Neighbouring Resources
Find Out More
There are several really helpful resources available to help you find ways to bless your neighbours. See below for more details.
The Art of neighbouring
Use the Block Map to create a grid of the homes immediately surrounding yours. These are your closest neighbours.
Fill in their name(s): ideally first and last, but just put down what you know. If your don’t know their name leave it blank, and maybe ask one of your other neighbours if they know their name!
Fill in any facts you know about them: where they work, where they are from, how long they’ve lived there, what they do for fun
See if over time you can add any more in-depth information: their hopes and dreams for the future, relationship status, faith (or lack of), experience of God or Church, their childhood story, any pain?
As a general rule, only 10% of us could answer the first task, 3% could answer the second, and less than 1% could answer the third. The point here is not guilt and shame: it’s just simply a way to illustrate how well we know (or don’t know) our neighbours, and if we are to love our neighbours as ourselves, shouldn’t we at least know their names first?
B.L.E.S.S
The Five B.L.E.S.S. practices are rooted in the lifestyle of Jesus and offer some simple everyday ways for us to start loving our neighbours.
Begin with Prayer: When Jesus started his earthly mission, he went out on a mountain and prayed (Luke 6). If we want to discover our mission and how we live out our mission, prayer is the way forward. Time and time again, Jesus retreated to pray. If you are not sure who God is calling you to bless or where to be a blessing, begin with prayer. Start praying for the people who pop into your mind.
Listen: Asking questions and then listening was central to Jesus’ life and teaching. Jesus asked far more questions than he answered! of the 183 questions he received, he answered only a handful! Any relationship starts with listening to someone’s words and life. True listening may be the kindest and most loving gift that we can give someone.
Eat: Jesus liked to eat! we find him with tax collectors and sinners, prostitutes and pharisees - eating. There is something about sharing a meal together that moves any relationship past acquaintance towards friendship - faster than just about anything else we can do. We all eat most days, so why not learn to do it with others in your neighbourhood?
Serve: Jesus told us straight up “The Son of man didn’t come to be served but to serve”. He modelled for us that once you begin with prayer, listen and eat with someone, there is a good chance that you will discover ho you can best serve the person God is asking you to bless.
Story: When people were ready to listen, Jesus would share his story, like when he told Thomas that he is “the way, the truth and the life”. When we befriend people, they feel relationally safe and want to know our story. Then, and only then, can we tell them how the love of God and Jesus’ life, death and resurrection has changed our lives.
ways to be a good neighbour
Building Community can have enormous benefits in creating cohesion and resilience in the lives. of people around you. Has your neighbourhood got a Facebook page, a WhatsApp group, neighbourhood watch, resources and events for people living in your area?
Join a Litter Pick to clear up your local area: we are working with Kettering Wombles to help make our neigbourhoods more beautiful and clean. Look at our Calendar page to find out more, and join us for fun, service and a free lunch afterwards.
Gather some neighbours for a meal; or organise a wine tasting, or ice-cream party
Make yourself available: often people are just waiting for someone else to take the initiative to start something
Be generous: pitch in with helping meet the costs of community activities, and with serving at events: it really helps build momentum
Be resourceful: look out for grants available for community activities, and work with local business who might be willing to sponsor your events
Get others involved: people feel more connected if they are personally invested
Be present in your neighbourhood: take regular walks around your local streets, praying for the residents and for God to touch their lives and bless them. Think of yourself as a community chaplain: God’s representative in your neighbourhood
Let other give to you: allowing others to meet our needs makes everyone feel a sense of worth. Receiving takes humility
Have ultimate, not ulterior motives: ask God to spread an umbrella of grace and lovingkindness over those who live near you: ask him to show you how he sees the people around you, rather than feeling like you need to preach to them!