Faith and Money Network

Power. Success. Hope. These were the words that raced through my mind at the end of our two and a half day Faith and Money Network group immersion trip earlier this month in the communities of southwestern Virginia—a sliver of Appalachia known for its rich cultural history and the declining fortunes of coal mining. A week has gone by. Has this Trip of Perspective changed mine?  As in years past, our host was the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, a fearless group of activists based in Big Stone Gap that organizes communities to fight surface mining and mountaintop removal of coal. Against all odds, given the power of the coal companies and their political allies, they succeeded in preventing the granting of a permit to a […]