The Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough

On Sunday Jan 23rd, our story was The Three Questions, written by Jon J. Muth, and based on a tale by Leo Tolstoy. The book concludes, “Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For these, my dear boy, are the answers to what is most important in this world.”

Right now, Our Space Community Centre is the one who is standing at our side. How can we do good for them?

Our Space is a low barrier community centre planned and run by people who live in poverty and/or are aware of poverty issues. It provides a place to get warmth, food, rest, support, learning, and caring. Perhaps most importantly, Our Space creates a place to connect and to belong. Check out

http://ourspacepeterborough.ca
or
http://nourishpeterborough.ca/category/our-space/

Currently, Our Space is renting the Orange Hall on George Street. A recent email from Our Space reads, “The current financial support from the city is being evaluated and is in imminent danger of ending. To obtain future financial support from the City of Peterborough, we must prove to the city that we have the support of the community, and have a relocation plan in place by the end of February.”

To this end, they are asking for letters of support. We can do that. But can we do more? One of the beautiful things about Our Space is that it is truly a space for and by the people. Whatever we do must be done in collaboration with their members. That might include fundraising, lending our advocacy and expertise in grant writing or a capital campaign, or facilitating neighbourhood surveys. We might also show up to help with cooking and cleaning, or simply to spend time with them.

I recently watched Chris Hedges on Big Ideas; he was speaking about his new book, The Death of the Liberal Class. I was struck by his assertion that one of the reasons the liberal class is losing effectiveness is because it is unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary for the changes that need to happen.

What are we willing to sacrifice? How much risk are we willing to take? For example, would we consider co-owning a building with them? Would we give up some portion (or all?) of our investments to ensure them a permanent space? Would we be willing to forego part of what’s on our congregational agenda in order to give our time and resources to this ‘one standing at our side’?

I’m proposing that we make a commitment to be a true friend of Our Space…and that we then follow that path of commitment to wherever it leads. In the near future, we’ll have the opportunity to learn more about Our Space, and to begin to find ways to be their allies. I hope you’ll join me.

Julie