Poverty

A chapter of the Occupy Wall Street movement may have helped a historic black church in Georgia get a modified loan, thereby saving the church from foreclosure.

Higher Ground Empowerment Center was given a second chance at avoiding foreclosure when BB&T agreed to craft a resolution that would allow the congregation to remain at the church, which has been open since 1903.

“BB&T is committed to continue to work with the Church until there is a mutually agreeable solution,” said David White of Corporate Communications for BB&T in a statement. more >>

Monday marks the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday, a time when many Americans will participate in the official MLK Day of Service.

World Vision is also taking part, and has created a new opportunity for those to pitch in. The Christian humanitarian aid organization is encouraging those who can’t volunteer somewhere in person to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by volunteering virtually.

They have created a way for people to purchase food kits or pre-packaged meals online. Each kit contains three to four meal packets (breakfast, lunch, dinner) or enough food to feed a family of five for one day by providing sustenance such as oatmeal, lentil soup, and pasta. more >>

African-American talk show host and Barack Obama critic Tavis Smiley expressed disappointment with an Illinois employee group’s decision to drop him as the guest speaker of its Jan. 16 Martin Luther King luncheon after another local group threatened to boycott the function.

Smiley, a liberal, told Fox News Monday morning, “Something is wrong with this country that so often the political right, and I am no defender of the political right … gets accused of playing the game of political correctness. What this underscores is that those on the left, the Democrats can play that game of political correctness as well.”

Alma Brown, an organizer for the Public Employees for Community Concerns’ luncheon, told the Peoria Journal Star it dropped its contract with Smiley last week over ticket sale concerns. more >>

A new wave of Christian ministries are answering the call to good stewardship and breaking down stereotypes with renewable energy initiatives.

According to World Bank statistics, over 1.4 million people worldwide, the majority in rural Asia and Africa, don’t have access to electricity. About 3 billion people use non-renewable materials like wood, charcoal, even waste, for cooking and heating. These sources are economically draining and bad for the environment.

This past August, the U.N. Secretary General emphasized renewable energy sources – like solar energy, wind power, and hydropower – as good ways to help lift the poor out of poverty. more >>

Water Missions International has launched its "Water Sunday" project, which encourages churches from across the United States to educate their congregations about the 884 million people around the world lacking access to clean water – and the 1.4 million children who die each year as a result of this crisis.

The project will also seek to inspire churches to host a fundraiser one Sunday in March, which is also the same month as World Water Day on March 22. Funds raised will be used to aid communities around the world by building water treatment systems that will clean their water and make it safe.

Kevin Herr, the Church Engagement coordinator at Water Missions, shared in a phone interview with The Christian Post how the organization got started and the mission that drives it forward. more >>

Columbia University in New York is offering a new class this spring semester in which students will be required to take part in the social movement known as Occupy Wall Street that swept the nation this past fall.

Dr. Hannah Appel, an anthropologist who reportedly supports the OWS movement, will teach the class titled “Occupy the Field: Global Finance, Inequality, Social Movement.” The course will involve class work as well as projects out in the field.

According to the syllabus, the course will allow for up to 30 students to get involved with OWS through “fieldwork.” This idea prompted the New York Post to ask, “Does getting pepper sprayed count as extra credit?” more >>