P R E S S R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2017
South County Poverty in the Pulpits:
February 12, 2017
On Sunday, February 12, 2017, many South County faith communities will be joining in a coordinated effort to bring issues of poverty in South County to the fore. All of these congregations will bring issues of poverty into the pulpit, with a wide variety of messages addressing the moral and religious imperative to fight poverty, creating communities of compassion and justice that care for all. Faith leaders hope that this effort will help spur on a key conversation, crossing congregational borders and spilling into the broader community: what do our varied faith traditions teach us about how to faithfully address issues of poverty?
Participating congregations include:
This event is coordinated by the South County Poverty & Faith Group of the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty.
Rev. Clay Berry, pastor of Wakefield Baptist Church, notes, “Worship that honors God is also worship that shapes God’s people to fulfill Christ’s mission to the lost, the poor, the alienated, and those who suffer injustice. Jesus’ compassion was directed toward the whole person, and the church’s mission must compliment and reflect his selfless ministry to others.” Pastor Berry will be preaching on Isaiah 58:6-14 (true worship including care for those in need), Matthew 15:32-39 (feeding of the four thousand) and 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 (an Epistle passage on the church’s concern for those who struggle).
The message of poverty is relevant and urgent, as many remain unaware of the challenges of poverty in the region. 1 in 10 people in Washington County is living on incomes below the federal poverty level. A family of three is considered to be living in poverty if they have income of less than $20,160/year.
Food insecurity and homelessness are also challenges in the area. Both the Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale and St. Peter’s by-the-Sea saw an increase in the number of individual and household visits to their food pantries in 2016. Welcome House of South County has consistently provided shelter to more than 100 individuals during the year, with additional people using the emergency winter shelter from November through March.
Local organizations are seeking to address the needs. Two weeks before Christmas, Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale reached out to Welcome House of South County about a family experiencing a housing crisis. A mom and her two young children (ages 4 and 9) were living in one room of a house infested with rodents and with mold growing on the walls. This family was about to be evicted onto the streets. Welcome House met the challenge – quickly! – and renovated a 2-bedroom apartment for this family, complete with a Christmas tree. The Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale provided some basic necessities to assist with the move-in.
This family’s story is not as unique as it sounds. Welcome House is currently in the process of renovating another apartment for a homeless family of four. The Jonnycake Center had 7,800 food pantry visits in 2016. The need is very real.
Congregations throughout the region are assisting in a variety of ways, as well. St. Peter’s by-the-Sea runs a food pantry in Narragansett every Friday afternoon. In 2015, St. Peter’s’ food pantry had more than 1,744 household visits. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County is currently collecting supplies and making toiletry kits for people experiencing homelessness. Wakefield Baptist Churches uses its “red wagon” to collect food each week, teaching children vital lessons about the importance of mission and compassion. The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd makes quilts, peels potatoes for a partner congregation, collects food for Jonnycake Center and hosts local gatherings of the South County Poverty & Faith group. Kingston Congregational church gives generously to anti-poverty organizations both in the region and beyond, including the South Providence Neighborhood Ministries, Habitat for Humanity and the Jonnycake Center. This is only some of what’s happening in communities of faith throughout the area.
For more information, contact Emily Jones, Interfaith Coordinator, RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty, at 401-421-4111 ext. 161 or riinterfaithcoalition@gmail.com, or John Lord, St. Peter’s by-the-Sea, Narragansett, at john@stpeteresbythesea.com. You can also contact any of the churches listed above, directly.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2017
South County Poverty in the Pulpits:
February 12, 2017
On Sunday, February 12, 2017, many South County faith communities will be joining in a coordinated effort to bring issues of poverty in South County to the fore. All of these congregations will bring issues of poverty into the pulpit, with a wide variety of messages addressing the moral and religious imperative to fight poverty, creating communities of compassion and justice that care for all. Faith leaders hope that this effort will help spur on a key conversation, crossing congregational borders and spilling into the broader community: what do our varied faith traditions teach us about how to faithfully address issues of poverty?
Participating congregations include:
- Kingston Congregational Church (worship 9:30AM, 2610 Kingstown Rd, Kingston)
- Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (worship 9AM, 383 Old North Rd., Kingston)
- St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church (worship 8AM & 10AM, 15 Lower College Rd., Kingston)
- St. Peter’s by-the-Sea (worship 8AM & 10:15AM, 72 Central St., Narragansett)
- Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County (worship 10AM, 27 North Rd., Wakefield)
- Wakefield Baptist Church (worship 10AM, 236 Main St., Wakefield)
This event is coordinated by the South County Poverty & Faith Group of the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty.
Rev. Clay Berry, pastor of Wakefield Baptist Church, notes, “Worship that honors God is also worship that shapes God’s people to fulfill Christ’s mission to the lost, the poor, the alienated, and those who suffer injustice. Jesus’ compassion was directed toward the whole person, and the church’s mission must compliment and reflect his selfless ministry to others.” Pastor Berry will be preaching on Isaiah 58:6-14 (true worship including care for those in need), Matthew 15:32-39 (feeding of the four thousand) and 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 (an Epistle passage on the church’s concern for those who struggle).
The message of poverty is relevant and urgent, as many remain unaware of the challenges of poverty in the region. 1 in 10 people in Washington County is living on incomes below the federal poverty level. A family of three is considered to be living in poverty if they have income of less than $20,160/year.
Food insecurity and homelessness are also challenges in the area. Both the Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale and St. Peter’s by-the-Sea saw an increase in the number of individual and household visits to their food pantries in 2016. Welcome House of South County has consistently provided shelter to more than 100 individuals during the year, with additional people using the emergency winter shelter from November through March.
Local organizations are seeking to address the needs. Two weeks before Christmas, Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale reached out to Welcome House of South County about a family experiencing a housing crisis. A mom and her two young children (ages 4 and 9) were living in one room of a house infested with rodents and with mold growing on the walls. This family was about to be evicted onto the streets. Welcome House met the challenge – quickly! – and renovated a 2-bedroom apartment for this family, complete with a Christmas tree. The Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale provided some basic necessities to assist with the move-in.
This family’s story is not as unique as it sounds. Welcome House is currently in the process of renovating another apartment for a homeless family of four. The Jonnycake Center had 7,800 food pantry visits in 2016. The need is very real.
Congregations throughout the region are assisting in a variety of ways, as well. St. Peter’s by-the-Sea runs a food pantry in Narragansett every Friday afternoon. In 2015, St. Peter’s’ food pantry had more than 1,744 household visits. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County is currently collecting supplies and making toiletry kits for people experiencing homelessness. Wakefield Baptist Churches uses its “red wagon” to collect food each week, teaching children vital lessons about the importance of mission and compassion. The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd makes quilts, peels potatoes for a partner congregation, collects food for Jonnycake Center and hosts local gatherings of the South County Poverty & Faith group. Kingston Congregational church gives generously to anti-poverty organizations both in the region and beyond, including the South Providence Neighborhood Ministries, Habitat for Humanity and the Jonnycake Center. This is only some of what’s happening in communities of faith throughout the area.
For more information, contact Emily Jones, Interfaith Coordinator, RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty, at 401-421-4111 ext. 161 or riinterfaithcoalition@gmail.com, or John Lord, St. Peter’s by-the-Sea, Narragansett, at john@stpeteresbythesea.com. You can also contact any of the churches listed above, directly.
