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Walking in faith — The Rev. David Troxler, the Rev. Jimmie Moore and Marvin Reinhart talk about FAITH and community action.
By Pat Hatfield
posted Sep 14, 2009 - 8:39:15am
What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?
— Micah 6:8
Nine years ago, people of faith banded together to make a difference in Volusia County.
And, for nine years, they’ve been doing just that.
The nonprofit group called FAITH — Fighting Against Injustice Towards Harmony — has changed Votran schedules and Volusia County Jail policies. Currently, the group is leaning on governments in Volusia County to hire local people, instead of giving contract work to out-of-town firms.
FAITH represents 26 congregations, whose members total nearly 20,000. The organization isn’t shy about wielding the political influence of that collective of ages, races and religious beliefs. Politicians sometimes find themselves on the hot seat.
Recently, FAITH recognized the need for an effective drug-treatment program at the County Jail.
That should be up and running next month, County Chair Frank Bruno told The Beacon.
“The FAITH group has been very instrumental in pushing that agenda,” he said.
Another current goal is a westward expansion. Almost all the FAITH congregations are in East Volusia; leaders of the organization would like to see more West Volusia involvement.
Deltona Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is already affiliated.
The Rev. Pat Geese, minister of music and worship at Deltona Christian, has been a FAITH at-large officer for six years.
She got involved after meeting members of FAITH at a workshop.
“I was convinced by the end of the evening,” she said.
Geese heard words from Scripture speaking to her about God’s commands to overcome injustices in the world.
“It is all based on Nehemiah’s actions in bringing the people of Israel together to discuss what was wrong in their society, deciding how to correct the wrongs, and then calling those responsible in front of the people.
“They were challenged to do the right thing by the great assembly, and then were held accountable to do what they agreed. That’s how FAITH works, and it seems so right to me as a spiritual, moral and ethical plan to fulfill God’s will,” Geese said.
FAITH has a four-step program for making change: listening to people to find out what the community’s problems are, researching those problems, deciding what change is both needed and doable, and taking action to make that change come about.
FAITH concentrates on one problem a year. There are two paid community organizers, and a small budget made up of donations from local corporations and individuals. The group raised $67,000 in 2008.
Marvin Reinhart, a member of Tomoka United Methodist Church in Ormond Beach, talked about FAITH’s agenda.
“It’s not just what the FAITH organization wants. It’s the issues in the community,” Reinhart said.
Members of FAITH congregations bring up their concerns at house meetings held in the fall. The FAITH team listens and notes common concerns.
At an annual assembly, a vote determines the year’s new project from the list that comes out of the house meetings. The project must be concrete and doable, a change FAITH members believe can be accomplished through their efforts.
FAITH comes up with a plan of action, and goes to work. They follow up to see how successful their action was.
Some examples of FAITH-inspired change:
• Better drug treatment in jail. There had been a 16-week treatment program in the Volusia County Jail, but no follow-up or contact after prisoners were released. FAITH urged the county to implement a new eight-week program in the jail. During another eight weeks after a prisoner is released, services will be provided to the ex-convict and his or her family. County Chair Bruno expects it to be a much better program.
• Help for inmates with mental-health problems. A jail policy took inmates off any psychiatric medicines for the first 30 days of incarceration. It was a recipe for disaster for many prisoners with mental-health problems. FAITH convinced the county to allow a local mental-health agency to manage services for prisoners, and psychiatric medications are no longer automatically withheld.
• Transportation for service workers. Workers at hotels and restaurants on the beachside had trouble getting to and from their jobs, because Votran didn’t run at night along State Road A1A. FAITH convinced the county to add evening runs along the strip; they are now among the most-used bus routes in the county.
• More effective crime-fighting. The Rev. David Troxler of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Daytona Beach, FAITH’s corresponding secretary, said crime has been a FAITH focus since the organization’s beginning.
When people are afraid to venture out into their neighborhoods, that’s a problem. And that’s what FAITH was hearing in many areas.
In Daytona Beach, FAITH identified 75 crime “hot spots” and went to then-Police Chief Kenneth Small, who started to work on them. The new chief, Mike Chitwood, is continuing to work with FAITH, whose members report vacant homes and code-enforcement violations at suspected drug-activity sites, giving police the ammunition they need to go in and discover drug activity.
Residents can also send a card to FAITH, reporting drug deals and other crimes they may witness. FAITH phones in the information to the police, allowing residents to report crime anonymously, and alleviating the fear of revenge. Police respond to FAITH’s calls within 48 hours. The program has been expanded to New Smyrna Beach.
More than 1,200 people attended a March 30 FAITH assembly at First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach. Members of the County Council and officials from most cities in the county were there.
The issue that came up was one FAITH had been hearing about constantly in the community: unemployment.
The group decided to ask community officials for local-preference ordinances, allowing government agencies to hire local contractors, even if they aren’t the lowest bidders for a job.
This project has proved difficult, in part because so little hiring of any kind is going on now. Unemployment was about 3 percent when FAITH started talking about local-preference ordinances, two or three years ago. Now, unemployment is hovering around 12 percent.
It’s been tough getting formal commitments to hiring local, when nobody’s hiring, County Chair Bruno said.
“We try to hire locals,” Bruno said.
But the county, which employs around 4,000 people, may lose staff rather than hire more over the next year or two. There’s no money to hire contractors, so getting bids from “local hiring” companies is a moot point right now, he said.
But Bruno gave FAITH credit for starting conversations about hiring and employment, out of which good will come.
An unexpected dividend of FAITH’s work has been the breaking down of barriers in the faith community. People are building relationships with others they might not have met, except through FAITH.
The organization is just beginning a new listening process, said the Rev. Jimmie Moore of Allen Chapel AME Church in Daytona Beach, FAITH’s co-president.
At the next annual assembly in the spring, members will vote to determine the next community project. Member churches can send as many delegates as they want.
For more information, call (386) 238-7060.
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What happened to "Separation of Church and State"? I guess it is 'thrown under the bus' when an alliance proves profitable.
I wonder if FAITH understands how disparaging it is to have been identified as 'community organizers' by The Deland Beacon, even though FAITH does not, like ACORN, organize communities in order to steal elections and manipulate legislation after feeding at the government trough. I pray FAITH does not do this, although their 'community organizer' alliance does now portray them in a most questionable light.
As to FAITH's vision for their work. There is a critical difference between the people of Nehemiah's day, the Jews, and people of today: Because the Jewish people BELIEVED in God, they read, altogether, God's Word and understood it. Because they were given understanding, they repented of their sins and began to obey God. Today, Christendom does none of this, and even stands silently by as other 'community organizers' work hard to ban all reference to God and The Bible in academia, the public square and in entertainment. Aside from church, 'tis ironic that the only place The Bible is permitted and purchased by the government is in prisons! Perhaps this is why so much of FAITH's work and focus is within the penal system.
Two suggestions to FAITH: Take note of the many times Jesus said to 'WATCH' throughout the New Testament. Watch out with whom you align yourselves lest you bring shame to that Name above all Names, Jesus Christ.
Rather than reaching out only to those whose lives are already in shambles due to THEIR OWN personal choices, how about reaching out in the public square more? Like Tomoka Christian Church, how about ramping up efforts to go into the public schools to reach the littlest ones whose lives hold the greatest promise? Obama sees the importance of reaching into the classrooms with his message. How much more important is the Gospel message? But then that might violate that pesky ol' 'Separation of Church and State', wouldn't it?
"The welfare of humanity has ALWAYS been the alibi of tyrants." Therefore, "WATCH and pray, that ye enter not into temptation", Matt. 26:41
ACORN offers HOPE to everyone including prostitutes, pimps, and under-age, illegal sex-slavetraders. Perhaps ACORN could divert more taxpayers' hard-earned money to help get a Meth-Lab with distribution network up and running within our jail system. This would bring HOPE, compassion and job training to inmates and a revenue stream for the County, Mr. Bruno. This is real HOPE and CHANGE! Thank you ACORN and all COMMUNIST ORGANIZERS.
I just had a few questions for Pat Hatfield on FAITH. Are these community organizers part of ACORN or SEIU? If so, are they now hiding under the mantle of Christianity? Are they interferring or helping the free market and job creation? Are they hurting the unemployeed by making it harder for potential business to work in Volusia County? Who empowers them to make these decisions for us? Who are they accountable to? Are they freely elected or self-appointed? Are they accountable to Volusia voters? Last, can some investigative journalism be done on this to uncover who these organizers work for and who they are financed by? Thank you.
Cindy Carson
DELTONA
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