“Nobody gets into heaven without a letter of reference from the poor.”  Reverend James Forbes We feel sure that a very big stack of letters of reference from the poor had already been received in heaven by the time Bob Hadley arrived there a few weeks ago.  Hadley, a long-time member of the Faith & Money Network’s Board of Directors illustrated what it means to be God’s   [Read More …]

“What does sufficiency mean for a planet that is nearing exhaustion?  Cultivating a sense of enough has become a biological and ecological imperative.” from What About Our Money? A Faith Response by Susan K. Taylor Ouch.  Sometimes the truth hurts. More often “ouch” is an appropriate comment when you’re faced with an undeniable truth you would rather ignore. In 1992 a book   [Read More …]

“I commit myself, regardless of the expenditures of time, energy, and money to becoming an informed, mature Christian.”* What does it take to be God’s hands and feet in the world today? Since the first nine members of the Church of the Saviour recited the pledge quoted above on October 19, 1947, that small congregation has had an impact beyond anything they could have imagined. The   [Read More …]

“Let us say right here that our class found most writings on prayer made it sound too easy.  It isn’t.  Those who use it as a spare tire, only when an emergency arises, are very apt to be disappointed in its results.”  From Prayer Can Change Your Life by Dr. William R. Parker and Elaine St. Johns The book quoted above is another one that has had a major impact on my life.  I   [Read More …]

“Let me get this straight.  You want to borrow $10,000 so you can give it away.”    J. T. Richardson, a banker About 1975 my beloved father-in-law gave me his copy of Call to Commitment, Elizabeth O’Connor’s book detailing the early history of The Church of the Saviour.   I read it because I trusted his judgement, never dreaming as I did so the major impact it   [Read More …]

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?  SAMS   [Read More …]

"Work is love made visible".  Kahlil Gibran Would most people think it is a big step down from being a college professor and dean to teaching illiterate women how to write their names?  Probably, but Steven Werlin, the professor in question, isn’t among them. In 1996, Werlin, who was a faculty member and later dean at Shimer College, took his first trip to Haiti to visit a friend   [Read More …]

If you ill-treat the poor, you insult your Creator; if you are kind to them, you show him respect.  Proverbs 14:31 – The Poverty and Justice Bible On the 4th of July our family celebrated our nation’s independence as we have done for many years beginning with a pancake breakfast at the firehouse, a parade in the afternoon, followed by a potluck dinner with old friends and new, and ending with   [Read More …]