When I was at a meeting with ministers, one of them asked me how a congregation decided which service ministries to support financially and which ministries for them to create or be involved with. I explained that a...
Simone Weil wrote in Waiting for God: “I have the essential need… to move among of every class and complexion, mixing with them and sharing their life and outlook, so far that is...
This week I was in Roswell, Georgia,to present workshops to both Roswell Presbyterian Church and to nonprofits who partner with the host organization, HomeStretch, a vital nonprofit that works with families for 12-18 months...
Suppose you had no car. Sit with that a moment. Where I live, 27,913 residents or 14.0% get to work in another way than driving themselves so they depend on someone else to get...
Not infrequently through the years, I have been asked to bring a program participant with me when I have talked with groups about poverty. People want to hear from someone who lives what I teach about....
With elections around the corner, the words of Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund seem very appropriate. She calls us to renewed vision and commitment for those who follow in our footsteps. She writes in The...
I met a long haul truck driver who shared with me his personal ministry of caring for others. While he is out on the road, he writes articles of encouragement which appear in his...
Several years ago the local paper ran an article about a young man who hopped a train from Raleigh to Charleston with $25 in his pocket. Within six months, he had saved $2500 and...
People who live in poverty, those who do not use banking services , and people who use a cash only economy are often at the mercy of check cashing and title loan companies. These...
Powerful Learning Experience Back in 2007, I discovered the Missouri Action Community Poverty Simulation, an experience that opens people’s eyes to the human cost of poverty. The power of this unique learning resource is...
Take a bag of potato chips and think about how many people were involved in the making of this treat that you now have in front of you. You might list farmers, pickers, truckers,...
When I worked at a large nonprofit that offered people who lived in poverty life changing opportunities, the work was sometimes frustrating. We had to redefine success. Some people in the community thought our...
Do we reach out to others because we want to change them or because we love them as they are? What a question. Of course, we want people to improve their lives. Why else...
August 12 When Ber-ber went to the store today, she picked up the list of the school supplies that we’ll need this year. I looked at the list and my heart just fell to...
Holy God, Proclaimer of Justice, are you awake? Ordinary folks who simply worked their jobs, Paid their bills, loved their children, Come seeking help. Their world has fallen apart Through no fault of their...
Volunteers are wonderful. Through my time at United Ministries and also now with Our Eyes Were Opened, Inc., I realized that I could not do the work I do without volunteers. Every time I...
Point: XYZ wants to require a pay stub each week OR a person will work in a government job. She’d also eliminate fancy car tire rims and stereos. Counterpoint: Assuming that people with tricked...
On January 7, 2014, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that nearly one third (31.6%) of Americans lived in poverty for at least two months between 2009 and 2011. Of the 37.6 million people who...
Back in 2004, a group of religious bodies endorsed what they called A Common Foundation: Shared Principles for Work Overcoming Poverty. I share them with you. A Common Foundation: Shared Principles for Work Overcoming...
This is one of the sights on the poverty tour. When a trailer park is the best housing a person can afford, that usually means that they are on the bottom of the rental ladder....