Vision for Mission

Hi, my name is Neil Barringham and I’m a member of the Waiters Union Training Team. I live in Highgate Hill with my wife Penny and our two children. As a family we are currently including Penny’s 93-year-old mother into our home and neighbourhood. This is an exciting and challenging venture, challenging me to deal with my penchant for busy-ness and to find ways to open up time and energy to welcome her to our home.

I have been involved in responding to the call to mission for some years. Currently I am particularly interested in spending time in my neighbourhood with people who don’t normally get given the time of day by others. For example, I go on a regular picnic to catch up with some isolated people. Through knowing them I get the opportunity to get involved in issues they face around housing, friendship, employment or abuse. It’s been great exploring how to include our friends into a local church community too.

In my work with Vision for Mission I am facilitating Project Hope with Neil Hockey. Project Hope is a network for nurturing hopes, for reminding us of our call and for helping us to be more genuinely engaged in our communities. I facilitate a Project Hope meeting in West End every six weeks or so on a Saturday morning. The purpose of the meetings is for camaraderie, reflection, inspiration, story-sharing and training. People travel from across Brisbane and even from around the region to these meetings. Usually there are 15-25 in attendance. Generally our meetings begin with a cup of tea and a welcome time. Then follows a presentation or story with discussion.

People say that they find the meetings a safe place and an opportunity for discussion about issues they don’t get much input on. Some who attend are active in their local congregations. Project Hope is also a support base for others who do not currently have meaningful church involvement.

Topics we’ve covered have included living well in an age of fear, living and working on the margins, faith outside the four walls of the church, coping in bureaucracies and organisations, rediscovering evangelism we can relate to, developing circles of support for people who are struggling.

Recently I have been visiting people who attend Project Hope and thinking through ways that we can develop the network as a more potent resource for people in 2008.

We launched Project Hope in 2008 on February 9th focusing on Doing Prayer Justice.

Coming up this year

15th March – Dealing with Affluenza – We are richer but also fatter, sicker and sadder. What are the healthier alternatives?

19th April – The Peoples of God – How can we live as people of faith in a world with many peoples of many faiths?

24th May – Sexuality, Morality and Community – living with integrity with people who express sexuality differently

5th July – Be Not Afraid – How to be at peace in an age of anxiety

Anyone interested in building more meaningful connections in your community, or in doing church better, or wanting to work out a compassionate faith in cynical times may find Project Hope worth checking out.

Download the Project Hope brochure for 2008 here.