If media is the only source we use to define the rich and poor then our definitions could become skewed compared to how the Bible describes the rich and the poor. Further, we must lean on Bible truths and principles - not the media or our own prejudices - to determine how we're supposed to deal with both groups of people. In Dr. Glenn Sunshine's new book, For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty, he examines poverty from a biblical perspective in an effort to better understand the biblical call to care for those who in different conditions of poverty, both material and spiritual. Here's an excerpt from his book: At first glance, the Bible demonstrates that God cares about the poor and about how they are treated. Should we conclude from this that God is on the side of the poor and opposes the rich? This is a tempting conclusion, but is it supported by a careful reading of Scripture? Answering these questions requires determining what the Scriptures mean when they talk about the poor and the rich. ******************** Who are the Rich? Continue reading the entire article at: http://http://blog.tifwe.org/who-are-rich-and-poor/ ******************** We are excited to launch our new Community Partnership Network, which consists of businesses, churches, and community organizations who are living their passion and changing lives. We will use this network to highlight these great organizations, promote their projects, and bring positive attention to the wonderful work they are doing. One of the major focuses of this network is our work with Metro Merge, a faith-based small business incubator and shared office space in South Atlanta, whose goal is to create 300 jobs in 3 years through entrepreneurship training and business coaching. As we continue to grow this network we will definitely be expanding to more locations around the U.S. and globally in the future. Partnership Benefits Fortunately, the benefits just don't go to Metro Merge. For those of you who decide to partner with us in this network you will receive these incredible perks:
Please join us today in our efforts to fight poverty, grow businesses, and create jobs for those who are unemployed. We would like to share one of our new initiatives with you that will allow you to get something great while doing something good. As we previously announced Kingdom Business University is joining forces with Metro Merge to fight poverty and create jobs by strengthening small businesses. Your purchases at the KBU Online Store will help fund programs that provide entrepreneurship training and business coaching for youth and adults. We are committing 20% of all product revenues to Metro Merge. Please join us in this fight and get some great resources for your spiritual and professional development at the same time! Learn more at www.kingdombusinessuniversity.com.
Of course if you just want to make a tax-deductible contribution to Metro Merge, we can accommodate you with that also. Thank you in advance! In recent years there has been a shift in the conversation of how we can more effectively eliminate poverty in third world countries. And most of the discussion centers around increasing enterprise and entrepreneurship among the poor vs. increasing aid given to them. One of the leading voices in this change of thought is Michael Matheson Miller, a Research Fellow at the Acton Institute and the Director of Poverty Cure. He wrote this in a recent article: We see poverty in the developing world and we ask—what can I do? So we send food, water, clothes. We sponsor children, build wells, start schools and go on mission trips; we wear wristbands, we sign petitions, we advocate. But what if the question that animates our activity is the wrong one? God desires that all of His children would prosper, so the conversation around this shift to creating prosperity shouldn't just be for third world countries. I believe these is a very timely and relevant discussion even for Christians in America. We need to more deeply consider how we are strategically attacking the issues of poverty in our own national backyard, especially as it relates to utilizing enterprise and entrepreneurship to empower people to becomes agents of their own transformation. I'm excited about this shift and I hope to part of not just the conversations but the practical application / implementation of these ideas and concepts. Read Miller's full article posted on QIdeas: http://www.qideas.org/blog/the-shift-from-alleviating-poverty-to-creating-prosperity.aspx In a recent post I talked about my new role with Metro Merge, a South Atlanta based Christian business incubator. Well we are joining a joining a momentum that's happening across the country of organizations who see entrepreneurship and small business development as platforms for empowerment. Sunshine Gospel Ministries, a 108-year old non-profit in the Woodlawn community on the South Side of Chicago, is shifting from a charity model to a development model. One of their goals is to launch a business incubator that helps to establish companies that will eventually employ 200 people. Through their 8-week Business Leadership Academy, they aim to teach promising entrepreneurs how to manage capital, leverage technology and wisely choose growth opportunities. The project is modeled on a successful program run by Rising Tide Capital, a 9-year-old nonprofit based in Jersey City, N.J., that has graduated 750 small business owners from its academy and seen 300 of them operate successfully, employing people other than the sole owner. We at Metro Merge are excited to begin walking down a similar path. Click here to learn more about our vision for South Atlanta. Read the full article about Sunshine Gospel Ministries here: http://www.chicagogrid.com/features/small-business-incubator-coming-south-side-hoping-bring-200-jobs/ ********************"Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:7 ************************************ A few days ago we released the announcement that I was taking over the role of Executive Director for Metro Merge in Atlanta. I'm very excited for the opportunities that we have to work with and within this community to inspire people by providing an environment and resources to incubate their dreams, grow in purpose, and discover a life that may have seemed unattainable before. Here's a few more nuggets about Metro Merge... METRO MERGE MANIFESTO We envision a day when we are known for unity in diversity, embodying the good news of God’s Kingdom, working for justice. We envision a day when all of us are loving our neighbors as a way of life, learning from those unlike us, finding creative solutions to poverty together. We look forward to a day when the most vulnerable of our neighborhoods are freed in Christ, economically empowered, living in safety and honored with dignity. We’re rolling up our sleeves in pursuit of a day when people from all walks of life are playing, living and working together in socially, economically, and racially diverse churches, offices and communities. We believe this is what Jesus intends for the church to demonstrate. WHY PARTNER WITH METRO MERGE?
Click here to learn more about donating to Metro Merge. WILL YOU INVEST WITH US?
For more than a decade I have had a deep desire to create environments that inspire, equip, and empower people to reach their God-given potential. A strong part of this vision was connected to teaching business and entrepreneurship in ways that empower people to maximize their financial potential. That's why I'm super excited to announce a new opportunity that I have to lead an emerging business incubator in South Atlanta called Metro Merge. Launched on MLK Day 2009, Metro Merge is apart of a collective of community development non-profit organizations under FCS Urban Ministries (Focused Community Strategies). FCS was founded by Bob Lupton in 1976 with the mission “to create healthy places in the city where families flourish and God’s shalom is present.” Metro Merge adds its part to this mission by serving as a catalyst to help opportunity and potential emerge in Historic South Atlanta through promoting sustainable enterprises and economic development solutions. Working in partnership with Kingdom Business University, we are developing a full service business incubator and business programming that emphasizes transformational leadership, financial literacy, technological literacy, and social community impact. Learn more at www.metromerge.org. Here is the official press release... WILL YOU INVEST WITH US?Fight Poverty. Grow Businesses. Create Jobs. Metro Merge is a division of FCS Urban Ministries, a non-profit with a 30+ year track record. We’re one of multiple initiatives that all work together with a wholistic emphasis. We rely on ongoing donations to sustain our not-for-profit mission. And we’re working to build a sustainable model to reduce our need for fundraising. Please consider co-investing with us as we join God’s restorative work in the city. Click here to learn more about donating to Metro Merge. I'm really looking forward to attending this Partners Worldwide conference tomorrow at LAUNCH, a community-based business incubator that's having a major impact on lives in the Chattanooga area through entrepreneurship and business training. Our team at Kingdom Business University is in the process of creating something similar at Metro Merge in South Atlanta. This will definitely be a time of great learning, networking, and fun as we strategize and collaborate on how to manifest our victory over this defeated foe.
I am a huge proponent of utilizing entrepreneurship and other economic development platforms to empower people to become their own agents of sustained economic renewal. It's imperative that we help those in poverty rediscover their dignity by teaching them to uncover their God-given gifts and talents and transform them into sustainable income. American Enterprise Institute just released a new project, Economic Growth: Unleashing the Potential of Human Flourishing, in which three professors provide a compelling moral and economic case for growth. They believe like myself... "If we truly care about helping the poor, we should prioritize economic growth, which is the key to lifting whole societies from poverty to prosperity." Related: The Unemployment Alternative ********************Professional Resources |
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