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CHILDREN NOW
Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Gilmore is pastor of Fidelity Baptist Church, Cleveland, OH. |
Transforming Cleveland Communities
For Children in Poverty
What does a nation do when it faces a crisis that, if left unchecked, could have devastating affects on the quality of life for its people? Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region of our nation in 2005. The hurricane brought massive property destruction, homelessness, loss of income, destruction of business and industry, social/emotional disorder, and death. The overall quality of life for the region was threatened. Hurricane Katrina was said to have created a massive crisis.
The response was far from adequate to meet the need of the devastation. However, the response was national in scope. The state of Louisiana as well as Mississippi enacted emergency assistance legislation. The federal government responded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
There was also federal legislation and involvement through the Army Corps of Engineers. Religious organizations of every faith responded with prayers and by sending millions of dollars to relief organizations. Some religious organizations sent volunteer workers or missionaries to work directly with the victims of the crisis.
Most recently our nation has responded to the national economic crisis that has caused millions of people to loose their jobs, their homes, their healthcare, their pensions and retirement, and their sense of security and hope for the future. The current recession has brought massive loss of property, homelessness, loss of income, destruction of business and industry, and social/emotional disorder.
The overall quality of life for America has been threatened. Massive bailouts and billions in stimulus money have been pumped into the economy, and legislation and laws have been passed to change the way we do business. This response, like the response to Katrina, is far from adequate to meet the need of the devastation. However, the response is again national in scope.
The above crises were highly visible and demanded an immediate response. But what does a nation do when the crisis is ignored long enough to become systemic, and boldly sits in our living rooms like an elephant, daring us to try to move it? Why is there not a national response to 28.6 million U.S. children living in low-income families? The health of the economy and the ability to ensure national security is threatened in proportion to the prevalence of poverty, and yet we have not made addressing it a national priority.
Over the next 10 years, federal spending on children under current law is scheduled to shrink (Urban Institute, Kid’s Share 2007: How Children Fare in the Federal Budget, 2007). The proportion of investment in children has declined from 20% of the national GDP in 1960 to a projected 13% in 2017, if the current landscape remains unchanged. In sum, the analysis of historical and future trends in the federal budget reveals that children are a diminishing national priority. In a country where the number of billionaires has reached an all-time high at 407 (Forbes Special Report: The World’s Billionaires, March 8, 2007), it is simply unconscionable that we are allowing our children to suffer in poverty.
Do we back away as the did people of Israel, when they faced the giants of Canaan, and assume that we are like grasshoppers, incapable of overcoming the problem? Do we assume that the problem of children in poverty is as great as the walls of Jericho and can not fall apart from a miracle from God? If we continue to ignore the elephant, then who cares for the “least of these” who are among us?
In response to recent census reports identifying Cleveland as the poorest major city in America, the Ministers Council of the American Baptist Churches Cleveland Region determined that someone had to take up the prophetic voice and speak about how poverty affects children in Cleveland. Specifically we determined that the many problems associated with poverty deserved a multifaceted response from our community.
The Ministers Council issued a statement declaring “Poverty as a Crisis” in Cleveland. We understand that if poverty is not perceived as a crisis, then there will be no meaningful response to remedy the situation. Members of the Ministers Council then joined National Ministries and participated in a Future Search Training Workshop to begin a process of addressing this issue. Future Search is a method of action planning that enables significant dialogue in a short period of time, and a high level of participant cooperation and responsibility for action.
After the training was complete a steering committee was formed, first met in August of 2007, and met again continually to organize and plan a course of action. It was confirmed that the goal would be to target eradicating poverty in five regions of Cleveland; Glenville, Fairfax, Hough, St Clair, and Central. These areas were identified as having high concentrations of children in poverty. The theme, in congruence with the National Ministries theme, was identified as “Children Now: Transforming Cleveland Communities for Children in Poverty.”
The committee then chose a broad range of stakeholders to create a collaborative ARE-IN - (We are all in this together!) - network, to truly transform the lives of children. Dozens of people from several sectors in our community (faith, government, healthcare, business/financial services, education, child advocacy, and community) were asked to participate in a conference on children in poverty, all focusing on creating prosperous lives for children. The participants were carefully selected based on their ability to bring authority, resources, expertise, information, and need to the table.
The conference was held in Cleveland from Nov. 20-22, 2008. Thirty-nine of Cleveland’s most influential leaders came together for the sake of our children. The participants also included members from the targeted communities. Their perspective and view on the issues greatly increased everyone’s awareness of the problems of poverty as expressed by those who experience it first hand.
By bringing the whole system into the room, exploring the whole before acting on any part, and focusing on the future, the conference enabled the group to do productive work in improving systems and to take responsibility for planning for the future of our children.
Individuals were energized, new relationships were made, and plans were initiated to change the future for our children in Cleveland. There was great synergy within the group as we worked through our history and discovered our common ground. Several objectives were identified that everyone wanted to accomplish:
After careful review and dialogue the list was narrowed down to five critical areas: increasing safety, improving education, providing jobs, adding comprehensive health care, and strengthening families.
All participants were asked to commit to the above areas and to consider what they (not others) are able and willing to do now. It was agreed that the group would narrow our focus further and target children living in one ward of Cleveland. Since the conference, four sub-groups have been meeting and working on short range goals for each of the above areas. Each group is self-sustaining. However, a follow-up meeting is being planned that will bring everyone back together to review our progress.
One of the above groups is composed of pastors from the Ministers Council of the Cleveland Baptist Association. Our task originally was to facilitate the conference and to ensure that plans would be developed from the conference that would be self sustaining.
Our task now, as one of the subgroups, is to work towards strengthening the families of our targeted group. Working together in ministry, our goal as pastors is to work together to do what none of us can do alone. Using our own churches, some of which are located in the targeted area, we will work towards providing the prophetic voice that is needed to give direction to families, and to coordinate the efforts to provide the maximum care for the least of these, our children.
The Ministers Council views the work of Children Now as vital to the future of Cleveland. We can think of no other challenge more urgent than the elimination of child poverty in Cleveland and in our nation. Working together, we can make a difference for children in poverty, for the future is often determined by what we do, or do not do, today.