livesimply launches Community Challenges

The livesimply Network is launching a set of Community Challenges for the New Year.

Designed to be carried out by communities of Catholics, the Challenges are structured activities or programmes which groups can carry out together.

livesimply Outreach Co-ordinator, Catherine Waters-Clark explains, ‘The Community Challenges build on the success of the livesimply Promise. More than 18,000 people made a promise – and one of the things that made this so successful was that people took action for social justice together.

‘The new Community Challenges are designed for groups of people within the Church. Any group can take part, whether its readers or flower arrangers in a parish, students at a school or college, or members of a book group, youth group or religious community.’

The Challenges are in five categories: learning, lobbying, lifestyle change, liturgy, and local action. Each Challenge is sponsored by a livesimply member, and is supported by a summary sheet with helpful tips and suggestions. Additional resource materials are available.

Examples of Community Challenges include ‘Tools for the job’, sponsored by Myddelton Grange Youth Retreat House, which encourages groups to collect old tools for refurbishment so they can be used by craftspeople in developing countries; and ‘Prayer Community’, sponsored by the Verbum Dei community, which helps groups to take time out together to study and reflect on Scripture.

livesimply Youth Outreach Co-ordinator, Daniel Hale said, ‘We hope the Community Challenges will inspire Catholics across the country and of all ages to join together to act on the livesimply challenge.

‘The Bishops’ Conference said, ‘together the small steps of many people can have an astonishing impact’. The Community Challenges can help our communities be astonishing in 2009.’