time!
Sorry if this throws anyone off--I edited this entry this morning and it showed up as a new entry on the catapult magazine homepage, even though it's from 2004.
By way of update to this entry, everything is still relevant. Three Rivers has continued to grow in a good direction, but could always use more visionary people. To learn more, show up on a Friday at 1pm at World Fare (37 N. Main Street, Three Rivers, MI 49093) for the weekly lunch potluck. By the way, Rob has since graduated from Goshen, the coffeehouse collective disbanded (making room for other new/renovated coffee shops in town), and Rob and I moved to Grand Rapids for a job at Calvin College. We remain passionate about the community in Three Rivers, however.
Kirstin,
It must have been providential that you re-posted this since I needed to re-read it at this very moment in time.
One question. Could you expand on the pregnant phrase "inspired by the Spirit through prophetic imagination"?
Thanks