Alabama Poverty Project

Faith Partnership Report

Vol. 1, December 2010

The Alabama Possible Summit:

Faith community unites to discuss relational ministry

More than 115 members of Alabama’s faith community

“It was a great day...
every session was
original, passionate
and interesting.”
-Wayne Flynt
gathered on October 25 at Samford University in Birmingham for
the Alabama Possible Summit. The day focused on the importance
of relationships in eliminating both the short- and long-term causes
of poverty.
Dr. Wayne Flynt, Professor Emeritus of History at Auburn
University and a founding board member of APP, talked about the
history of poverty in Alabama and the Biblical call to relational
ministry.

Rev. R.G. Lyons of the Community Church Without Walls and West End Urban Garden gave a
comprehensive presentation on community organizing, which he organized around the three “R’s”:
relocation, redistribution and reconciliation. Jim Branum of the Birmingham Baptist Association
spoke on building relationships with those we serve in ministry.

We then broke out for lively roundtable discussions on the trials and rewards of relational ministry.
The Rev. Emily Freeman Penfield from Highlands United Methodist Church led the discussion on
homeless ministries. Lisa Pierce from Alabama Rural Ministry led a roundtable on home repair. Leslie Dr. Wayne Flynt addressed
Manning of the Sawyerville Work Project led a discussion on rural ministries, and Beverly Sansom of poverty in Alabama and the
M-Power Ministries led a roundtable on literacy and education ministry. faith community’s role in
fighting it
Special thanks to our sponsors at Samford’s Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence and the Beeson
Divinity School’s Global Center for making this day possible. Thank you also to all participants,
community partners and leaders who joined us.

Didn’t attend? View video, resources and more at alabamapossible.org/events/summit.

Rev. R.G. Lyons spoke about

Literacy and education ministry roundtable Home repair ministry roundtable community organizing

Alabama is the ninth poorest state in the nation.

More than 1 in 6 Alabamians live below the poverty line - $22,050/year for a family of four. (Census.gov)
 1 in 4 children in Alabama live in poverty.
16.8 percent of children are food insecure and lack regular access to nutritious food. (Census.gov)
Alabama Poverty Project
Staff
Kristina Scott
Executive Director
Jilleyn Foley
Faith & Community
Partnerships Coordinator
Robyn Hyden
Americorps VISTA
T.C. McLemore
Americorps VISTA
Hannah Selles
Americorps VISTA
Board of Directors
Fightress Aaron
Mark Berte
Dr. Royrickers Cook
Carlissa Strong Cunningham
Pastor James Evans
Elizabeth Dotts Fleming
Sean Flynt
Dr. Wayne Flynt
Kimble Forrister
Dr. Leon Frazier
Susan Pace Hamill
Dr. Humphrey Lee
Sue McInnish
Carolyn McKinstry
Dr. David Potts
Susan Yvette Price
Isabel Rubio
Joyce Spielberger
Dr. Nancy Francisco Stewart
Linda Tilly
Dr. Cameron Vowell
Dr. Carole Zugazaga
From the Executive Director:
“For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not
perish forever.”
I was reminded of this verse from the Ninth Psalm while I was re-reading Wayne
Flynt’s Dixie’s Forgotten People. Dr. Flynt is one of the founders of the Alabama
Poverty Project, and these words echo the founders’ intent for APP – that we work to
end systemic poverty through education and mobilization.
In our work, we are very blessed to have you as partners, and this Faith Partnership Report is full of stories
– your stories – of how you live your faith by devoting yourselves to eliminating the short- and long-term
causes of poverty.
Whether it is addressing hunger and food security, improving educational outcomes, or assisting with home
maintenance and repair, you show that you do not forget the needy. And by building relationships – by
working with low-wealth communities to leverage community assets and address community needs – you
support hope.
Thank you for supporting our hope that it is possible to eliminate poverty in Alabama. With God’s help, we
have the power to do it.
Executive Director
Alabama Poverty Project
PARTNERS LIKE YOU MAKE IT POSSIBLE
Your work provides leadership in service, advocacy and philanthropy to end poverty in Alabama.
Below, some of the stories we have featured at alabamapossible.org/blog:
Father Alex Carlissa Strong Gini Williams Brendan Rice is
Steinmiller is Cunningham (above, is director of the a college student,
president of Holy at our benefit with Church’s Fresh Air Hunger Justice
Family Cristo Rey husband Kevin) is an Farm, a ministry Leader and president
High School in APP board member of the Independent of UAB’s chapter of
Ensley, an innovative and financial advisor. Presbyterian Church. Universities Fighting
parochial school Formerly a single, This summer day World Hunger.
providing job working mother of four camp provides The former APP
training and work on welfare, she believes comprehensive intern and Alabama
internships for strongly in giving back. remedial classes for Possible camper cites
all students. He A commited church children from low- his belief in helping
connects with us volunteer, she provides wealth communities “the least of these” as
through our service- meals and fellowship in Birmingham as part driving his advocacy
learning and faith- for the hungry and of a fun and engaging work on hunger and
based events. homeless in Linn Park. summer camp. food security.
 Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread:
Churches unite to fight hunger in Alabama
During 2009 and 2010, faith communities in Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville
and Mobile hosted Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread, APP’s hunger and food
security workshop.

Diverse people of faith came together to discuss the long-term, sustainable solutions
to our state’s worsening hunger and food insecurity.

Along the way we learned about the great needs our partners address daily, heard
encouraging testimony from clients and ministers and shared tools and resources
we all can use to fight hunger more effectively.

Takeaways:

At each stop we invited representatives and clients from local food banks, food Dauphin Way UMC food pantry director
examines fresh vegetables donated by Rev. Mark
pantries, government food assistance programs and community gardens to share
Renn at our Mobile hunger workshop.
information and testimonies. Our final reflection helped attendees strategize going
forward. We asked what tools and resources they needed, and they answered:

u Partners in Birmingham wanted more information about community

gardening.
u Montgomery participants wanted to get
“God doesn’t call involved in reforming the Child Nutrition
the prepared - Program, which provides school breakfast and
he prepares the lunch to over 31 million children.
called!” u Mobile faith partners were interested in
creating a comprehensive food resource listing,
and attendees were able to share information about
-Myra Evans existing databases.
Community gardener, u Folks in Huntsville wanted to know more
Mobile about their newly-formed Food Policy Council and DHR representatives talk about government food
how they could get involved in local food advocacy. assistance programs at our Montgomery Hunger
u Participants connected with public and private workshop.
programs to fight hunger and promote access to fresh, healthy foods.

Outcomes:

u We created up-to-date, comprehensive food resource listings for each city we

visited.
u Montgomery’s mayor announced an unprecedented city-sponsored urban
farming program after a meeting with one of our community gardening speakers.
Their Full of Life Urban Farm now has a thriving fall garden.
u Friends at the Mobile Bay Area Food Bank won a $100,000 grant to fund food
assistance for Gulf Coast Hunger Relief after our participants helped get votes for it.
u We are screening the film Lunch Line with partners across the state to spark
conversations about school lunch reform.
u New networks, partnerships and friendships grew between diverse faith Lee McBride told Huntsville attendees about the
groups and ministries. CASA Community Garden in Madison (above).

Alabama is the hungriest state in the nation.

From 2007-2009, an average of 6.8 percent of Alabama households reported very low food security,
experiencing hunger and severe food hardship. (Food Resource Action Center/USDA)

Find these resources, tools
and more at our website:
alabamapossible.org/resources
• Poverty in Alabama -Dr. Wayne Flynt
• Hunger: Causes, Consequences, and
Responses -Doug Coutts
• Faith in the Balance: A Call to Action
-Rev. Christopher A. Johnson
• Ending Poverty In Community: A Toolkit for
Young Advocates -Catholic Campaign for
Human Development
• Food Hardship: A Closer Look at Hunger
-Food Research and Action Center
• How to Build a Successful Mentoring
Program -Learn and Serve America
• 10 Steps to Starting a Community Garden
-American Community Garden Foundation
Join Us
More than one in six Alabamians and one in four Alabama children live below
the federal poverty line, which makes Alabama the ninth poorest state in the
country. This poverty is pervasive, multi-generational and systemic.
The Alabama Poverty Project provides leadership in poverty education
that results in the elimination of poverty. We work with higher education
institutions, faith partners and community members to educate
Alabamians about the nature of poverty and ways to eliminate it through
systemic change.
Our Faith Partnership members unite ministers, congregations, and
community in support of APP’s vision. Members inform and inspire the
civic and moral responsibility of Alabamians to create a state where no
individual’s quality of life is diminished by poverty.
APP supports our members with resources and tools to educate and
equip their communities for effective ministry. We offer resources
including our Picture of Poverty reports, census data sheets,
food resource lists, sermons and syllabi, web resource database,
newsletters and recommended readings. Educational events can be
tailored to fit your community’s needs.
BECOME A MEMBER
Congregational membership Commitment
Community Supporter $ 250
Education Sustainer $ 500
Poverty Elimination Partner $ 1,000
Committed Congregation $ 2,000
Individual giving levels
Individual Membership $ 30
Sustaining Donor $ 50
Cornerstone Donor $ 100
Members (2009-2010) Connect with us online:
Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship www.facebook.com/AL.Possible
• Baptist Church of the Covenant •
Beeson Divinity School Global Center www.twitter.com/alabamapossible
• Birmingham Jewish Federation
• Episcopal Church of the Nativity www.alabamapossible.org/blog
(Huntsville) • First Baptist Church
(Auburn) • Providence Presbyterian Visit alabamapossible.org/join-us
Church (Mobile) • Saint Luke’s Episcopal to sign up for our email newsletter
Church (Birmingham) • Samford
University Resource Center for Pastoral
Excellence • Shades Crest Baptist Church
• Trinity Episcopal Church (Florence) •
True Light Church of God in Christ
Alabama Poverty Project • 1016 19th Street South
P.O. Box 55058 • Birmingham, AL 35255
Phone: 205.939.1408 • Fax: 205.933.7774