Adding Aroma to Your Dreams
Nestor Gomez, Project 751
Last September, the NBA Incubate Initiative welcomed its largest SENT Seminar cohort yet! The annual four-day training opportunity equips Disciples social entrepreneurs of faith for leadership and change as they nurture emerging health and social service ministries. Project 751, in Aurora, Colorado, will develop resources for personal and community development for an individual or collective over a 7-year period, assessing progress overtime.
A cup of café…and a delicious pastry…with people that you don’t know but share common interests- this was the first thing that caught my attention at SENT Seminar. A bunch of people who were Disciples, coming from different states and places, including La Isla del Encanto, Puerto Rico, met at Union Avenue Christian Church in Saint Louis, Missouri. One place, one faith, many dreams!
My secret to embarking on this creative journey? Sincerely, there are no secrets or recipes, just a deep desire to serve God and see my dreams come true. What I experienced in those three days was a creative journey.
After welcoming us to the event, Angela Whitenhill, the first speaker, reminded us about the tension that we face between serving others with compassion and the demanding task that this work implies in lo cotidiano (everyday). And it is true! I learned that I have to take care of myself every day, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and be more self-aware as I navigate how best to live and serve in community. That evening I went to the hotel gym.
Rev. Greg Turk spoke about building a vision that is beyond what we are living in the present. To build this vision, he illustrated our dreams as if we were visualizing the last scene of a movie. What do I see? What is happening? Who is with me there? Visualizing my dream is powerful. It helps me set specific goals and keeps me motivated.
These are just two examples of what I learned at SENT seminar. But I have to say that the experience of sharing with people and hearing their stories and projects was amazing. This gives me hope in believing that there are still people who love God deeply and want to change the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
At the seminar, I felt like I could add aroma to my dreams and that I could contribute to building, with my talents and skills, “wholeness in a fragmented world.”
Project 751 is focused on 7 years (goal years 1, 3, 5, and 7), in 5 areas of development (social relationships, professionalism, economic growth, health/recreation, and spirituality), and 1 group (individual or collective). Basically, the project will develop resources for personal and community development, assessing progress in the five areas above, in the goal years mentioned.
The NBA incubates new ministries, supporting social entrepreneurs of faith who are serving their communities in a variety of innovative ways and empowering these Disciples-led health and social service projects to focus on growth, impact, and sustainability. Learn more at nbacares.org/incubate
