Social Security

One man's systematic approach to building a healthy society

By Nancy Bartosek, editor
TCU Magazine

Mack McCarter '67 (MDiv '71) had an idea. It stole his sleep and occupied his days like a virus. For decades he planned and pondered, and slowly his head wrapped around the weight on his shoulders.

His idea centered on a simple question: How many people do you know on your block?

Probably not many. Most of us don't. We move about and leave behind relationships that seem unimportant - the postman, the store clerk, the kid on the street who used to walk our dog.

You may think it doesn't matter. But all this disconnectedness, while seemingly innocuous, is an ominous sign. Like global warming, rising crime and decaying neighborhoods, it's telling us we need to do something.

Simple ideas are famous for being dismissed. They just seem too simple. McCarter's idea was so straightforward, it's astounding that we haven't thought much about it.

He says we just need to make friends. And since we tend to hide in our homes, this former pastor with a permanent smile has built a system to help us reconnect. An approach to creating social networks that benefit every member. A system unconnected to government, religious or business interests - but capable of tapping the resources of each. Something that ignores economic, racial and cultural walls and throws open doors.

McCarter's make-friends concept for building community has the potential to quench a number of burning issues, from crime and poverty to broken families to disenfranchisement to the pervasive belief that we live in a dangerous world.

Hard to believe one idea might have such a far-reaching impact. But look closely, and you'll see that McCarter's system, called Community Renewal, is already making a big difference in a million tiny ways.

Read the complete story here