“Do the little thing right in front of you” has been a recurring theme of Go Forth. But often that little thing opens a door to work that asks considerably more of us.
Consider this situation.
Through someone you know, you learn that your local school district is dealing with leadership upheaval, operational difficulties, and shaken public confidence. A new superintendent has walked into the mess. Then a campus safety incident exposes a breakdown in response procedures, adding urgency to an already difficult job.
So maybe you offer a couple of pointers. A small thing—until the conversation reveals how much help is actually needed.
The previous administration rallied around “Together” and promised to put students first. But cooperation with the governing board and openness about consequential decisions too often fell short. The new leader has to address operational problems while rebuilding trust.
“Together” is a fine word. It gets considerably more useful when people actually work together.
The superintendent is an incredibly sharp, well-educated woman with a PhD. In her previous district, she had a communications director. Here, she’s juggling myriad challenges while figuring out how to communicate effectively with students, families, staff, and an extended community entirely new to her.
Even the smartest people need help. A doctorate doesn’t come with an extra pair of hands.
Now suppose strategic communications is right in your wheelhouse. Someone in your community desperately needs that skill, but it’s not in the budget. What would you do?
This is a real situation. I offered to help and developed a five-point plan designed to communicate for confidence, not completeness.
Why that strategy? Because an anxious audience can head straight into speculation and rabbit holes while the essential facts get ignored. The rumor mill rarely waits for a confirmed source—or takes a lunch break. Simply supplying more information can give people more to argue about while leaving the most important questions unanswered.
People first need to understand: What happened? What does it mean? What is the district doing? Who is responsible? When will we hear more?
That framework puts the key questions front and center. It clarifies what is known, what is being done, and when another update will follow. Confidence grows through clear answers and dependable follow-through.
Developing the plan was a beginning. Helping apply it requires continued involvement. One contribution won’t repair every district problem, but a useful skill, offered willingly and put to work, can serve an entire community.
And consider who ultimately benefits: children and young adults whose education depends on that district functioning well. In “Who Is Going to Live in This House?” we asked whether we’re building a community the next generation can enter, contribute to, and carry forward. Helping strengthen the institutions serving them is part of that work. Young people need adults willing to invest their skills and effort in the places where their future is taking shape.
Where might that kind of opening be waiting for you?
Your expertise might be in caregiving, construction, education, gardening, logistics, or organizing people. Someone nearby may need exactly what you know how to do. The opening could come through an ordinary conversation. Following it may require a substantial commitment.
That’s a direction for Go Forth: recognize an opening, offer what we know, and accept responsibility for following through.
Many CORAC members already do this kind of work. Bring others into it. Teach a skill through a specialty team. Invite another member to work alongside you. Help someone undertake work they couldn’t manage alone.
Jesus began with ordinary people and gradually entrusted them with extraordinary responsibilities. We should leave room for God to ask more of us, too.
This week, identify one need that fits your skills and make a specific offer to help. If you need a connection, start with your Regional Coordinator or a specialty-team leader.
“I can take responsibility for this” gives people considerably more to work with than “Somebody ought to.”
Start small. But keep your work boots handy and be ready to dig deep into your toolbox.
You might even have to remember where you put the keys to the heavy machinery.
