Poverty

LONDON – Christians in the United Kingdom will unite this week with fellow believers around the world in praying for an end to global poverty.

As part of Tearfund’s Global Poverty Prayer Week, Feb. 23-March 1, churches are calling out with one voice for God’s intervention in areas affected by poor sanitation and lack of clean water, climate change, and high rates of HIV among other challenges.

Christians will also pray for disaster relief and the impact of the local church in places of need. more >>

WASHINGTON – It’s not often that Christians on the right and left find common ground on public policies, but that was exactly the case Tuesday when politically diverse Christian leaders joined forces to offer solutions to reduce poverty in America.

The Poverty Forum, a group of 18 diverse Christian leaders with expertise in poverty initiatives and policy reform, brought together a diverse group including the senior advisor to former President George W. Bush, anti-poverty activists generally associated with the Democratic Party, and a leader of a conservative public policy group that is closely linked to the Republican Party, to name a few.

At the launching of The Poverty Forum on Tuesday, the co-chair of the initiative emphasized that when it comes to reducing poverty there is no division among the Christian leaders. more >>

A man who was once part of America’s homeless population is now spreading the word about a new website that captures the stories of the homeless people across the nation – one at a time.

Through his website, invisiblepeople.tv, Mark Horvath sheds light on real stories told by real people in their own very real words. The innovative pieces, which began broadcasting last November, are raw, uncensored and unedited – just like life on the streets.

“I not only feel their pain, I truly know their pain,” Horvath says. “I lived their pain.” more >>

Operation Blessing International, one of the largest charities in America, recently celebrated the milestone of delivering 1 billion pounds in food and relief aid since the inception of its program Hunger Strike Force in 1992.

The 1 billion pounds in food consists of: 865 million pounds of food, 95 million pounds of hygiene and relief aid, and 42 million pounds of disaster response goods.

“Thirty years ago, Pat Robertson founded Operation Blessing International as a pipeline to the poor; a conduit between those willing to help and those who need help,” said OBI president Bill Horan. more >>

The ONE Sermon Challenge is calling on preachers of all faiths to submit their lectures on global poverty to a campaign Web site where they will be featured in hopes of inspiring people of all religions to fight against global poverty.

As part of the ONE Sabbath campaign, ONE Sermon is an effort that seeks to mobilize people of faith to speak and act for those struggling against poverty and disease around the world.

Preachers from all religions are encouraged to submit their messages that incorporate their own holy text to the One Sabbath Sermon Challenge Web site. Whether the religious leader is a pastor, rabbi, imam, or has another title, all are asked to share their message to ONE’s millions of members and congregations. more >>