At the Chalmers Center, we believe the root of poverty is broken relationships: with God, self, others, and creation. And this brokenness touches all of us. Only when we recognize our own relational poverty can we begin the restorative work so desperately needed in our homes, communities, and our nation.

Last week, we talked about how good intentions aren’t enough—how we can actually harm people in poverty when we try to help. 

It turns out that how well we walk into serving our neighbors actually depends on how we answer two key questions:

Why did Jesus come to earth?
What is the gospel?

The work of fighting poverty is a long and difficult road. For every joy and story of transformation, we can all think of sorrows and stories of loss and failure. Walking alongside people through the brokenness of the world is often a one-step-forward-three-steps-back process. It is easy for ministry practitioners and volunteers to grow weary and ministry participants to grow discouraged. Real hope for people and systems in a fallen world seems elusive, and anxiety is poor fuel for sustainable ministry.