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One small bar of soap can spark many reflections—spiritual, sociologic, entropologic and ecologic—according to Claudio Oliver, who has spent 20 years working with the urban poor, and on community development, dental and medical projects, team equipping, and teaching in Curitiba, Brazil. Over the past five years, interviewer Spencer Burke has developed a friendship with Claudio and recently, Spencer visited Claudio in Brazil to see first-hand his innovative, provocative and practical ministry. They walk viewers through the process of making soap out of used cooking oil, telling viewers, “All this got started because we were talking about holiness.”
Claudio shares the problem of used oil being poured down drains, where it goes on to pollute the community’s water. The center of community at his church has been collecting used oil from homes and small businesses in the neighborhood and using it to make soap, which is then wrapped in recycled newspaper and sold. Claudio uses this soap instead of commercially-made soap for all his washing needs—dishes, clothes, body—an example of how something that would have caused damage to nature is remade into something useful. He also gives a tour of his recycling barrels that store glass, plastic, paper, and other materials that come from people’s garbage. Two families come weekly to collect the garbage and from it are bettering their lives. One family has moved from being homeless, to the slums, to a poor neighborhood—all starting with the garbage collected at Claudio’s center of community.
But back to holiness: to be holy is to be used for a specific purpose. Oil, when it starts out, is used for a specific purpose—to cook food. But once it is used, it is damaged and it doesn’t matter what you do with it—put it in the sink, put it somewhere else—it’s going to cause problems in the nature around it. But if you clean the oil, mix it with caustic soda, and pass it through fire, it is transformed and can be used without damage. This, says Claudio, is a reflection of the Jesus-process in our lives. There is an outside intervention that cleans, and not only cleans but changes our nature, transforms us. You can’t change the soap back into oil, and similarly we are permanently transformed from something that causes problems to people and the world around us into something that can be used without damage. And so, cooking oil and soap are the modern-day metaphors for redemption in Claudio’s world . . . and possibly ours. To find out more about Claudio’s community, visit his website www.docaminho.com.br.
Individual Reflections
- How do you help create change in your community that brings life instead of damage?
- Just like with an integrated soap-making process, with an integrated gospel—all the products and byproducts give life. What does your gospel produce?
- On a personal level, what simple habits can you embrace to care for your environment?
Small or Ministry Group Questions
- In your community, what could be a local metaphor for redemption?
- Does your gospel “provoke problems” or “produce life?”
- This week’s episode airs during the week of Earth Day. How can we awaken our consciousness to integrate a holistic gospel—including the environment?
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April 21st, 2009 at 4:30 am
Wonderful! I have made soap for years to include in ‘Christian Faith and Spirituality Gift Packs.’ I would LOVE to know how to do this with the reclaimed cooking oil and to be able to integrate the metaphor into the soap part of the gift also.
April 21st, 2009 at 5:08 am
What a great illustration of the transformation that Christ does in our lives that can never be reversed of changed. We have been changed…we have become new creations.
April 21st, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I agree with John. Great illustration.
This was my favorite episode so far!
Keep up the good work…
Thanks
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:42 am
This came at a really good time as I am starting a series on Holiness. This illustration really helped me put together what I have been trying to communicate to my church. Great. Can I show this in my congregation?
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Don, and anyone else wondering,
We encourage you to use these in your community. All we ask is to point others here (if you find it helpful). If you can print the website http://www.TheOOZE.TV or refer to it in your presentation, that is always appreciated.
Theses are Creative Commons licensed – Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives – http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
April 27th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
We have project in Tanzania and I see how we can use this as a ministry tool as well. How do I get more information or a precise recipe for makng this soap?
Thanks!
April 29th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Great piece! I linked it for friends who are working on holistic development in indigenous areas of the Amazon. Maybe it will spark some new ideas for them. Thanks!
May 9th, 2009 at 8:14 am
HI there!
I have searched after the name of those wnating to know how to mae soap, some hints and tips about it, but unfortunatelly neither Joshua’s website has an email for contact nor Arlene has left any way for me to reply to her. So Spencer, if you have how to contact them, please send them this comment. I’m planning to put a piece in English in my blog teaching and showing the entire process, with details and a how to using very few resources available at any place.
Yours to serve
Claudio
July 27th, 2009 at 8:29 am
I love your posts! Please write more often if you can
September 5th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
[...] <object width=”640″ height=”400″ id=”cfa637boi” name=”cfa637bon” classid=”clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000″><param name=”movie” value=”http://p.castfire.com/t75iH/video/84721/84721_2009-04-21-043834.flv”></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”allowScriptAccess” value=”always”></param><embed width=”640″ height=”400″ src=”http://p.castfire.com/t75iH/video/84721/84721_2009-04-21-043834.flv” id=”cfa637bei” name=”cfa637ben” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowFullScreen=”true” allowScriptAccess=”always”></embed></object> Video link. [...]
September 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
[...] Get the show notes here. [...]
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Amazing article this is. It gets a thumbs up from me.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Excellent blog with lots of useful information Are there any forums that you recommend I join
January 21st, 2010 at 12:36 am
usefull Good info here and nice theme admin
March 14th, 2010 at 5:24 am
[...] came up with Bart Campolo, but I believe was echoed in talks by Jarrod McKenna,Rudo Kwaramba and Claudio Oliver. I plan to post on both these issues in the coming week. If anything, there are two main things [...]
March 31st, 2010 at 11:06 am
[...] Show notes! [...]
August 12th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
[...] community for anne rice quits christianity we live simply kiva support our friends adoption by purchasing fair trade coffee claudio oliver – turning grease into the gospel [...]