The final episode

Hello, I'm Jake Lloyd and welcome to the How to build community show. You might notice this episode is much shorter than usual, and that's because there are no guests today and no topic we're going to dive into. Instead, I'm here to announce that this will sadly be the final How to build community show. 

Over seven years, we've made 58 episodes, I've interviewed people in over 30 countries, we've had over 16,000 downloads of our episodes, and we've gained listeners in over a hundred countries around the world. But we've decided that now is the right time to bring the show to a close. Not because there aren't more stories we could share, more topics to cover and more people to hear from. But because all good things must come to an end, and we think that we've now created a fantastic collection of shows that can act as a valuable source of learning and inspiration for anyone who wants to serve their community. 

Looking back, we've explored how to love your enemy, how to fight fake news, motivate others, learn from failure, support people with an addiction, support people through loss, advocate for change, create a culture of problem-solving, build peace and lots more besides. We've spoken with people from so many backgrounds and experiences: barbers, politicians, football coaches, psychologists, entrepreneurs, doctors, psychiatrists, youth workers, storytellers, business owners, writers, activists and others besides. The wisdom shared from all these people has had a profound impact on me and how I live my life, and I hope it's done the same for some of you who have listened as well. 

You can continue to listen because all these episodes will remain on the Arukah Network website and on the Tearfund Learn page, and in all good podcast apps. 

So before we go, I do have a few people I really need to thank. Firstly, there've been some individuals who've helped fund the show. So a big thank you to Jack Laycock, Elizabeth Wainwright, Brian Wainaina, Graeme Lloyd, Steve Summers, Jordan Mary and Colin Patterson. Secondly, a big thank you to everyone at Arukah for their support, including Brian Wainaina and Ted Lankester. Thirdly, thanks to those at Tearfund for their support, especially Nadia Vermaak and Jude Collins. And finally, of course, most importantly, thank you to you, for listening.

Ultimately, I think this show has been about how to put into practice the second commandment. In other words, it's been about how to really love your neighbour. And depending on where you live, this sometimes means loving your enemy: people with whom you disagree. And this was the subject of episode 44 with the writer and environmental campaigner Alistair McIntosh.

As he and I discussed what it really means to love your enemy, one thing Alistair said continues to stick with me. He told me that his grandfather had a saying. He'd say, ‘I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.’ And it seems to me like a wonderful response to disliking a person. So I want to finish by posing you a question: If there's an individual or group where you live that you don't get on with, what can you do to get to know them better and to really understand them? 

But that's it for How to build community from me, Jake Lloyd, and from all of us at Tearfund and Arukah Network. Thank you so much for listening. 

Please continue to listen or share episodes with those who you think might be interested. You might also consider following and supporting the work of both Arukah Network at the arukahnetwork.org and sign up to receive Tearfund’s Footsteps magazine free of charge at learn.tearfund.org.

But that's it from me. For the final time. Bye bye.