When Foursquare Pastor Bill Chaney looked around at his city, he saw that there was “no long-term strategy that was working to end cyclical, generational poverty.”
His observation was that the vast array of organizations trying to assist the impoverished people of Fresno, Calif., were offering the alleviation of symptoms, but without a cure. Rescue was often coming to the same people, again and again.
That’s when Bill, who serves as lead pastor of Valley Christian Center (Fresno First Foursquare Church), decided to modify the approach of his church.
First came the establishing of Valley Dream Center as a separate nonprofit. Then they began focusing on bringing transformation to the lives of people through the gospel, and compassion ministries that did not drain the church of financial resources. Partly it was strategic partnership with other groups, and partly it was seeing the people in need as part of the solution.
Watch this QuickTalk from Foursquare Connection 2016, and dream of ways you can empower the people in your city to help lift themselves out of poverty.
To see more from Connection 2016, click here.
