Although I am disappointed that Bella Art Fest had to be cancelled this year, I learned an important lesson about Christian Community Development through it. One of the main ideas in CCD is the importance of a program’s relevance to the community. The biggest carnival of an event can happen, but if it is irrelevant to what the community is concerned about or interested in, then it is useless. It is important to read the signs of what a community is saying that it needs support for at any given time. Members of the community will come out to support and be involved with an event they think is important to their community, but they will not be motivated to be involved with something that seems unimportant in the community.

Another thing I learned that just because something has been relevant in the past does not mean that it will always be relevant. The soul of a city is constantly changing and will not have the same support needs from one year to the next. This is why it is important for me, as a supporter of the community, to observe and inquire into the needs of the community. It is also important for those in the community to speak up and be heard! For the action of CCD to be effective, it must be a joint effort between the community and the supporters of the community. If a project is not a joint effort, then it probably is not relevant.

This is why I am happy to be working on another event for the city of Bellflower, The Bellflower Youth Art Gallery, featuring art from young artists at Bellflower High and Middle School. The art and artist for the Bellflower Blvd. mural will be selected from the art displayed at the Gallery. This event is definitely relevant because a lot of young citizens of Bellflower are involved with the Gallery. Many are excited about the repainting of the mural as well. See you there!
- Natalie