Facilitating Long-Term Change
The goal of every Festival is a dynamic atmosphere and process that Fusion refers to as the “Open Crowd”. This is when the members of the community reciprocate the core values of the Festival in their interactions with each other, and people instinctively know that they can relax, let down their defenses, and be more themselves in each other's company...
When the "Open Crowd" atmosphere happens, people are seen, respected, and celebrated for who they are, rather than who they think they need to be. Often there is a realization that this is the community they have yearned to live in.
Open Crowd Festivals can become catalytic moments of hope when small groups of committed friends ( “Kingdom Cells”) carry a vision of seeing these kingdom values of God’s heart progressively and more deeply instilled in their communities as a way of life.
As these friends work to consolidate and strengthen new relationships formed during the Festivals, they need to be prepared to offer a range of long-term programs for the community to engage with that will keep that hope alive after the Festival is over.
“At the Festival, all I did was listen to a woman talking of what it was like to move towns. I offered to make some wooden stilts for her son. She asked me about youth groups and churches, and said how they used to go to church. She asked me what I believed, and if I knew of any good groups for young people. I told her I could pass her phone number on to a group that I would recommend. Her children went to the Youth Group, and now she and her husband joined the church, too.”
Fusion believes that the ultimate goal of mission is for people to find their unique role in God’s local and global purposes. Each individual can become more of who they were created to be as they commit to a story greater than themselves.
After 50 years of mission experience on the front lines of some of the toughest communities in Australia, and now around the world, we recognize that the only way to achieve this goal is through a long-term process.
Fusion has designed and delivered a wide range of programmes and services. All of them fulfill one or more stages of a “Process of Mission.” Mission is most effective when all of the stages of this process are being serviced through partnerships and the co-operation of like-minded people and groups. Our next section, "Process of Mission", outlines how this might work.
