endingPOVERTY...

Thirty-seven million people live in poverty in the United States.

In 2004, the average poor family eked by on an income of $10,007.

More than 1 billion people around the world live in extreme poverty (less than $1 per day), and more than 2 billion live on less than $2 per day.

According to the U.N., the majority of the people in poverty are women, who globally earn roughly half as much as men.

Throughout the Bible, Adonai shows a special concern for those in poverty and acts in history to lift them up. As worshipers of Adonai we are His people and therefore we share that concern. The Bible also teaches God’s command that society organize so that all members have genuine access to the resources needed to live a decent life and provide for those who are unable to care for themselves. The Hebrew prophets consistently say that the measure of a nation’s righteousness and integrity is how it treats the most vulnerable...Too many people are not just trapped in poverty,but also in the debate about poverty. In America, low-income families are stuck between liberal and conservative arguments, while neither political party has made the needs of poor families a top priority. Internationally America treats the poorest of the poor as short term mission projects and hides the faces and lives of billions behind a foreign policy more concerned with redemptive violence than justice, as if redemptive and violence work well together. Restoring the hope of our poorest families and neighbors will require nothing less than a national change of heart. It is a formidable challenge, but one the church should embrace. We must not be fearful of the many obstacles we face, but confident that our vision and commitment can provide an example that will spur our nation to action. Read more...[state-side possibilities] [global possibilities text]

Current policy and hopes for a changed public & foreign policy is never an excuse for our community to slack on lifting up those in poverty. Poverty is more than a lack of material goods. Today's american suburbs hold many toys and full pantries while having no shortage of loneliness & despair -all of which are a part of life in poverty. Rather than a simple lack in material goods, poverty is truly a system that traps people in relational, emotional, spiritual, and physical destruction. It is going to take a community to truly help those in the destructive traps of poverty.

can we, as the Church and communities of people, better organize ourselves so that all members of the family have genuine access to the resources needed to live a decent life?

May we act to lift up those in poverty. It is no good thing when a few in the family gain weight while some others starve.

Relevant Links:

Poverty Education

Malaria

Millennium Project