From the Ashes of Our Hopelessness Rises the Flame of New Hope

by H. Mitchell Watson
Co-Chair of Poverty Initiative Trustees Advisory Committee
2009 Poverty Scholars Program Leadership School
Camp Virgil Tate, West Virginia

I give thanks for all of you who are part of this Poverty Initiative effort. We come together this day searching for answers in a world where answers seem so hard to find. So many say it can’t be done yet you seem to say “do it”. So many say the poor are not worth the effort but the people you serve say “yes we are”.

As Onleilove read the God of Jacob is our strength. We are armed with God’s love as we work together for poverty: as we unleash our energy and as we have the courage to do what others say can’t be done. Popular opinion may favor greed and corruption but remember Malachi spoke harshly of those people.

We are all called to serve the poor not just with our money but more importantly with our lives.

Called to give ourselves to give dignity to people’s lives. To give meaning to peoples lives.

To change the rules and level the field. And in giving we must also learn to receive.

For if we are to empower the poor then we must value their Judgments, listen to their ideas, share our lives and finally make a difference.

It can be done and you are doing it. The challenge for each of us personally is to take what we have and do what we can.

Last summer my wife, Kate, and I went to Jordan and met with Muslims, Jews and Christians in a dialogue among religions about poverty. From there we went to Jerusalem and on Sunday went into Palestine around Bethlehem. An old Catholic priest took us to the wall. Poverty everywhere rocky terrain and the wall. A symbol of captivity. There on the wall was written in graffiti:

“From the ashes of our hopelessness rises the flame of new hope.”

In some ways MLK’s journey was for blacks in this country that flame of new hope. And now we –people of many colors own that flame and the responsibility to hold our torches high and to lead the way to justice and equality. To take his light /his torch and spread it across this country. That is our charge and we are honored to continue his fight. In the ashes of Poverty in this country you are the flame of new hope.

May God bless you in our days together.