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Rural organizers take on mountaintop removal, racism, and the opioid crisis in Appalachia

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   [Read More …]

To fool the rain – without an umbrella

"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 …]

HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?

“My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.”   1 John 3:18, The Jerusalem Bible It is easy for those of us who have enough money to provide a decent place for our family to live, enough money to feed and clothe our families, and enough money to pay our bills, to forget that we are rich in the eyes of the world because we can do those   [Read More …]

A HOME FOR THE BRAVE KNOCKING AT OUR DOORS

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 …]

UNEQUAL BY GENDER A SEX-BASED PERSPECTIVE ON INEQUALITY

Dear sisters and brothers, dear fellow children, we must work… not wait. Not just the politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. We. It is our duty.  Let us become the first generation to decide to be the last, let us become the first generation that decides to be the last that sees empty classrooms, lost childhoods, and wasted   [Read More …]

UNEQUAL BY COLOR A RACIAL PERSPECTIVE ON INEQUALITY

White households in Boston have a median net worth of $247,500.  African-Americans there have a median net worth of $8.  And that isn’t a typo. Why is there such a huge disparity?  Dr. Art Goldsmith, Jackson T. Stephens Professor of Economics at Washington and Lee University, believes “It’s all about preserving privilege.  You can discriminate against somebody,” he said,   [Read More …]

ARE YOU LISTENING? DO YOU HEAR THE SOUND OF THE WOODEN BELL?

“He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry shall himself plead and not be heard.”   Proverbs 21:13 – The Jerusalem Bible The inscription on the Haitian bell says: “No one listens to the cry of the poor or the sound of a wooden bell.” It is inviting you to join the Faith and Money Network small group traveling to Haiti on November 16th and returning November 23rd.  While Haiti   [Read More …]

CINDERELLA AND THE MONEY GATE

“We must also remember that our worthiness, that core belief that we are enough, comes only when we live inside our story.”  Brené Brown, Ph.D. from Daring Greatly. It used to be that in America it was considered o.k. to talk about anything except sex and politics.  These days the only taboo subject is money:  how much you have; what you spend it for; when, where and how much you   [Read More …]