Recognizing That Poverty Has Hit Home

You know someone who was downsized.  You know someone without health insurance.  You know someone whose unemployment benefits have run out.  You know a woman who is now holding down three part-time jobs.

You notice that the family which populated the tenth pew on the right has been missing for 'a while'; perhaps you did not know that they are absent because, financially against the wall, they are ashamed that they had to cut their pledge out of the household budget. You notice you rarely see one of your neighbors out shopping.  You notice that that famous brown delivery truck has become a rare sight on your block.

A friend of a friend of your cousin lost all their savings in that infamous Ponsey scheme.  Many of us who were accustomed to have ... now have not.

You have received food stamps.  You have gotten groceries from a food pantry. You have collected cans and bottles for the deposit money.

A week ago over 170 involved in social service ministries gathered in Newark, New Jersey, April 28-30 for “Called to Serve: The Episcopal Church Responds to Domestic Poverty,” a conference designed to explore the nature of domestic poverty and the church’s role in addressing it.

Here is the article, written by Lynette Wilson of Episcopal News Service: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/ENSW_insert_051610_eng_color_lettersize.pdf.

We are all called to serve.  Here is an opportunity at your doorstep.

Let me also commend to you a Forward Movement publication by the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth M. Kaeton (who attended the abovementioned conference), entitled Just a Paycheck Away.  It is in print and available this-a-way: http://forwardmovement.org/New-Titles/Just-a-Paycheck-Away/flypage-ask.tpl.html.  Thank you for giving me a copy last month, Elizabeth!