Avoid the Predator

With so many Americans in debt, it is no wonder that companies who promise to take it all away are enjoying a booming business. Some studies show that up to 56% of Americans suffer from some kind of debt. Many of these people are overwhelmed by the burden of debts they cannot pay. Creditors are knocking on their doors and the bank is taking a look at that unpaid mortgage.

The frightening thing is that there are plenty of companies who prey on those who are overwhelmed with their debts. These villains are called Predatory Lenders. They lend out money but on terms of very high interest rates, among other fine print details.

There are many helpful tools for avoiding such predators. Americans for Fairness in Lending has a great site with many tips for avoiding the scam. They also explain various kinds of loans and what all the technical terms mean. Don't be fooled. Check out their website.

If you are already in debt and are looking for a way out, get help immediately. Find a Debtors Anonymous group near you by emailing them at da-gso@mindspring.com. You can also visit their website at debtorsanonymous.org or mail them at letter here:

Debtors Anonymous, General Service Office
P.O. Box 920888
Needham, MA 02492-0009

If you live in the Northwest Georgia area, Hope would be glad to help you get out of debt. Heather and Travis are currently working on a financial literacy program and would love to walk through it with you. Please contact the Hope office for more information.

Take Control of Finances

For many, this past year has been a rude awakening. Some have come to realize that their investments were not as stable as they may have believed them to be. Others lost a great enough percentage of their "savings" to find themselves living on quite a lower standard of living. There were the scandals and exposed intrigues and schemes -wealthy men went to jail, and poor men lost their jobs. And of course, there were plenty of us who were just "poor" enough to live exactly as we had been, with no investments, a modest amount tucked away in a savings account, and a job in a fairly safe location.
No matter who we are, or how we did or did not feel an impact from the change in the world economy, the truth is that we could all stand to take another look at our finances. Have I been responsible, or just lucky? Did I spend that as a wise investment, or in frivolous celebration of an unexpected windfall? What would happen if ____ happened? Where will we live ten years from now? What will we need in the future?

Guess what? There are some incredible resources out there that can be of help in answering these questions and more. One of these is Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. I looked up classes in the North Georgia area and found 7 that are going on right now! Click on this link to find out where you can get plugged in.

The Dave Ramsey site is also very helpful on various financial issues. Check it out here.

Another helpful resource is Crown Financial Ministries, which was founded by Howard Dayton in 1985 and joined with a financial ministry of Larry Burkett in 2000. Get in touch with a crown coach in our area.

Hope also offers financial counseling with our participating pastors. We hope to offer a Financial Literacy course sometime in Spring 2010.

Jobs for Life at CVPC this Spring

Jobs for Life classes will be held at Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church in Flintstone, Georgia starting this January. The first class will be held on Monday, January 4th. Classes will run on Mondays from 7:00 - 9:00 pm through the beginning of May.

If you or someone you know might be interested in participating in the class, you can download the application here but do not mail it to Greensboro (as is stated at the bottom of the last page of the document). Instead, email or mail it to the Hope office.

Positions for volunteers are still available. Please contact the Hope office for more information.

The Characterists of a Deacon

What does it take to be a great deacon? Check out 1 Timothy 3:8-13. The Bible gives us a wonderful picture of the kind of person suited to fill this role.
Because Hope does not seek to replace the work of the church -and the work of deacons, more specifically- we often work closely with the Diaconate of our participating congregations. It is a privilege to work with men who are so willing to give themselves to this work! Although it is important that the church grounds are cared for -since we are commanded to be good stewards of all the Lord has given- how much more then, are we called to care for the needy who live next-door?
This is a daunting task, especially if a deacon has always thought of their job as being custodial and nothing more. Ministering to the poor can seem like an "add-on" -but it's not! Diaconal Ministries Canada has a fantastic website with very helpful resources for deacons. Their motto is "transforming communities for Christ," and if that doesn't sound exciting, I don't know what does! This site has helpful tools like FAQs deacons might find helpful in understanding their roles, as well as workshops and workbooks. Their Guidelines for Benevolence has been extremely helpful to our work at Hope. This document is helpful in creating specific guidelines for a church's mercy ministry policies. By creating limits to the kind of help a church provides as well as a rationale for why the church does/does not do what it does, a church can minister more effectively to the needy in it's community -without doing harm!

Check out this website. Even if you are not on your churches Diaconate, it may help you to understand the importance of demonstrating mercy thoughtfully, carefully, and prayfully.

Welfare: a brief history

At the Hope offices this morning, the topic of Welfare came up in conversation. I found myself wanting to know more about it, and other types of government aid. What kinds of aid are out there? Who gets what, and what are the limits? If one of our participants gets employment, is this going to be more helpful or harmful in the long run?

I never thought that I might say that work might be bad. -not that I am saying this still- However, it is not as clean cut a thing as to be able to say work=better. Unfortunately, society and those structures in which we all live do not support such statements. I do believe, as a Christian, that work is good. In doing work, we are imitating our maker. We are creating, making new, pressing on, to bring him glory through the work of our hands and minds. The Bible tells us in Genesis 2:15, God "took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." And in Genesis 3:23, after the fall, God still says that man will work. I could, of course, go on and on, because the Bible is full of passages on work. In Proverbs, again and again, we see that man should work for his food, labor with his hands- and that idleness is not to be rewarded. For the sake of brevity, I'll just say this: Work is good!

But what happens in a world that does not run in accordance with the Scriptures? What happens when the rulers and powers that be do not see the poor as image bearers? Even if their intentions are good, it is possible to do harm -great harm- by attempting to "fix" by the standards of the world.

Take a moment to read through the following link on the history of welfare. As you read, think about what God has to say about work and about poverty.

Who is responsible for the poor?

When is it good/bad for a man to work?

Why do we work?

How can the church act on behalf of the poor?

http://www.welfareinfo.org/history/

Please feel free to email us here at the Hope office with any comments or questions on this particular issue, or anything else that comes to mind.

Skill

It has come to my attention that my "skill level" is not as impressive as I once thought. A friend of mine was recently seeking to employ someone as his administrative assistant. He casually asked if I might be interested in the job, and then went on to list the various skill sets he was requiring in order to hire- all of which he assumed I must surely possess, having worked in such an office setting for quite some time. I don't. I can get by on the bare necessities, and if I really need to, I can [eventually] figure it out. A little doggy-paddling here and there, and I can hand you a nice piece of work. I type a very average 50 words per minute on my 9-inch notebook. But here is the thing: if I lost my job, which -let's face it- is a definite possibility in today's time of financial unknowns, could I find and keep another? What kinds of competition am I up against?

I've posted a few office-friendly training courses. They are all free, and all worth your time. Just click on the links to the right under Develop. I found the Word courses very helpful, since you can sort through what you already know and not waste a bunch of time finding out how to cut and paste, etc. Even if you are feeling safe and secure in your present employment, it can never hurt to give your employer even more from your time under their employment!

Read This

Sometimes helping the poor can be painful. You might find yourself sacrificing time, money, or other resources. It can be a draining experience or one that does not turn out quite how you might have expected. ...But did you ever wonder just what this help has done for those on the receiving end of all your efforts? What if what you have been working so hard at has actually done more harm than good? A frightening thought.

Steve Corbett and Dr. Brian Fikkert have written a book that attempts to enlighten the reader (and church, group, or organization) on this very subject. For more information, go to the Chalmers center website. The book is also available at Amazon.com.