I was in a workshop on Saturday at Providence Baptist Church, led by Dr. Brian Fikkert, one of the co-authors of When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. I am excited by the conversation that this book is framing among local churches seeking to be engaged locally and globally in alleviating poverty as a calling from God.
Brian suggested that in order to alleviate poverty that you need three things: 1. God 2. God and 3. God. And he shared that it should be clear to Christians that the alleviation of poverty here and now is something we should be all about. He quoted this scripture from 1 John:
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17-18
Brian shared that the Raleigh-Durham area ranks high on a national survey of “bible-mindedness”--#22 to be exact-- and he suggested that “things should look different for the poor where the people of God are.”
So, churches of Raleigh and Wake County—come join us! There are people in our community in need of housing and Habitat for Humanity is a proven ministry that makes a difference in people’s lives in an empowering and not dependency-producing way. Let’s get moving and show our community that the Church in action is a powerful force showing God’s love throughout the community!