Articles for tag: Poverty

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

Overwhelm Them with Honor, Appreciation, and Love

By R. Paige Mathews You”re kidding me! This can”t be true! I couldn”t believe who was requesting help. Just a few years ago he was a highly visible church leader; in fact, his signature might be on my ordination certificate! His story: In 1956 we began serving as missionaries on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. We had three children but one infant son passed away while there. My wife also died in the Philippines after receiving an injection that was mistakenly 20 times stronger than prescribed. I returned to the United States with my two small children. After

November 16, 2012

Signs of Hope Amid Urban Suffering

By Ash Barker Suffering and despair can easily overwhelm us, strangling any last tinges of hope we have for something better. This is often the case in our neighborhood, the Klong Toey slum in Bangkok, Thailand. Here we are confronted with HIV-AIDS, child malnutrition, and premature death as daily realities. The fragility of life and lack of control often cause us to cry out to God, who promises that a better world is possible. However, sometimes we can only pray, “How long do we have to sing this song? When will things get better?” Biblical hope is more than just

October 14, 2012

Book Reviews Reviews

Hope, Despair in India: Find This Book and Read It! (Part 13)

By Jim Tune A Fine Balance Rohinton Mistry St. Louis: Turtleback, 2001 I have given copies of A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry to more of my reading friends than possibly any other book I have read. All the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism of India is startlingly captured and made real to the reader. Set in 1975 in an unnamed city by the sea in India, this eye-opening novel looks at the lives of four strangers who have fallen, almost instantly, from a middle-class lifestyle to the ranks of the poor due to sudden economic upheaval. These

October 12, 2012

Book Reviews Reviews

Insights into the Underprivileged: Find This Book and Read It! (Part 6)

By Nancy Karpenske What Every Church Member Needs to Know about Poverty Bill Ehlig and Ruby K. Payne Highlands: aha! Process Inc., 1999 Ruby K. Payne is the leading U.S. educator teaching teachers and social workers about the impacts on families in poverty, and the author of the best-selling book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Bill Ehlig has been a minister in urban settings for more than 30 years. God expects and commands followers of Jesus to be concerned and involved with needy people. “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has

April 4, 2012

Culture & Public Square Justice

A Poor Man”s Wish for His Christian Friends

By Anonymous It is normal to desire health and blessings for our friends and loved ones. Especially in these hard economic times, it is natural to wish prosperity for one another. But I can no longer bring myself to wish for that. In defiance of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus himself, our culture has equated financial prosperity with God”s favor. And, as the Pharisees before us, we seem to have similarly concluded that poverty is the mark of unworthiness. The poor do not deserve our help. Recently I have been assaulted one too many times by condescending e-mails, forwarded

December 7, 2011

KORE””Chicken Coops and More in Haiti

By Dennis Bratton KORE Foundation is a unique ministry that pursues sustainable solutions to extreme poverty within the Christian community of Haiti. One billion people in the world””and half the population of Haiti””exist on $1 a day or less. Extreme poverty is simple to define, but it is hideous to behold. It is debilitating. It does not allow dreams or hopes. It strikes and crushes the most vulnerable on earth. It is time for the church to consider a reasoned Christian response to this destructive burden. Jesus acknowledged economic realities in his ministry (Luke 4:16-30). He offered care for both

December 6, 2011

Culture & Public Square Justice

Big Dent””A Personal Touch to Lessening Poverty

By Janet C. Smith Microfinance is the latest new tool Christians can use to share the old, old story. CMF International”s new BigDent.org website has made it simple, easy, and fun to do. Christian Missionary Fellowship, a 62-year-old mission agency in Indianapolis, Indiana, has worked in Nairobi, Kenya, for many years. Executive Director Doug Priest and his staff believe there are many Christians who are interested in providing a microfinance loan within a faith-based framework to aspiring entrepreneurs in an impoverished community. CMF now has the tools for small gifts to make a “big dent” in poverty. BigDent.org went live

December 5, 2011

Culture & Public Square Justice

The Poor You Will Always Have with You . . .

By Doug Priest “I am married and have four children. I received a loan of $400 to start a business making jewelry and shoes. With the money, I purchased a sewing machine, the raw materials needed, and paid the rent for my business house. I have since been able to employ part-time workers.” “”Moses, a slum dweller In Matthew”s account of the anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany, he quoted Jesus as saying, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me” (Matthew 26:11). Mark, who also wrote about this event in his

August 15, 2011

Old Testament Theology & Bible

Lesson for Aug. 21, 2011: Empowering the Needy (Ruth 2:8-18)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for August 21) is written by Janet McMahon, community life director with Restore Community Church, Kansas City, Missouri. ____________ Empowering the Needy (Ruth 2:8-18) By Janet McMahon It started with this challenge from my friend John: “Why don”t you do something for someone who can never repay you?” Wow, that was a challenge for sure. Serving my friends and family was easy and natural for me most of the time””and often they would serve me in return. But finding someone who could never repay me was something new. Shortly after that

July 4, 2011

Pantano Christian Battles Poverty with Microloans

By Jennifer Taylor In May, Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, AZ) gave away $25,000″”and asked the recipients to give the same. The money, which the church received as a grant, was offered to members of the PCC community to involve them in a microloan program with Kiva, a nonprofit organization that helps donors provide small loans ($25 or more) to help entrepreneurs around the world escape poverty by starting small businesses. PCC members could participate in the program by committing a small amount of their own money and receiving matching funds from the church. A $12.50 donation would result in $25″”the

May 25, 2011

Christian Living

Well Gifted

By Mark A. Taylor “What do you want for your birthday?” Believe it or not, I always have trouble answering the question. It”s not that material things don”t turn my head. But, with all my physical needs met and so many of my wants provided, nothing”s pressing for a place on my wish list. Just bake me a chocolate cake and shower me with funny cards””that”s enough to make my birthday happy. I guess I”m at that stage of life where smaller gifts””the kind usually given at birthdays””aren”t really necessary. I have more socks and shirts than I can wear

February 23, 2011

Radical Hospitality

By Gaye Clark I look back now and wonder what it would look like if more Christians were willing to take such a risk. Marcia”s voice cracked as she spoke. “Hello, Mrs. Clark, is your husband home? I”d like to wish him Happy Father”s Day.” I handed the phone to Jim, smiled, and said, “Your other daughter is calling.” Months before, while I sat at my computer, an e-mail caught my attention. The subject line read, “Young woman, broken and alone.” The sender was Dr. Robert Campbell, a local internal medicine specialist who had opened an inner-city clinic1 to reach

April 5, 2009

Balancing Word and Deed

By Doug Priest If you want to start an argument, ask a group of involved church members this question: “Of all the ministries this church performs, which is the most important?” Stand back and watch the fireworks begin. When I was a missionary kid growing up in Ethiopia, the government required the missionaries to establish and manage primary schools. These schools provided the only opportunity for the local children to receive an education. My father oversaw the expansion of the school, and one of the tasks was constructing outhouses for the students. This meant that funds given for missions were

July 6, 2008

Hope Partnership: A Way to Get Involved in HIV/AIDS Ministry

By Staff Nearly 2.5 million people live in poverty in the slums and urban areas of Nairobi, Kenya. They lack the basic necessities of life, including adequate housing, clean water, and sanitation services. Educational opportunities are negligible. Diseases run rampant throughout the communities. Complicating the problem, there are very few jobs to provide the income needed for families to improve their lives. In addition to these difficulties, the effects of AIDS are devastating the area. There are countless orphans and vulnerable children throughout the slums, where the infection rate approaches 40 percent. For every person who dies of AIDS, another

August 19, 2007

Caleb Acton

The Bread That Brings Life

A California church partnered with leaders in Nairobi’s Mathare Valley to support microenterprise as mission. One $8 loan helped Elizabeth start a chapati business, escape exploitation, and grow in faith and community.

August 19, 2007

Doug Priest

Reviews Book Reviews

Five Books About Business As Mission

A brief roundup of books on business as mission, tentmaking, microenterprise, and kingdom entrepreneurship—highlighting practical approaches for ministry in places closed to conventional missionary work.

August 12, 2007

Family & Relationships Adoption & Foster Care

Ministering to the Least of These: RiverTree Christian Church, Massilon, OH

RiverTree Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, shares how God shaped a deep commitment to at-risk children through sponsorship, child survival initiatives, adoption support, and foster-care partnerships—locally and around the world.

June 17, 2007

Stefanie Cassetto

Just the Beginning

After “A Day in the Park,” a small group listens to a Somali family’s story, then takes practical steps to help them find a safer home—discovering deeper friendship and lessons about God’s love along the way.

May 20, 2007

Joshua Graves