A new class began in our church last night: “The Church and Poverty.” We’ll spend about 12 weeks discussing what Christians need to know and understand about poverty. The class is being taught by two members with many years of dedicated service to ministry in the city of Memphis, and we will use material from Dr. Ruby Payne to inform our discussion.
Last night consisted of an activity that we completed in groups of 4-8. We were instructed to draw a circle on a blank sheet of paper. Inside of that circle, we answered the question What do people in poverty do with their time? Outside of the circle, we answered the question What type of businesses do you see in communities of poverty?
Then we repeated the activity, but focused on middle class people and communities. We compiled answers from around the room, and began to compare and contrast the two circles. The contrasts were stark and thought provoking.
What are your thoughts?
What do people in poverty do with their time? What types of businesses do you see in communities of poverty?
What do people in the middle class do with their time? What types of businesses do you see in middle class communities?
seth miles king 