Willingness: Key Ingredient to Being a Good Neighbor by

PAUL SCHREIBER

Making your neighborhood the kind of place you want to come home to takes more than wishful thinking.

To help you engage your neighbors in meaningful ways, Love Your Neighbor Workshops from The Hopeful Neighborhood Project™ (HNP) give attendees imaginative, road-tested guidance for their neighborhoods. These quarterly virtual events empower attendees with fresh ideas and hopeful encouragement to spread God’s love and kindness right where they live.

In reality, the kindness shown may be a welcoming handshake, a bowl of homemade soup, or what one hopeful neighbor likes to do: serve cider and donuts. An unexpected invitation, “Come over tomorrow for hot cider and donuts,” was all it took for her neighbors to casually gather, swap stories, learn a few names, and come away knowing they made the right decision to accept.

The woman extending the invitation was inspired by her participation in HNP. Whether it’s insights gained from a Love Your Neighbor Workshop, neighborhood labs, self-paced courses, one-on-one coaching, or from taking the EveryGift™ Inventory, our desire for a better neighborhood can be as effortless as an invite—with a tasty beverage and a treat for all who show up.

Jill, the woman inviting her neighbors over for cider and donuts, makes what might seem complicated—getting to know our neighbors—something we all can do. “It’s people understanding simple engagement with others in their neighborhoods is the first step to building deeper relationships,” said Jennifer Prophete, director of community programming for LHM.

To learn how other people are bringing their gifts to bear in their own neighborhoods, visit HNP’s blog at hopefulneighborhood.org. Under “Stories,” you will find more than 100 entries from those on the forefront of neighborly engagement. Their stories will inspire your thinking and give you proven, easyto-do examples of what worked for them—and how it’s making a difference where they live.

One place to begin fixing your mind on neighborly pursuits is by taking HNP’s Pledge, too. In doing this, you accept the invitation to discover the gifts your neighborhood has to offer. It’s a great first step to using the resources of The Hopeful Neighborhood Project.

Another way you can keep honing your neighboring skills is to join in on the next Love Your Neighbor Workshop. This online workshop will be held via Zoom on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 6 p.m. CST. Registration is now open at hopefulneighborhood.org. u