Methodist Hellraisers and Microloans

We finished our study this week of the book "Half the Sky," which not only discussed the holocaust of 100 million women, but provided suggestions for "being the change" we want to see in the world.

I call us the Methodist Hellraisers.  We've decided our group should be ongoing.  We'll probably pick a more palatable name when we meet again, to make it easier on the pastor. After the New Year we will take up a study of the impacts of globalization.

Everyone in the group, male, female, couples, individuals has traveled to developing nations and has a passionate interest in missions:  feeding the hungry, providing the means for self-sufficiency.  It's part of our mandate as Christians. (Check it out.)

All of us look forward to our weekly meetings.  There have been no bickering or conflicts, and our group is composed of strong personalities.  We are united by a passion for discovery and the desire to make a difference.  We encourage each other not to despair because the need seems so great.  We explore what we can do to support a global paradigm shift.

Friendly Fire is the Christmas gift I gave to the members of my Wednesday night church study group.   It is largely an account of my hell-raising years in Utah, and this group is a bunch of kindred spirits, though surprisingly not all are familiar with the American Civil Liberties Union.

We decided to invest in micro-loans through Kiva, as several members have done individually.  Darcy will set up a group investing account to make micro-loans to women entrepreneurs around the world. Loans are made for as little as $25 to a couple thousand dollars.  Women are taught to handle money and pay back loans.

At the potluck dinner before class, two women at my table told me they didn't want to attend our class because they believed in helping people close to home.  I say, Hurray for you.  The great thing about the United Methodist church and about our congregation in particular is that we support Christian outreach to those in need here in Longmont, Colorado as well as around the world.  Our church is in partnership with a missionary in Cambodia and will send a mission team to the Pura Vida school in Guatemala this spring.  One couple in our study group is supporting a girl with a tuition scholarship for the January school term at Pura Vida.

I'm excited about investing in micro-loans as a group and following the progress of our recipients.  Once women become entrepreneurs they are able to provide nutrition and education for their families.  According to the authors of Half the Sky, educating offspring, especially girls, is the surest escalator out of poverty.