Tag Archives: poverty

Troubled times … fresh resources.

11 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by in international politics, Personal, Spirituality, theology

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“Crisis always comes with opportunity,” suggests the Chinese pictogram. How this relates to the current ascension of the greed of the few and the corresponding upward spiral of cost to the many is elegantly demonstrated in this video clip:

Human history seems to reveal a default trend of societies devolving from the most altruistic ideals to the rule of a powerful elite. There will always be a counterforce of opportunity to redress the balance.

This was no less true in the biblical accounts of the development of Israel as she sought to move from tribal confederacy to monarchy so that they could be “like other nations.” The move to monarchy and its attendant dangers was inevitable. What was also inevitable was a “holy subversion” to keep such dangers in check. The call of Samuel as the first in a long line of prophets related to Israel’s monarchy begin a tradition of strong interface between the natural human inclination to power and control and the bigger picture for the common good.

The nuances of the latter are pointed out in the involvement of “the least” elite. Commenting on the call of Samuel while still a young boy, the Rev’d Dr Keith Rowe (With Love To The World) says:

An easily overlooked group become vehicles of newness – an elderly mother, a near blind priest troubled by the anti social behaviour of his sons, and a fragile child with acute spiritual sensitivity.

When despairing over the latest revelation of greed and abuse of power in high places, look for the Samuels and Hannahs in our midst. There are the opportunities. There lies our hope

Compulsory Income Management

22 Monday Mar 2010

Posted by in local politics, Ministry

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This morning’s article in Eureka Street scratches an irritating itch. On behalf of my local church, I receive occasional calls to help out families on hard times. My training has me quickly assessing the level of need, its genuineness and the appropriate response. Often it’s the choice between organising a food parcel or accompanying the person to the supermarket and saying “OK – get what you need to the tune of $xx” I’m far more comfortable with the first option – I maintain control and I decide “what is good for the other.” The second option is scary. It’s “unprofessional”; I have ceded control; the person’s choices will most certainly not be my choices, they might even go over the limit I have set. Yet this is often the choice I take. Why? The person’s dignity and sense of self in these instances seems to be as equally important. I note that the local food bank we support also majors on the “dignity” principle as it provides refreshments and conversation to those who come to make up their food parcel. The Eureka Street article highlights the contrast between sound economic management in government offices and the human interface of welfare agencies that oppose compulsory income management on the very grounds I have mentioned.

In my local church setting, I have noticed our most stringent economic managers soften and bend and become most generous and self-giving when face-to-face with genuine human hardship. Perhaps the proposed implementation of a wider policy on compulsory income management might soften if administrators and policy makers spent more time on the front-line with welfare and community development workers.

Blogging against Poverty – Blog Action Day

15 Wednesday Oct 2008

Posted by in Blogging

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Ever wondered what more you can do about world poverty? It’s a bit like the kid throwing beached starfish back into the ocean – not a hope of saving the thousands of stranded ones so why bother at all – what difference does it make? “It makes a difference to this one,” he says, chucking another into the deep. Today, I learn is Blog Action Day 2008. Blog writers everywhere are being invited to write about poverty and register through this site. The day is still young as it beginns to unfold around the globe and there are already 9394 sites with over 10 million readers registered. What’s more it is already choc-a-block full of ideas and suggestions. It’s a bit like a crowd gathering on the beach to throw stranded starfish back into the ocean.

Signing in from Nashville

24 Thursday Jul 2008

Posted by in churches of christ, nashville, restoration movement, Stone-Campbell

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G’day readers, here we are. Lots of stuff already written up for this pilgrim’s journal here, but there’s a problem connecting my laptop to the hotel’s wifi system, so until I find a hotspot that works, I’m using the public internet in the lobby. I’ll load the report on the journey here when I can. Circadian rhythms have just about righted themselves, so I’m just taking a relaxing day wandering around the downtown area and getting some orientation. Ended up under some trees on the river bank just past a replica of the fort from which Nashville was founded. Pretty hot and muggy, so stayed there a while reading up on Alexander Campbell’s life story as imaged in “Fool of God.” Hopefully good preparation for the tour over the weekend of historic sites associated with him. Looking for an ATM in the downtown district, one could not help but notice the proliferation of notices warning against giving money to “panhandlers” – the fine print advised it was preferable to give food and water, but also gave a phone number to which one could refer those in need. On the river bank I was aware that I was sharing the shade with a range of possible homeless wanderers. Rammed into a bench was a crumpled newspaper published by a homeless advocacy group. Right on the spot I could learn about the plight of the poor in this region and the challenge to assist that is being addressed largely by the churches. The problem is that food distribution points are best accessible by car and the main mode of transport for the homeless is walking. The advocacy group has a centre in the downtown district from which they can give advice and support, but the lease does not allow them to give material assistance from the premises. Lobbying for government funding for homeless assistance programs seems to be part of their work as well. The talk in the general media is about raised levels of anxiety as more families become homeless due to the sub-prime crisis. It will be interesting in convention week to hear some perspectives on this, and whether there is strength in the so-called domino-effect on our own country – and also clues that may help a similar but different crisis for the growing number of homeless in Perth.

World Cup vs World Vision?

22 Thursday Jun 2006

Posted by in mission

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How many Aussies will be late for work tomorrow having stayed up in the still small hours to watch the Socceroo-Croatia contest?

And now this from http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/

World cup anti-poverty advert is banned The UK Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre has banned an advert by a Christian relief agency which contrasts the £49 million it has cost to sponsor the England World Cup football with the 60p a day it costs to support a child in a poor community.According to the BACC the problem is that the agency concerned, World Vision, has not yet got the required permission from the England team and the Football Association, who are both mentioned in the film – which features former Doctor Who film star Paul McGann doing a voiceover.The one-minute advert was filmed by a young boy called Masidi from Malawi. He makes a ball out of maize to kick around with his friends because it is the nearest thing to a proper football which he can get hold of as a member of an impoverished community. World Vision says it has now had to spend more money to get an alternative advert shown. Though the ostensible issue is the technical matter of referring to third parties, the development organization thinks that the image of the message may have had something to do with it too – though the BACC denies this.“In our eyes, the advert is in no way anti-World Cup or anti-football. It simply uses the common language of football to point out the difference between Western world affluence and developing world resourcefulness,” says Rudo Kwaramba, who is responsible for advocacy, communications and education at World Vision.The purpose of the advert is to promote child sponsorship programmes as a way of supporting children in developing countries. Other agencies, such as Christian Aid and Oxfam, prefer to channel resources to communities and organisations rather than singling out individuals or families.But they have also had their advertising problems. A Make Poverty History television advert they and other groups put together was banned last year because mentioning trade and debt was deemed ‘political’. Actor Paul McGann is not impressed by this latest bar on a campaign he was supporting: “Does one laugh or cry? An advert describing how 60p a day might help a child in a developing country is pulled in order to spare the image of corporate sponsorship in a couple of rich ones. You couldn’t make it up.”