Missional living means much more than traveling to foreign countries on mission trips. \u00a0Sometimes we can travel to the margins and encounter God in the “other” in our own backyard. \u00a0As an example, consider Thrive, an organization striving to transform Abilene by bringing local communities together.<\/p>\n
Convinced that “charity is broken,” a small group of ACU graduates decided to do something about it. So, they founded Thrive and started working to address the problems they witnessed in the Abilene community. They didn’t see a need for more service organizations; our community already included many active and well-run programs. The problem, they determined, was that these various organizations were working in isolation from one another. They maintain, “No single organization can address all the complex challenges that are facing communities today.” Instead, if we are going to transform our community, these various organizations “must draw on the strengths of other organizations and the communities of which they are a part.” Thrive exists, therefore, to facilitate the conversations between various organizations and the rich communities in which they serve. They work to “empower individuals and organizations to reach their full potential.”<\/p>\n
You can learn more about Thrive at\u00a0their website<\/a>. To see an example of how they’re bringing the community together in creative ways, watch this video about a recent community building event, Imagine Live 2014, that highlights the work of artists Rolando Diaz and Robert Hull.<\/p>\n