by Grayson Hester To tell this story about a ministry in the Knoxville, Tenn., area in 2021, we have to travel back in time to rural Indiana in 2015. Scott County, Indiana, a majority-white, rural, working-class area, only notable, as many such counties are, for not being very notable, suddenly found itself the epicenter of … Continue reading
By Anna Anderson When we are asked to submit prayer requests for the monthly Prayer Associates guide that goes out to a large segment of the CBF churches, individuals and other supporters, we never really know who reads these requests or where they end up going. Last fall, in our work with the benevolence ministry … Continue reading
Scarlette Jasper serves as CBF field personnel in South Central, South Eastern Kentucky and in East Tennessee. Jasper was commissioned in 2014 as part of CBF’s Together for Hope Rural Poverty initiative. A large part of Jasper’s ministry focus is financial advocacy and literacy. She provides community financial education workshops and one on one budget and … Continue reading
By Rachel Gunter Shapard 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with … Continue reading
By Caleb Mynatt After two-and-a-half years of combatting food-related issues in the state of Mississippi, Together for Hope is taking their fight against hunger on the streets and to the Mississippi State Capitol. Together for Hope, in partnership with the American Heart Association and the Therizo Foundation, are launching the Grow the Good campaign, a … Continue reading
By Andrew Nash There are no convenience stores in Bridger, South Dakota. No thrift stores, gas stations or retail of any kind, either. The nearest “town” is 90 minutes away, and the nearest “big town” is closer to two hours away. But this land is sacred to the Hwohwoju band of Lakota who reside on … Continue reading
By Jennifer Colosimo A story’s most profound message most often comes from the people who lived it. So, in the case of the first Relay of Kindness, hearing it called “a story of collaboration,” transfers the focus of the story from numbers to people, from statistics to hearts and hands. Those words come from Mark … Continue reading
By Grayson Hester The coronavirus is novel. Oppression is not. In the wake of Ohio’s most populated county having declared racism a public health crisis; in the shadow of the Ahmaud Arbery shooting; and in the face of endless barrages of statistics revealing that COVID-19 is disproportionately infecting, hospitalizing and killing black and brown people, … Continue reading
By Jason Coker The word “pandemic” comes from the Greek “pan” meaning all and “demos” meaning people. It literally means “all people.” The term has been used specifically to describe a disease—a disease that affects all people. Today we are in a pandemic. Some say that we have been in a pandemic for over two … Continue reading
By Ben Brown Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot in the abdomen on February 18, 1965, in Marion, Alabama. Jackson and many others were peacefully marching in support of voting rights from Zion’s Chapel Methodist Church to the city jail in Marion. He walked with his mother, Viola, and his grandfather, Cager Lee. Their assembly was … Continue reading