The “Jesus gene” compels Christians to provide practical help and divine love to vulnerable people, Chuck Poole told participants at the 20th anniversary celebration of Together for Hope June 27, during the first night of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General…
Coker named to elite futurism cohort, benefiting Together for Hope
Jason Coker is setting the bar pretty high these days at Together for Hope, the rural poverty initiative launched by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to serve impoverished Americans in 301 of the poorest counties in the nation. In fact, the…
Hurricane season has ended (yay) but the poor aren’t cheering
The 2018 hurricane season, which officially ends today, unleashed yet another barrage of terrifying and destructive weather that left huge swaths of the nation soaked, flattened – or both. And as usual, it is those with the fewest resources who have been left with the biggest obstacles to overcome.
‘They won’t take care of the house anyway’: One small transfusion of justice
“If you come and see the people, and talk with them, they don’t talk about how they’re living on less than $12,000 a year. They’re not talking about the fact that they go to bed hungry at night or that they don’t have a hospital. Their focus is on their joy and the things they do have. There is a lot of love.”
The endless work of combatting rural poverty can leave you in the dark, but hope flickers
On many days, the endless work of combatting rural poverty leaves you in the dark, utterly hopeless, Frances Ford says, but as Perry County’s own begin to build it themselves, hope flickers. True asset-based community development is sluggish work, and, at times, maybe impossible work.
Perry County, Alabama: Fields of Paradox
There is a tension you must hold in Perry County, Alabama, between strength and fragility, beauty and dismay, resilience and defeat. The moment you discount its people and cry “poverty,” Perry County bewilders you with overwhelming abundance and gratitude. The moment you discover the outright richness of life there, you must contend with the exhaustive power of poverty to steal home, health and even your next meal.
Photo Gallery: Perry County Alabama
Alabama: Perry County is a series about holding a healthy tension between a perspective of scarcity and one of joy and strength. What, in all realities, appears to be extreme poverty may actually represent generations of strong, resilient families who have made a true home in Perry County.
Video: Frances Ford on Change
Twenty years ago, Frances Ford left her nursing career in Selma, Ala., to seek justice and development among her lifelong neighbors in Perry County. She speaks in this video about change in Perry County.
Video: Frances Ford on Justice
Twenty years ago, Frances Ford left her nursing career in Selma, Ala., to seek justice and development among her lifelong neighbors in Perry County. She speaks in this video about justice in Perry County.