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The
usual suspects...
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Another way of
looking at us is by ethnic background: five are of Asian extraction,
one can loosely be defined as Middle Eastern, and the others
are (once again, loosely) of European extraction.
Age and Education
An age
profile shows our major group to be in their 50s, with the 20s
next, followed by two each in their 70s, 60s and 40s and one
in his 30s. Eight are or have been married, and seven have not
been. Two have higher degrees, three or four have first degrees
or associate diplomas, and two or three have trade qualifications.
There is a range of other levels of training and education among
us, as well as some with minimal schooling.
In other words, we are a very diverse group.
It makes us middle aged, fairly middle class, tending to the
lower middle class group, but striving to do better. It is probable
that these things we have in common have been more powerful in
holding us together than the things tending to divide us have
been.
It also means that we can probably focus on reaching similar
kinds of people: people with trades or professional/technical
backgrounds, people with some aspiration to rise socially, people
who are in the final third of their working lives — and
their adult children. However, there are enough people outside
the majority group that we need to devise programs which meet
their needs, too.
Need better
focus
But, in practical terms, it means that our outreach efforts could
be better focused.
For example, for the 50ish group, we may need to emphasise the
strengths people have often remarked on: things like our friendliness,
our diversity, our ability to accept people who are different.
We can say things about our ability to understand the world of
clerks, IT people, the unemployed.
However, for young adults, we have less diversity, but can emphasise
youth, the struggles of becoming established, of finding your
place in the world.
Above all, we
need to emphasise that our relationship with Christ has seen
us through many trials together, and will hold us secure to the
end.
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