S1E5: FEEDING CREATIVITY

WITH GUEST ROBERT RUEDA

In Episode 5: Feeding Creativity, we learn from Robert Rueda and Global Blends, a pay-what-you-can deli with the goal of providing food with dignity created by the Baptist Student Ministry on the campus of UT Rio Grande Valley.

Robert shares about faith & entrepreneurship and what he has learned about finding creative ways to meet needs in his 13 years in ministry leadership. Our hosts, Elizabeth Coffee and Ramiro Gonzales, help dig into some of the biggest challenges of activating the church’s resources creatively including navigating old structures and funding.

SHOW NOTES

KEY TAKEAWAYS

6:58 Seeing Strengths & Stories of People

“It was not until I started learning about my students, and who they were, and their backgrounds, and their cultural upbringing, and what they perceived as weaknesses that I saw as strengths.”

8:24 Erasing Lines between Religious and Secular

13:27 Churches have resources to bless the community in powerful ways

26:11 You know how churches have church directories? I’ve always said that besides phone number and email address, they should have their professions, their passions, their hobbies, and a pastor should diligently read through that and say, ‘Man, let’s do something with this, I know you said you could do this, let’s do it.” and mobilize the church to do good.”

CONTACT

Ramiro Gonzales | Westside Development Corporation

Elizabeth CoffeeMission City Renewal

Robert Rueda | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – Baptist Student Ministry

ORGANIZATIONS

BSM Global Blends

READ MORE

A campus ministry on the U.S.-Mexico border trains young Christians to lead, Faith & Leadership

A campus ministry opens a pay-as-you-can deli just as the pandemic hits, Faith & Leadership

NEXT STEPS

Learn More about the Valley Ecology Project

Learn More about the Make Good Fellowship

Learn More about the Changemaker Storyguide

Watch More Episodes of the Good Acres Roundtable

Learn More about Good Acres

Images provided by Mark Menjivar

“When you’re passionate about something, and you step out in faith, there’s always people that are gonna come your way.” (Robert Rueda)