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Resource Teams

Reducing Poverty

The Reducing Poverty Resource Team is seeking stories of how Ohio Conference congregations are working to reduce poverty in their areas. Has your congregation developed a program aimed at reducing poverty? Is your congregation working with other local congregations to achieve that goal? We are interested in hearing from you. Please send your stories to Sherah-Leigh Gerber, Coordinator of Volunteers for Ohio Conference.

The Ohio Conference Reducing Poverty Resource Team has created four resources for congregations. These documents provide specific details on poverty-related intiatives:

  • How to create an increased focus on local poverty
  • How to create a church bulletin board on poverty
  • How to create a mentoring program
  • How to adopt a school

    • The Reducing Poverty Resource Team has a number of other resources available for download:

  • Reducing Poverty Resolution (Adopted at the 2008 Annual Conference Assembly)
  • Reducing Poverty Workshop Agenda
  • Walking with the Poor (Diagrams)
  • The Line - Poverty In America
  • Resources

    • Websites about Poverty

    Information about the drop in food and cash donations to hunger networks:

  • www.npr.org/2011/12/26/144156915/food-banks-the-holidays

    • Food insecurity in America, from a report conducted by the USDA (data and statistics):

  • www.ers.usda.gov/media/884529/err-141-summary.pdf

    • United States Census Website Information. There is information about poverty on a national level, by state, individual vs. household, etc., as well as graphs:

  • www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/index.html

    • Snapshot of Poverty in the United States:

  • www.npr.org/2012/09/12/161024133/a-snapshot-of-poverty-in-the-u-s

    • Rates of Poverty in Ohio:

  • www.cleveland.com/metro/index/ssf/2012/09/ohio_income_down_rates_of_pove.html

    • Poverty in America, a series by National Public Radio (including video and statistics):

  • www.npr.org/series/155932539/poverty-in-america

    • Recommended Books

  • The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Sterns
  • When Helping Hurts by Steve Cobett and Brian Fikkert
  • Who is my Neighbor? by Steve Moore
  • Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ron Sider