On the weekend of May 11th, the Niagara Churches of MCEC hosted a conference called “The End of Us and Them” at Westview Christian Fellowship and Vineland United Mennonite Church. The conference explored past and present stories of poverty in and around our Churches, Hugo and Doreen Neufeld shared about their experience at Welcome Inn in Hamilton, participants of Westview Centre4Women told their stories, and Carol Penner grappled with Biblical material on the topic. We learned about the overdose prevention site in downtown St. Catharines, and we heard from others in our Mennonite community engaged in issues associated with poverty.
These stories revealed both the unstoppable courage displayed by those living with effects of poverty and the bewildering complexity of the issue. It’s not as if there are some who happen to suffer under poverty and others who are unaffected; our lives grow together in such a way that if you’re not suffering, you might be culpable. We hope this weekend encourages churches in Niagara to continue wrestling with the oppressive forces of poverty present in our neighbourhoods.
Jennifer Symonds, a participant at Westview Centre4Women, tells her own story of poverty, courage and even transformation:
Jennifer’s Story:
These stories revealed both the unstoppable courage displayed by those living with effects of poverty and the bewildering complexity of the issue. It’s not as if there are some who happen to suffer under poverty and others who are unaffected; our lives grow together in such a way that if you’re not suffering, you might be culpable. We hope this weekend encourages churches in Niagara to continue wrestling with the oppressive forces of poverty present in our neighbourhoods.
Jennifer Symonds, a participant at Westview Centre4Women, tells her own story of poverty, courage and even transformation:
Jennifer’s Story:
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