“When Helping Hurts” Initiative
Umbrella question: To embrace our brothers and sisters and help them to be engaged in
their own self-development, what do we need to learn/unlearn?
Summary of Session Two, February 10, 2015
Speaker: Mr. Peter Greer
Peter shared some observations and then some principles
Observations about his personal lessons learned while working with the poor in Rwanda:
1. Listen to, and seek to know those you are trying to help. You can’t do much to, for or with
them, if you don’t understand their realities.
2. When the problems seem too big, sit and listen to specific people, even just one person.
Peter spoke of identifying his own “personal callousness” towards the poor. The scope of all
the problems is simply too overwhelming when taken as a whole; the antidote is to grow
relationships with individuals such that you see the problems as happening to friends, and
you commit to walking with them towards finding solutions.
3. Don’t abuse the verse, “The poor will always be with you” as permission not to care or not
to get involved. These were words Jesus spoke to Judas (the keeper of– and thief from—the
disciple’s purse) when Judas complained about the expense of the perfume with which the
woman anointed Jesus. Jesus was essentially saying, “Judas, if you truly cared about the poor,
you could minster to them any time, as they are always around you.”
The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are full of imperatives about caring for the poor: Peter
challenged us to continue to weave the threads of care and compassion that God has been
weaving into the world for nearly 4,000 years.
4. Beware the weight of unintended consequences. Peter spoke of a church in Atlanta that was
moved to provide free eggs to a region of Rwanda, free eggs that put out of business a local
chicken/egg farmer. Then the church moved on to another global crisis, and the village was
left without any source of eggs. His comment: “in the wake of our good intentions there
aren’t always good results.” In other words, our helping can often hurt. Good intentions can
often increase the hopelessness of those “served.”
5. This is hard work, alleviating poverty, and it is easy to say “I’m out!” Yet scripture insists
that God’s people care about all people, especially the strangers, widows and orphans.
Principles that guide Hope International’s global efforts: How are we to be wise in what we
attempt to do?
1. People have way more capacity than we give them credit for. We need to free ourselves of
our low expectations of “those people.”
2. Focus on the power of community. Part of living in poverty is the reality of isolation and
broken relationships. Therefore work towards getting people together to invest in each
other. (Two implications for us: Grace Period needs all the support we can give it to get up
and running in our community. And, REACH’s efforts to start “open tables” need our
support and investment as well. Both of these are truly community based.)
3. What people want and need are jobs. Therefore, how can we encourage entrepreneurship
among the poor in our community? How can we encourage the business community to start
some internship programs for the jobless? What and how can we invest to grow new lives?
4. Plus one addendum: Make sure your goal is to one day not be needed by those you are
seeking to serve and walk with!
To the question, “when the government safety net” makes it attractive to not change, what do can
we do? Peter responded:
1. Focus on the power of one: find that one person who is motivated, support him/her, invest
in him/her and let that testimony of transformation help motivate the next one to risk
changing too.
2. Go young: target the teens. Seek out, believe in and invest in the capacities of the young.
Transformation efforts targeted at the young can break the cycle of generational poverty like
little else can.
Peter also mentioned a particular jobs program: Jobs for Life… http://www.jobsforlife.org/ Who in
our community will take the lead to bring this initiative to life in Washington County??? Jobs are the
best anti-poverty program in the world.
As you read/reflect on these comments, what message can you bring back to your faith
community/organization? How can you help to bring these three principles to life in Washington
County?
Perhaps even more: what can you do to contribute to transformation and flourishing in Washington
County? What would it take for Washington County to become known for helping its people
flourish???
For that to happen, we have to ask: “What is God up to? How can we get in on it??”
May our God guide us and lead us!
Blessings,
Gregg Meserole,
HARC President, 2015-2016