LEAWOOD - A year ago, the Kansas Area Poverty Task Force was appointed by Bishop Scott Jones. June 11 they shared a list of resources and a testimonial from someone enrolled in a program to end poverty in Harvey County with the Kansas East Annual Conference.
Judy Nickelson, task force member, said the group has defined poverty as a lack of access to resources, not only financial, but also educational, spiritual and any others that help to achieve health.
Wanda Pumphrey and Jenica Hinshaw shared a testimonial for the Circles of Hope Project, a program to end chronic poverty. Hinshaw is a Circles leader for Circles of Central Kansas, based in Newton. As a Circles group leader, Hinshaw is a participant in the model. She has completed a class on the hidden rules of the middle class and economic security.
Hinshaw said the two things she got out of the class were the hidden rules of the economic class and the ability to stop thinking about what she needed right now to support herself and her son and to instead think about what she needed to do to change their future.
“I never thought about going back to school so I could make more money because I was only thinking about how I could get by today,” Hinshaw said. “The Circle provides a positive support group for me. They help assess my goals and help with making timelines for my goals and being there for me as positive reinforcement for changing my lifestyle.”
As a Circle leader, you direct your Circle and your life, Pumphrey said.
Hinshaw has set three goals for herself. First, to further her education and hopefully increase her income. Second, to create a bank account and start saving back money every month, which is something she’d never done before. Third, improve her social capital and networking within the community.
“I’ve completed my first year back at school,” Hinshaw said. “I enrolled last fall and did the whole thing, and I didn’t quit. I made the dean’s list, and I’ve worked really hard. I’m still working full time, and I go to school full time, so it’s still a struggle of time and money. I know in my head that someday it’s going to be a great outcome.”
As part of the program, Hinshaw gives back to the community through service as well. She is co-chair of the Big View. The Big View Committee identifies and tries to address different barriers that are keeping people in poverty in the community.
“I still have to work really hard at minimum wage. I’m still struggling to pay my bills,” Hinshaw said. “At the same time, my mindset has changed so much. I know that there will be a clearing where I can come out of this.”
The Poverty Task Force is recommending that every congregation participate in the group study “What Every Church Should Know About Poverty” and use “Bridges Out of Poverty” as a training manual for people who work with people of varying economic classes.
A full list of recommended resources will be posted on the conference website on the Poverty Ministry Resources page.
