Justice for People Living in Poverty
Lawrence Temfwe March 12th, 2007
In two weeks time Jubilee Centre will host a building engineer with his two colleagues from the UK. Daniel is coming to use his engineering skill to help build a modern toilet and shower rooms for a community school of over 450 pupils in one of the poor communities in Ndola, Zambia. Daniel comes from a church community that equips its members to understand their true identity as human beings created in the image of God and how to discover their true vocation as productive stewards, faithfully caring for the world and all the people in it.
In our churches today we have members who are teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, business people who need to be equipped in how to use their skills to bring positive change in the whole human life materially, socially and spiritually. Laypersons (people of God) must be helped to understand that Christian witness includes the declaration of the gospel through their skills and by word. Because only few laypeople in our churches understand that it is God who has gifted them with skills and abilities for special service of God (Ex. 31:3
), the call to be Christ’s witness among people living in poverty remains a great challenge in Africa. Christian leaders heading churches in the middle class income areas (suburbs) face the big task of equipping their members of how to embrace the poor and seek positive change with them.
If we want to see a church driven economical and spiritual transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa, church leaders ought to be doing more in equipping ordinary people sitting in our pews to do the work of the church. Church leaders ought to be doing this not because they are doing too much work but because it is the right thing to do. The call of church leaders is to prepare laypeople (God’s people) for works of service (Ephesians 4:13).
The Bible highlights God’s particular interest in the poor. The church has a responsibility to care and empower the poor so that they can use the gifts God has given them to their full potential. Most situations today were the poor suffer injustice, and are not allowed to live with dignity, are the result of abuse of power and corruption. Stories of rampant corruption and abuse of power in Sub-Saharan African “Christian nations” is a demonstration that the church is not doing enough in equipping laypeople to work for justice. Corruption and abuse of power affects the poor most.
People living in poverty need to hear about God’s passion and plan for justice and his concern for all those who suffer injustices and lack basic needs. Church leaders, through their examples ought to be encouraging laypeople to take action to promote justice. This may be through prayer, giving, proving practical care, speaking out, and using different approaches of advocacy work on behalf of those who are poor and suffering. What are you laypeople doing to provide leadership and inspiration for people living in poverty to respond to the gospel and to a wide range of social actions that aim to bring justice and righteousness? Daniel and his friends will be helping to build a modern toilet for children.
