| The
Bible speaks about poverty: Psalms 10:1-2 – 1 Why, O Lord, do you
stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2 In
arrogance the wicked persecute the poor— let them be caught in the schemes they have
devised.
Poverty datebook for today:
"March Forth for Child
Care" will find thousands of advocates from across the country speaking up
today to ask Congress to support significant new funds for the Child Care and Development
Block Grant program. Details available from: Children's Defense Fund.
National Campaign for Jobs and
Income Security will release report on the increasing use of temporary work
and the way in which the welfare and workforce system push people into temp jobs.
Good works that 'work':
Not sure whether government funding of
Faith-Based Initiatives is a good idea? There's guidance in the NCC's Yearbook of American and Canadian
Churches. In her 2002 Yearbook essay "The Fevered
Frenzy Over Faith-Based Initiatives," Editor Eileen W. Lindner offers a succinct
guide to the emerging consensus on government funding of faith-based social service.
In 2001, she reviewed all research on the closely related issue of Charitable Choice that
had been published by year-end 2000. Dr. Lindner pointed out gaps and urged
faith-based organizations and government alike to base their decisions about Charitable
Choice on sound research, not on guesswork. |
Poverty
by the numbers: 
In the United States in 1999, 31 million people lived in families that
suffered food insecurity. (USDA)
12 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less
to make ends meet. That means one in ten U.S. households are living with hunger or are at
risk of hunger. (Bread for the World)
Preaching about poverty:
"Dining with the Rich and
Famous."
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Gibble, pastor in Church of the Brethren
congregations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. |
