alabama possible from the alabama poverty project

Religion Briefs

The Huntsville Times

11/7/08

The Alabama Poverty Project, a partnership with local faith communities, faith leaders, and faith cooperatives, brings a free symposium to Huntsville Nov. 17.

Featuring experts on ways the state’s faith communities can work to eradicate poverty, the seminar will be given from 10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 600 Governors Drive.

The seminar offers resources for clergy, teachers, worship planners, Sunday School curriculum developers, and outreach coordinators to lead their congregations to be effective in addressing and alleviating poverty.

Featured speaker will be Dr. Susan Pace Hamill, professor at the University of Alabama School of Law and graduate of Beeson Theological Seminary at Samford University. Dr. Hamill is a nationally recognized expert on poverty and faith, particularly in Alabama. She has done extensive work on the tax policies of Alabama, examining how they relate to spiritual justice for the poor.

Panelists include Dr. Wayne Snodgrass, pastor of the Progressive Union Missionary Baptist Church; Father Phil O’Kennedy, pastor with St. John’s Catholic Church; and the Rev. Dale Clem, pastor of the Monte Sano United Methodist Church.

Includes overview of Interfaith Mission Service’s Faith Coalition for Poverty and Public Policy’s Speaker’s Bureau.

“Poverty and the Alabama Faith Community” is made possible in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and is conducted in partnership with the Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence at Samford University, The Paul A. Duffey Institute for Church Leadership at Huntingdon College, and the IMS Faith Coalition for Poverty and Public Policy. Local supporting congregations include Faith Presbyterian Church, Trinity United Methodist Church, and Monte Sano United Methodist Church.

Seminar and lunch are free. Suggested donation: $5. Register at info@alabamapoverty.org