The Rev Dr. Rick Schlosserby Elizabeth Sholes, Public Policy Advocate, CCC/CCI
I am not young, but I am a social media fan. One can learn wonderful as well as icky things that way. It depends on how you cast your “community”. Mine is quite amazing.
One person I’ve encountered is Rev. Benjamin Creamer, a former Evangelical minister who walked away from what he saw was a hateful environment. He is now dedicating his life to telling the stories of Christians’ kindness.
He has, with others, set up a place where you can pick your spot on the USA map and post a short story of your experiences doing kind deeds. One time, long time, makes no difference. Did you help someone in crisis? Make your community richer with improvements? Intervene to protect people from hate and bullying? Feed the hungry, tend the sick? Whatever your story, you may share it via his site, the Good Neighbor Map.
To read people’s stories and post your own, go to goodneighbormap.org Pick your “spot” on the map, hit the “Post” button, and your story will be filed. They ARE vetted so it might take some time to see it, but it will appear.
What an excellent method of knowing what’s going on in your state and across the country! But, to paraphrase “Jaws”, they’re gonna need a bigger map! It’s starting to fill up rapidly.
Read, post, share, it’s your choice. The map is a reminder we are doing God’s work, sometimes in small ways, and it all deserves to be known so we can help others do the same. Goodneighbormap.org is very much worth your time.