FAITH-BASED CHARITIES: REMEMBERING A CALLING

America's churches used to be the country's only welfare service, taking care of the sick and the poor. That duty later fell to the government with the birth of subsidized food and medical care programs.

Now some churches want that responsibility back.

The issue of faith-based charity came into the limelight this year when President George W. Bush introduced his religious-based community initiatives and established a Cabinet post to oversee the work.

Missouri already has taken the lead in helping people move from public aid to self-sufficiency. Missouri is one of five states using religious groups in its welfare program under a 1996 federal "charitable choice" law that allows churches to compete for government contracts.

Project Hope is a faith-based charitable organization that matches people moving away from welfare with church-based mentors who offer advice, counseling and gifts to help them reach their goals.

It is the only program of its kind in Cape Girardeau County. Some churches accept government money for services provided but aren't held to any government regulations like faith-based programs are.

"We've struggled for 30 years where we've not considered the needs of people but paid taxes," said Denis Rigdon, director of Project Hope. "We've looked at the salvation of souls but didn't do what Christ did, which is healing the body, mind and spirit."

The program began only a year ago under the umbrella of the Community Caring Council, which receives state funding through the Department of Social Service and Health. It is now working to establish its own 501c3 non-profit status.

Since it began, Project Hope has matched 24 families with 10 churches acting as mentor partners. Four families have moved to self-sufficiency, and automobiles worth $12,000 have been donated to families in need of transportation. Another family received a mobile home as a gift.

With the president's plan, Rigdon expects to see more programs like Project Hope develop locally. Without a basis in God, morality and dignity, it's difficult to be successful in life, he said, and churches can help people move toward success by acting as mentors and resources.

The Rev. Jim Caughlan, who wrote the grant that began Project Hope, said churches have tremendous connections, resources and common sense. "They have an opportunity to have a great impact."

Mary Higgins, a member of St. Vincent de Paul parish, said acting as a mentor for women on welfare is the hardest thing she's ever done. A team of four women have been working with three clients during the past six to nine months.

"I think the thing that's been the biggest surprise to them is that someone would really care about them," she said. "We've been offering moral support."

The first of the three clients decided to discontinue the relationship after several months. The second quickly moved into a self-reliant situation and the third is just beginning the program.

A different kind of life

Project Hope is a good ministry for people who feel God calling them to step out of comfortable situations, said Higgins, who lives in an upper-middle class setting. "It's a risk, getting involved with a life so different from ours."

Higgins said she hasn't been abused or faced jail time, which are all things the women they've counseled have faced.

But until now, many churches preferred to let the government handle the crises instead of getting involved. During the past 30 years, the period that saw welfare rolls grow, "churches drifted away from their call," Caughlan said.

Every church has been commanded by God to help the poor, he said. Project Hope lets them do that.

But there are critics who believe that mixing government and religion could pose a danger. "There's still a sense of hesitancy," Caughlan said. Churches need to do what it takes to maintain their independence, he said.

Still controversy

Despite the attention devoted to charitable choice legislation, there still isn't enough substantive information about it or a meaningful discussion in the country's churches, writes Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance Foundation in Washington, D.C. The alliance has published a book that aims at educating churches about how to cooperate with government agencies.

"There is no debate among us about the ability of faith to impact and create change in our nation," Gaddy wrote. "The controversy arises around strikingly different opinions on the government's responsibility to fully fund efforts to serve those in need. We see inherent dangers in the government picking and choosing which religious endeavors are worthy of taxpayer support."

Caughlan said he would prefer to see para-church organizations, like Project Hope, develop so that churches can maintain their independence. And having multiple churches involved means that the charity isn't reliant on one church or agency for funding.

"There are some churches that are really unaware of the needs in the community," he said. "In 1993 when we worked together in flood relief, we realized how much more effective we are when we work together than when we are apart."

How it works

In Project Hope, the churches, sometimes through individuals or in teams, act as sounding boards for the person getting help.

The teams work to build a plan for success, which includes a financial plan and budget, a person who stays in contact with the client and works to remove obstacles, a person who makes regular reports about progress to Project Hope and activities and rewards that help build self-esteem. The frequency of contact depends on what the church and client decide.

In many cases, the reasons that a person hasn't moved off welfare any earlier is because "the only mentors they have are people just like them," said Bettie Sayers, an assistant with Project Hope. "They don't have a clue about what they're supposed to do or what skills they need. They've never been taught how to survive, although they are survivors."

Many of the people active in the program don't have basic job skills and just developing those skills can make an instant impact in a family. If a person is already under stress at home and then problems arise at work, they do what they can: quit the job.

"If life is crushing you and you go to work with problems, that just adds to it and you don't want to face it. You do something about that fact and walk out," Rigdon said.

Teaching people to handle problems as they arise is important. "Instead of looking at 15 mountains to climb, you take them one at a time," Rigdon said.

Moving people off welfare can create a ripple-effect in society because children in those families learn self-sufficiency, responsibility and values. Moving one family off welfare roles can actually generate revenues when the person begins paying taxes and isn't supported by government funding, he said.

GETING HELP FROM PROJECT HOPE:

Project Hope, which stands for Helping Other People Excel, offers support for people moving off welfare to self-sufficiency.

For information about becoming a mentor or to receive assistance, call the office at 651-0551, or e-mail phope@swbell.net.