"Every day, [Hope Credit Union] proves that banking practices can narrow the wealth gap and advance economic justice. An idea that many write off as naïve and folly, Hope makes real through passionate commitment and meticulous follow-through." Once in a while I think I’m beginning to really understand racism, the suffering it has caused and still causes and the tenacity it invokes. And then [Read More …]
Just another white van on the horizon?
"So what does it look like to create ongoing relationships with the Lakota people in Red Shirt? It might be looking for ways to support these communities, spreading the word, returning in future years, or even financial support for projects." In June, I had the great privilege to participate in a Faith and Money Network Trip of Perspective to Oglala Lakota land at Red Shirt Table, Pine [Read More …]
Living among the ancestors: Learning about reverence and community from the Lakota people
I never thought I would go to South Dakota. My way of thinking was, "What reason would I go there outside of removing another state from my bucket list?" All I knew about the state is that it is located in the middle of the country, its capital is Pierre, and the location of Mount Rushmore was home to a very sacred site for Native Americans. It wasn’t until my school chaplain offered me the [Read More …]
Book Review: Learning about de jure economic racism
As a theist Unitarian Universalist, I believe in our 1st Principle: the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Because I believe that every person holds a spark of the divine, and that all people are my neighbors, I must work to learn about the experiences of the most marginalized and disadvantaged in our culture, understand how our systems affect them, and work to make things more just and [Read More …]
Sacred Spaces: Robert Two Bulls on the culture of the Oglala Lakota
Rev. Canon Robert Two Bulls is a member of the Oglala Lakota and the Missioner for The Department of Indian Work for the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. A member of a family with deep roots in artistry, activism, and Episcopal ministry, Two Bulls and his colleagues will be leading participants on our first Trip of Perspective to Red Shirt Table on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota this [Read More …]
Exploring money stories in the Gospels and early church with Miguel Escobar
Miguel Escobar is director of strategy and operations at Episcopal Divinity School in New York City. He is also a writer whose work explores Christianity's complicated and conflicted relationship with money, wealth, and poverty. His book is The Unjust Steward: Wealth, Poverty and the Church Today. We have the honor of partnering with Miguel on a few exclusive Faith and Money Network events in [Read More …]
Bearing Witness: Joshin Byrnes on embracing mutual discovery and care as a practicing Zen Peacemaker
Sensei Joshin Byrnes is the founder and guiding teacher of the Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community near Middlebury, Vermont. His background in Catholic social justice and his Zen Peacemaker practice of social action has led him to participate in Faith and Money Network programming, most recently attending the Fall 2023 Trip of Perspective to Central Appalachia. In this interview, he explained how [Read More …]
Leading together: Lydia Kelsey Bucklin on empowering followers of Jesus through mutual ministry
Lydia Kelsey Bucklin isn’t afraid to bring an expansive sense of creativity and mission to her work in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan. As Canon to the Ordinary for Discipleship & Vitality, she lives and works in a beautiful, remote region of the United States where the traditional model of one priest per congregation isn’t self-sustaining, and hasn’t been for decades. In this [Read More …]
Investing in a credit union that changes the paradigm
It’s been just over a month since my return from the Deep South Investors Tour sponsored by Faith and Money Network and Hope Credit Union. Since I got back, I’ve shared so much about the trip with so many people — it was simply that powerful, and there was so much to say about all the towns and neighborhoods we visited, as well as memorials, museums, and historic sites. Right now, I want to [Read More …]
Economic mobility: A gift for all in the Deep South
In the first full week of June 2023, Faith and Money Network hosted a trip with Hope Credit Union. The purpose of this trip was to show Hope investors firsthand the impact that their deposits are making in the Deep South, particularly for low-income and rural Black families. This is a reflection from participant Sara Loving, who runs a project centered around ethical banking practices called [Read More …]