Freedom Church of the Poor
Our Mission
The Freedom Church of the Poor is a spiritual and political home for movement leaders. We believe in the fundamental dignity and value of all life and in a world of abundance where all can thrive. We gather as a community of faith to support and care for each other. We commit to realizing the abundant world God promises by identifying, developing, and uniting leaders who will build a movement to end poverty led by the poor. In this community and through our commitment to this struggle we also seek to re-discover and share a vision and practice of religion that is rooted in truth, justice, and love.
This Season: Black August (August 2nd – August 30th)
Remember. Prepare. Resist.
The Freedom Church of the Poor stands in the long tradition of freedom movements that understood spirituality and social transformation as inseparable. From the spirituals sung by enslaved Africans, to the freedom songs of the Civil Rights Movement, to the prayers rising from prison cells, labor strikes, migrant communities, welfare rights struggles, and rebellion in the streets, faith has sustained generations of organizers, revolutionaries, artists, workers, and everyday people fighting for collective liberation. We honor the sacred traditions that have nourished movements for justice — Black church traditions, liberation theology, Indigenous spiritual practices, Islam, Buddhism, ancestral practices, and the many ways oppressed people have called upon spirit to survive, heal, and organize.
Grounded in the lessons of the Watts Uprising, the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, the Original Rainbow Coalition, the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, welfare rights organizing, labor struggles, and freedom movements across the globe, this Black August series seeks to strengthen moral and political leadership for this moment. We believe that the fight against mass incarceration cannot be separated from the fight for immigrant justice. We believe that democracy cannot exist while millions are denied housing, healthcare, living wages, safety, and political representation. We believe that solidarity across communities is not optional — it is necessary for survival and transformation.
As we gather in worship, study, cultural expression, testimony, and collective reflection, we lift up the legacy of those who came before us and prepare ourselves for the struggles ahead. We come together not only to remember, but to build. Not only to mourn, but to organize. Not only to resist, but to imagine and create a society rooted in dignity, justice, beloved community, and liberation for all people.
Services
Sunday Services are available via Zoom Room + Live Stream* starting at 6:00 PM ET | 5:00 PM CT | 3:00 PM PT
Bible Studies
Bible Study (Zoom Room Only) Wednesdays 3:00 PM PT | 5:00 PM CT | 6:00 PM ET
To join in the zoom room please register below!
Take Action!
Free Families – Each week we will feature leaders taking action as part of the Free Families Campaign. We will hear how communities across the country meet this challenging moment together in power, dignity and love, by taking action and supporting each other. This could include: gathering inside or outside detention centers to support family and neighbors, gathering for a meal in person, gathering online, singing, prayer, and much more. The goal with Free Families is to have as many people as possible feel like they can show up for families who are experiencing detention, separation and exploitation.