Episcopal Health Foundation provided funding for local faith organizations to receive the Holy Currencies training from Kaleidoscope Institute.
Holy Currencies is a holistic model for stewardship and congregational vitality, moving beyond “time, talent, and treasure” to create missional and sustainable ministries. This model with its processes enables church leaders to understand, develop, and utilize five other kinds of currencies besides money that are essential for creating sustainable and missional ministries. These currencies are Time & Place, Gracious Leadership, Relationship, Truth, and Wellness. These currencies flow and recirculate to form a Cycle of Blessings which empowers congregations to strengthen their internal relationships as well as reach out and connect with the diverse populations in their neighborhoods.
This group of faith leaders in Bastrop County have completed their Holy Currencies training and now wants to bring together faith groups from all beliefs, neighborhoods, sizes, languages, and ethnicities to work together to serve not only their congregations but their communities as well.
Through the regular meetings of the Holy Currencies group, empower church and community leaders are empowered with skills and knowledge to serve their communities more inclusively by facilitating and developing access to their Holy Currencies, thereby making both the churches and their related communities more sustainable.
The Holy Currencies group doesn’t want to just sit. They want to serve. They will be partnering with Bastrop ISD to provide mentors at district campuses. This came after a conversation between a BISD staff member and Holy Currencies team member. It’s easy to identify what we THINK the school might need, but it’s important to have conversations to find out what it has identified as its true needs there are. Now, members of the Holy Currencies team are mobilizing to spread the word of the need within their congregations and host the Mentor Training that is needed.
This is how our community bands together to make it a better place for all – a place where neighbors know each other and prioritize the needs of the community so that we can all be stronger together. What a gift to see church congregations that interact with the wider community by maximizing the flow of spiritual, human, and economic resources!
Bastrop County Cares brings people together to collaborate around large community challenges that no one organization can solve on its own, to improve where our neighbors live, work, learn, pray and play. The work of each coalition falls within the Social Determinants of Health: healthcare access and quality, education access and quality, social and community context, economic stability, neighborhood, and built environment.
Regardless of which focus within the social determinants of health a coalition focuses on, their work is ultimately trying to make Bastrop County a better place to live, work, play, pray and learn. In each of the features from Bastrop County Cares, you’ll see that focus on community collaboration and sustainability.