Poverty Initiative Travels to Scotland, October 2008

From September 28-October 7, seven representatives from the Poverty Initiative traveled to Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland to meet with the Church of Scotland and learn from their experiences with their Priority Areas, a large grouping of Union Alumni/ae, and others in Scotland carrying out effective anti-poverty work. The focus of the trip was to look at the model of the Priority Areas for churches and denominations interested in getting at the roots causes of poverty in the US.

The seven representatives of the Poverty Initiative on the trip included: Alix Webb (Program Manager), Charon Hribar (Curriculum and Replication), Jessica Chadwick (Religious Outreach), Willie Baptist (Poverty Scholar-in-Residence), Onleilove Alston (Mary Magdalene/Welfare Queen Project), Liz Theoharis (Coordinator) and Chris Caruso (Web and Staff Educationals). We were joined by Serene Jones, President and Su Yon Pak, Vice President for Institutional Advancement for Union Theological Seminary from October 3-6.

The Scotland trip focused on:

• Visiting with organizations in the Priority Areas working to alleviate the effects of poverty in these areas
• Dialogue between two diverse groups across national boundaries working in different ways to overcome poverty
  
• Sharing experiences and lessons with community members and Church of Scotland Priority Areas staff
• Meeting with Union Alumni/ae, Church of Scotland leaders, and members of local churches
  
• Sharing lessons about Truth Commissions as tools for building local organizing and leadership development of the poor (members of the Priority Areas Program
  
• will hold the first Poverty Truth Commission in Scotland in the Spring of ’09)
  
• Learning about the enormous emphasis the Church of Scotland has placed on the issue of “poverty” and discovering what lessons and tools we can bring back to denominations and religious communities in the U.S.

We had an action-filled and eye-opening experience. We visited dozens of local congregations, grassroots anti-poverty efforts, and local and national leaders on the issue of poverty and ministry. We spent time in Barlinnie Prison and visited Ruchazie Parish, the Gorbals, Govan Hill and other poor communities. We learned about the Priority Areas of Orbiston and Cran Hill; we met community groups including Bridging the Gap, 3-D, YCSA, former leaders of Brandem Link, and the Village Storytelling Center; we had special dinners and meetings with the Transformation Team, Faith in Communities Scotland, the Women’s Leadership Network, and the Religious Studies Department at the University of Glasgow. We also met with the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Ministries Council of the Church of Scotland (those who oversee theological education and calling and supporting ministers), church leaders in the Scottish Parliament, the spokesperson for Church and Society for the Church of Scotland, and the Presbytery of Glasgow.

Paul Chapman, co-founder of the Poverty Initiative currently helping to organize the Poverty Truth Commission and a member of the Transformation Team, Gayle Irvin, a Poverty Initiative strategic planning coach and convener of the Women’s Leadership Network within the Priority Areas, and Martin Johnstone, a founder of the Priority Areas Project of the Church of Scotland were responsible for the arrangements for our trip.

A highlight of the trip was the leadership of President Serene Jones in the commissioning service of two community workers in a Priority Area. We also were deeply moved by a Harvest worship service in the Gorbals where the abundance of the world was celebrated. It was amazing to be in a large group of committed alumi/ae and to see the global impact of Union Theological Seminary (at the house of Union Alum, Andrew McLellan, former Moderator of the Church of Scotland and currently Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons).

Our connections with the Church of Scotland will definitely continue. We talked about ways to deepen the relationship.

• We are hoping that low-income leaders from the Priority Areas will join us for our Poverty Scholars Leadership School this coming summer.
  
• We look forward to the outcomes of the Poverty Truth Commission in Scotland this coming spring.
  
• We hope to welcome the Ministries Council of the Church of Scotland to Union Theological Seminary to explore new strategies for theological education.
  
• We hope that the Scottish Fellows program at Union Theological Seminary continues and the Union alumni/ae network stays connected.
  
• We are exploring the possibility of other immersions and exchanges with the Church of Scotland and the Poverty Initiative.