Going full circle

8th July 2013

Just back from an interesting evening visiting a program run by Mooresville Christian Mission. It seemed to be called “Circles” but I may have got that wrong.

In essence it is a program aimed at helping those in poverty find a way out and supporting them through it. The clients of the program each work with a mentor (an Ally) who encourages them and offers advice. The clients (Circle Leaders) set goals to work towards improving their situation.

It sounds a little bit like the program offered by Christians Against Poverty back in the UK – though I don’t think Circles seeks to help clients manage the debt. https://capuk.org/

Everyone meets for a meal at the start of the evening and as I understand it on a normal evening would then go into groups to share the issues they have faced in the previous week. But this evening the Circle Leaders and the Allies had separate supervision sessions. I felt it would be best if I went with the Allies.

A common theme was the Allies' inability to solve the problems of their clients. One lady confessed, sheepishly, that she’d bought her Circle Leader food recently. This is discouraged. All the other Allies admitted they had done the same at various times.

There was also a concern about sign posting to other agencies / places of expertise. The Allies felt they did not have sufficient knowledge.

One male Ally admitted that he wanted to fix things – though he recognised this was a typically male trait and he couldn’t fix things! But the lady who had bought food said something similar.

I listened in to the discussion with interest and then the facilitator asked if I had any comments. I endorsed what the group had said and assured them that similar issues would occur in the UK. I said about the importance of keeping a professional distance/ boundaries but I also recognised that for caring Christian people this would not always be easy as we’re not heartless.
One of the biggest issues facing people on the program is that they find work but then find that they are worse off than when they were on benefits and fall in to the poverty trap. I said this was the same in the UK all too often. It’s a crazy situation.

On a lighter note. One of the group said to me afterwards “I could listen to you talk all night” which always boosts the ego! (Though probably she just liked the accent rather than the garbage I was spouting!)

I was driven back to the parsonage by a Fairview member who had lived in Mooresville all her life. And as we drove down Main Street she pointed out how things had changed. But the lovely thing about Mooresville is that it still has its main street of shops including a wonderful old ironmonger's shop.