A trip to the emergency room. An unexpected death in the family. The loss of a job.  It’s moments like these that people often turn to crowdfunding websites, hoping friends, strangers, and neighbors will hear their story and respond with aid. Sometimes, people do. And once the goal is met, the page comes down.  But there are many needs that never make it on these pages. Needs that   [Read More …]

For years, purchasing a house has been intertwined with the vision of the “American dream.” A home was originally a place for putting down roots and raising families, a symbol of a promised future. Later, homeownership became an encouraged financial investment in a burgeoning market. Yet many Americans today don’t own homes and even more worry they never will. While the homeownership rate has   [Read More …]

When most people think of church and money, they often see offering plates and giving campaigns. But when Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams, Jr. talks about the church and money, he starts with a vision. “If God gives you a vision, it always exceeds your resources,” Williams said. “If it’s a vision that you came up with, you can probably fund it. But if it's a God-sized vision, there's no way you're   [Read More …]

Rev. Diane Ford Dessables is the founder of Gemstones in the Sun (GITS), an online blog where people of color (POC i.e., the Indigenous, descendants of slaves and immigrants of color) share their experiences with beliefs, shifting values, and resources. Through Gemstones in the Sun, Dessables also convenes spiritual support groups called Gemstones in the Sun Freedom Circles for POC to work   [Read More …]

How a Baltimore pastor is organizing Black farmers and Black churches for food security and freedom Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III is the senior pastor of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore, Md. He joined the Faith & Money Network’s 2017 “Trip of Perspective” to Haiti to make cross-cultural connections between faith and money. In this story, Brown shares how a garden he planted on his   [Read More …]

When Christians discuss financial stewardship, the conversations usually focus on questions of giving:  How much should we give and where should we give it? As important as these questions are, they generally address our assets only up to the 10% tithe. What about the other 90%? Does God’s claim on all that we are, and all that we have, require that we at least look at how we might put   [Read More …]

Since racial justice movements mobilized across the country this summer, several Faith and Money Network members have asked, “How can I use my financial resources in a more anti-racist way?” Sara Loving of Better Banking Options has been answering that question all summer and shares her experience with Faith and Money Network.  As a young white person, I believe white people in this   [Read More …]

In solidarity with our friends in Haiti, Faith and Money Network is reallocating the Bonjou Haiti Fund, more than $14,000, to help offset COVID and political forces that have created dire shortages. The Bonjou Haiti Fund was established in honor of FMN founder Don McClanen to offer Haiti trip scholarships to seminary students and church leaders and has helped several people go to Haiti with FMN   [Read More …]

I went to the local drugstore this week to get some supplies – I know crazy, right? Doing something normal like going to the CVS now feels like participating in an X Games extreme sports event, at least if you are following the advice of the medical experts. I went in the very early morning, had my mask on the whole time, used the wipes available by the door, and tried to touch as little as   [Read More …]