There are also some courses that are in various stages of preparation including: (more…)
Tags: courses, limitations, moneyOur dream of the future
One day shortly before she went to bed Susan asked God what He would like Lily the Pink Ministries to become. The morning after she woke up seeing a hexagonal diagram. Each side was a triangle and each triangle represented a different area of activity within Lily's Place.
Lily's Place
This is a centre where where people in mental distress could come and get everything they needed to recover. Just about the only thing that it did not offer was somewhere to stay.
There would be
- a quiet area for spiritual refreshment
- a study area for those who want to improve their literacy and numeracy skills or gain other qualifications
- a business/employment area where people could learn or practice skills that would help them set up a business or get a job
- a living area where people could come and practice housekeeping or DIY skills
- a practical helps area for those setting up a new home or moving home
- a social area for those who want to meet friends and have something to eat
This sounds more like a small town rather than a single community project doesn't it. It does not even sound possible. The answer to this is that if God wants it to happen then He will make it happen.
How could it happen?
One possiblity is that those who want to become history makers run a project that fulfills part of this dream. Another is that we work together with other people who provide these sorts of services. It is not impossible that some of the people who benefit from the work of Lily the Pink Ministries CIC will offer their time and or money to expand the work that it does.
What about the Big Society?
For those who don't know the Big Society is an idea put forward by the new UK government that came to power this summer. They say that their aims include supporting co-ops, mutuals, charities and social enterprises and encouraging people to take an active role in their communities. Well that is the positive side of things. The negative is that the government is cutting back on its spending and that will mean that some of the things that were once done with taxpayer's money will no longer be able to be done.
Governments have for a long time supported people who have been able to help them achieve their aims. They have wanted companies to set up factories in different parts of the country so have given grants to encourage them to do so. The have wanted people to provide social housing so have provided assistance to housing associations. Other times they have given tax incentives to people and organisations that help them achieve their aims. For examples some charities do not pay value added tax on certain items. Not only that they have paid some organisations to provide services on their behalf such as support for those who are elderly, mentally ill disabled etc.
We are entering a new era because the government has decided that they cannot afford to spend as much money as they once did but they still want to do something to make sure as many of society's needs are met. They are cutting back on the grants and contracts they once offered. The needs are still there but the government will not pay for them to be met. This is where history makers will be needed more than ever. We need people who can meet the needs within society even though the government is not a willing to help them as it once was. This is not a new idea as during the Victorian era there was an idea known as laissez-faire which basically meant that the government did not get involved in guiding or directing economic or community activities. In this era people were encouraged to take responsibility to set up businesses set up hospitals and generally do things that supported society.
Today we have come to expect others to do things to look after us rather than taking responsibility to look after ourselves. The critics say that letting people do things themselves will mean inferior services because those running them do not have the practical or organisational skills to meet the needs within society. This may be true but how will people learn if they do not practise and make a start. Mistakes can be excellent teachers. Problem is we are often too scared to try in case we make a mistake. We need more people who are willing to make the effort to blossom into people who are able and willing to learn how to do things better. It takes people who are willing to ask and find answers to questions such as
- I don't know how to do this. How can I learn to do it?
- Who can I find to work with me as I try and change history?
- Where can I find the money to help me achieve my goals?
However we need people who are prepared to grow and blossom into all that they can be. People who are willing to take responsibility for solving the problems around them and not wait for the government to do it for them because the government will not be able to do it for them.
Tags: government, learn, money, More about blossoming, responsibilityLimitations
There are a lot of things that limit us when it comes to money. Many of us do things the say that our parents did or that way that those around us have done. After all that is the way that it has always been done. Right! We live in a society that has certain expectations of us. Some of us live in communities where the expectation is for people to be involved in manual labour or factory work. Others are part of communities where the expectation is to become some kind of professional such as a nurse or a doctor, a teacher. Occupations where there is a definite progression of increasing responsibility and hence income. Religious communities also vary in the way that the see money. For example in Judaism it is a good idea to make money but it is also important to do this in an ethical manner.
Yes, you can make a profit but you do not cheat customers or overcharge them or mislead them etc. You also treat your employees well. Yet Christianity that originally grew out of Judaism seems to have taken quite a different approach. They venerate those who give away all they have and work amongst the poor such as Francis of Assisi or CT Studd and others are expected to take vows of poverty so that they can be ‘free’ to serve others. It is as if they say money is a trap but if you get rid of money then you will not be trapped by it. One problem if all these people are supposed to give up their money what are they going to live on. Do others provide them with food or a place the stay etc? Instead of being free they find themselves looking to others to support them. Some freedom! True freedom would be if they were able to develop multiple income streams from investments or business. Income streams that could carry on giving them an income even if they were not spending a lot of time creating that income. It is time that this became the more acceptable approach within Christian country.
Tags: limitations, money, More about blossomingThe Money Secret
History makers need to be able to handle money well and some of them need to have the skills to help others handle money well. One way of testing your skills and improving them if necessary is to do a course like The Money Secret. It is based on the book of the same name by Rob Parsons The Money Secret is a course developed by an organisation that aims to helps people help people.
The secret in this case is fairly simple i.e. use what you have wisely. One of the features of the course is that it uses a case study of someone who has been struggling with debt that gives the opportunity to learn the basic principles of how to handle the situation. Armed with these you can help yourself and others escape from difficult circumstances. I would like to be able to run this course at least once during the run up to Christmas. There are a number of possiblities in terms of where and when it could be run. One is to run it as an all day course at Spennymoor Town Hall. Another venues that have been considered are Allington House in Durham and St Peter’s Church Hall in Bishop Auckland. Next issue is how to pay for it. Here is some idea of the probable costs room hire, (a minimum of £30), refreshments (a minimum of £10) travelling expenses (a minimum of £5) and cost of teaching materials (around £15). These together come to at least £60 a course. If I insisted on getting paid for my time then it really would be unaffordable (six hours at standard FE tutors rates comes to around £120). The problem is that those most in need of such a course would be those who can least afford to pay for it. If the charge was kept down to £5 then there would have to be at least 12 people turn up to cover the costs. However, even that would be too much for some people to afford. We think that there are many people who could benefit but we are not sure how many would be interested in taking part. Let us know if you think that we could get a class of 10 or 12 together for a day and if you would be willing to help us gather a group like that. Would you like to support such a course? You could do this by sponsoring such a course. You, or your organisation could pay for the room hire or refreshments or both. You may even have a suitable room that you could make available for free. If any of these apply to you please get in touch. PS It is dealing with money issues like this that gave me the desire to learn from the Cashflow 101 game that was mentioned in a previous post. If you have not got around to contacting me about joining in a game in the Bishop Auckland area please do, before you forget again.
Tags: courses, How to learn with us?, learn, money, Personal developmentFinancial matters
I was wondering what to do about the financial aspects of Lily the Pink Ministries. Hosting services want money in return for letting the world see the web sites that you have created. Some software companies want money before they will let you use the software they have created. Booksellers, publishers and authors want money from you in return for reading their books. Energy suppliers want money in return for gas and electricity. While I have been working on this site I have not been able to do other things that would make it possible for me to have enough money coming in to pay the bills without having to depend on unearned income, like tax credits.
One morning I started the day by saying Lord show me what to do with this site in regards to finance. Later when I switched on the TV, it was still tuned to one of the Christian channels and there was someone speaking about the importance of honouring others. One way of honouring others they mentioned was if they provided you with things that benefit you that you should honour them with your money.
Linking money with honour was a new way of thinking for me. It made sense. We honour managers by paying them more than the workers. Some of us think that we are not worth honouring and do not ask or demand money. A wife who does not value herself will allow the husband to spend as much money on alcohol a week as she does on food and a husband who does not honour or value his wife will allow this to happen. Self-employed people who are deciding on the value of their services are influenced by the value they place on themselves and their skills. If they think they are worth honouring they will charge more. For example, a comedian who has been on TV will ask for higher fees for an afternoon’s entertainment than someone who is just starting out. Economists would say that this is affected by supply and demands if TV comedians are in short supply then they will be able to ask for higher fees. I would also like some form of recognition for the skills, time, effort that I have put into getting this web site up and running.
This puts quite a different slant on the issues surrounding the financing of this web site. Do I really honour and value myself enough to charge people for the services that I am trying to provide? Another question is do I expect people to honour me enough to give me enough in response to the work I have done to develop this site to meet all the needs I mentioned earlier.
What does that have to do with this web site? I am still thinking about the best strategy how to deal with the financial aspects of this web site.
Susan
Tags: money, More about Lily the PinkCashflow 101 – or practising how to make money make money
History makers need to have a positive attitude towards money. In other words they need to know how to handle it and make it multiply for them. This is not an easy thing to do. Many struggle just to manage money. Few actually manage to mind make money work for them rather than them having to work for money. This can take a radical change in attitudes and means learning a new set of skills. How can you do this? Most of us have been taught that we should be aiming to get a job or work for others. Some have gone a bit further and looked at the possibility of becoming self-employed and giving themselves a job. Many people have set up organisations that learnt to survive on grants and donations rather than developing such a level of income for themselves that they can use this to fund the organisation. In these days of huge competion for grants and donations it is useful to be able to developing alternative ways of funding the work that you want to do. Therefore it is useful to learn how to use money to make money. Those who have learnt how to make money make money have had to change their attitude towards money. That can be a quite a difficult journey. This game was developed by Robert Kiyosaki as a way of helping people develop the skills and attitudes that are necessary to make those kind of changes. If you have not heard of Mr Kiyosaki then you will not have heard of the Rich Dad Poor Dad series of books. In these books he compares the things that he learnt from his natural father (his poor dad) and his best friend’s father (his rich dad). One had many academic qualifications and had a good job but still died poor. The other was street smart and employed others to help him make money that made him rich. In the past few years he has built a business based on the principles he learnt and then used in his own life to become rich. His current businesses run seminars and a coaching service using the principles he has written about in his books. In addition they sell three cashflow games. One for children and two for adults, one extending the skills learnt in the other. I have managed to obtain a copy of the children’s version and the first level adult game. Problem is I need people to play them with. Is there anyone in the Bishop Auckland area who would be willing to play them with me? If so let me know and we can make arrangements to do so.
Tags: How to learn with us?, learn, money, More about blossoming, responsibility, successWhat is a CIC?
CIC stands for Community Interest Company. What on earth does that mean? It is a type of limited company but one where the aim is benefit the community rather than to make money for those running it. It is not a charity although there is a regulator who by law needs to see the year end accounts and the annual report. The annual report has to explain what Lily the Pink Ministries has done to benefit the communities that the founding documents said that it would do. These are available on the regulator's own web site so anyone can have a look at them.
The legal documents have to say who will benefit from the activities of the CIC. There are two groups mentioned. Firstly, anyone who can access the web site and understand English. Secondly, those living locally who need support to improve their emotional or mental wellbeing. Before agreeing to register Lily the Pink Ministries CIC the regulator also wanted to see a list of ways that these communities could benefit. The annual report has to explain how these aims have been met.
There are restrictions on how much the directors can earn, no fat cat salaries are allowed by the regulator. The profits have to go to the community rather than to the directors. The documentation also had to state what use any surplus would be put to. The answer to that was "The range of possible needs that clients may have means that it is unlikely that there will be any difficulty finding ways of spending money on clients." There is also an asset lock that means that if Lily the Pink Ministries is wound down then all the assets have to be passed on to another not for profit organisation doing similar work .
So now you know.
Tags: courses, money, More about Lily the Pink
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