Bishop William J. Barber brought his Poor People’s Campaign and Moral Mondays to Jackson, Miss., Sept. 26 to protest a notoriously neglected and broken water system that has generated hundreds of boil advisories in the last two years alone and…
If you think the Jackson water crisis is just about Mississippi, you’re all dried up
Mississippi is “the Magnolia State” where Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, was abducted, tortured and lynched in August 1955. Mississippi is where Medgar Evers was murdered June 12, 1963. Mississippi is where three civil rights activists — James Chaney, Andrew…
In Jackson, Miss., the lack of water flows into conversation about God, politics and public trust
Last Sunday, Aug. 28, I was privileged to be in attendance at Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss., as Pastor Chuck Poole gave his last sermon after 25 years of ministry and his final splash in the baptismal pool. The…
In water-scarce Zimbabwe, free Muslim water wells are the ‘kiss of life’
Decades of water corruption, mismanagement and climate change mean Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, is one of Africa’s thirstiest cities. In some neighborhoods, Muslim families, building on the altruism of their faith, are erecting free, clean public water wells on…
In Hawaii, faith groups sound an alarm about endangered water supply
The U.S. Navy in Hawaii faces stiff opposition from faith communities, environmentalists and state and federal legislators seeking the closure of subterranean fuel tanks that contaminated the water supply of nearly 100,000 military and civilian residents on Oahu late last…
On climate change, the political divide has widened as more Americans overall express concern
In addition to the political and generational differences between Americans over climate change, there is a disproportionate impact of pollution, unsafe drinking water and other challenges occurring among people and communities of color. This is the finding a new national…
Georgia church takes missional presence global
Johns Creek, Ga., is situated on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, an area that once served as a meeting place between rival Cherokee and Creek people. Tom Blue Wolf, a Creek descendent, told an interviewer the tribes were inspired…
Baptist group urges Tyson Foods to address water quality
As part of a commitment to socially responsible investing, American Baptist Home Mission Societies will present a shareholder resolution at the 2016 Tyson Foods annual shareholders meeting tomorrow in Springdale, Ark. Shareholders of Tyson Foods will vote Feb. 5 on…
Surging water ministries about more than digging wells, mission leaders say
By Jeff Brumley and Ken Camp Water poverty has become an increasingly popular missions focus for U.S.-based churches, ministries and denominational groups in recent years. “It’s a hot-button issue right now,” said Colleen Burroughs, executive vice president for Passport Inc.,…