A1: How to be an unconditional blessing

Biblical intro

The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:1-3 NIV UK

The idea of both being blessed by God and embodying that blessing to others – blessed to be a blessing – is a founding principle within the Bible. This ‘How to’ guide explores how people have sought to live out this principle of ‘blessed to be a blessing’ on new housing estates.

At a glance

Unconditional blessing embodies the nature of God in our new communities. This guide explores how unconditional blessing takes place through the stakeholder and structures at a macro-level, and also through relationships and community engagement at a micro-level.

Key Points

Embodying unconditional blessing was the first value that The Stowe team embraced as Ali and her family prepared to move into the first house on the new estate. The phrase ‘Called to bless’ underpinned everything, from planning the day – how can I be a blessing? – to evaluating it – was I a blessing today? Lythan also noted the foundational importance of the principle of ‘Blessed to be a blessing’. It is vital that blessing is unconditional and is genuinely focussed on the good of the community not the agenda of The Church or individual pioneer/minister.

Being a blessing can be embodied practically on both a macro and micro level (i.e. with stakeholders and the local community/individual residents).

Macro-Level – Blessing the community by building relationships with the council, planners, and other stakeholders

This needs to begin before anyone moves in, as well as continuing into the ongoing life of the new community. Whilst the purpose of the blessing is centred upon the community advocating for the future and current residents, experience has shown that the structures and stakeholders can also be blessed and indeed be a blessing as ‘people of peace’.

Sue, Penny, Helen and Ali all worked with the stakeholders before houses were completed and occupied. In doing so they were able to speak into the ethos of the development in various ways. There is a sense in which, by being involved at an early stage, we are able to dig blessing into the very foundations of the new community.

Ali attended every community meeting in the consultation phase of the new development. These meetings covered the plans for the area and school consultations. Ali was the only member of the public that attended the meetings, as it was too early for people to have decided to move to the new area and existing residents in surrounding areas were attending protest meetings rather than positive consultation. Ali was able to raise issues regarding community infrastructure and the school on behalf of not-yet-residents which legally had to be taken into account. These meetings also enabled a friendship to grow with the stakeholders.

It is important to have a servant heart in relation to the stakeholders and to bring a Christian distinctive of love, even when faced with challenging plans and questions about community provision. (Community blessing is enabled when there are good relationships with the wider stakeholders. This is linked with a posture of servanthood. One team began their blessing by contacting the council, at least five years before the housing estate was built, in response to community consultation and asking how they could serve. Sue, who now heads up the engagement on behalf of an ecumenical group of churches, is able to bless the developers by being at the grassroots of the development alongside the residents. By forming strong relationships with the council, developers and housing association alongside local residents, she is able to bring the blessing of being a peacemaker and bring together different perspectives and opinions. Similarly, Penny at Ebbsfleet notes how you can be a blessing to the whole community by bringing together churches, councils and developers for the good of the estate.

Micro-Level – Blessing the community by community engagement and friendship

Once people move on to the estate, blessing can be embodied practically with the residents. Penny and Ali both noted that they embodied God’s blessing by visiting new residents with a gift. Ali stresses the importance of the unconditionality of the gift. When she delivered welcome baskets she shared her contact details with the new residents so that they could get in touch with her, but did not ask for any of their details in return. ‘Some people shared their life stories, others just said ‘thank you’, but most importantly there was no expectation to share – it was a pure gift.’ This is an important unspoken embodiment of the gospel. Offering genuine friendship rather than an institutional client approach is also key to blessing – see ‘How to be Friends’.

This attitude of unconditional blessing can be woven into the ongoing life on the estate and relationships. Lythan, Penny and Ali all note the different activities that they facilitated in response to the wishes of the community rather than their own agenda, see also ‘How to join in with what the Holy Spirit is doing’ and also the importance of continuing the advocate on behalf of the community – particularly with those who don’t have a powerful voice. Ali has seen this lead to the creation of an ethos of blessing and contribute to individual transformation. One new resident wrote on Facebook that she was ‘blessing the community’ by giving away her baby clothes, others have been impacted by the embodiment of blessing and that has led them to explore faith.

Fiona notes that people find an attitude of unconditional blessing shocking. This is the power of the gospel.

Learning Points

‘Conditional blessing’ for the purposes of data collection, building ‘contacts’ etc is soon spotted.

Don’t be discouraged when plan A doesn’t work out! Penny tried to bless the community with an ‘Activity bus’ and began fundraising with the community. Ultimately, the developers did not allow the bus to be on the estate, but the community fundraising activities led to friendships and an unexpected outcome.

Blessing unconditionally leaves you open to people taking advantage – Jesus had the same problem. By being aware of this we can be more intentional in self-care, love and discipleship.

Engaging With New Housing