“Waste not, Want not”: When Biblical Principles Inspire Financial Sustainability.

When Dorothy and Sylvia Wright agreed to talk to my colleague and I for the Listening Post project, I couldn’t imagine they would connect their economic stability to the role of the church in their upbringing. I was surprised that none of them ever had to worry about money because they were taught how to manage their resources.

These are two retired ladies who are not related but have the same last name. One of them Sylvia Wright, was raised by her grandmother who became a safety network for her as she grew older. “My grandmother was beyond frugal” said Sylvia. “Now I became just the opposite. I was not frugal. I spent every dime that I would get my hand on. I didn’t save at all.” Her grandmother was the backup she knew she could rely on when needed.

Sylvia only started saving when she realized a time will come for her to retire and she will need money. Now, she’s happily retired and satisfied to have made this decision early and teaching these principles to her children when they were young. She’s still active and enjoying her friendship with Dorothy Wright who also has a similar story.

People have so much to say when they are given the opportunity to share their thoughts and experience. That was my major take away from my involvement with the Listening Post project. Each of the community members we talked to represent a class of the society and was able to convey the struggles of that specific group of people with their perspective.

The theory behind this engagement project underlined the importance of having the people/community shape the news/stories they want on the media. In the case of Philadelphia, the topic of poverty was broad enough to encompass issues like unemployment, food insecurity, tuition and school fees for children, housing problems, life after detention and the role of community organizations in alleviating these problems in the lives of their members.

I had a quite positive experience with the project. I saw how it worked as community members were comfortable enough to open up and share their diverse stories and give suggestions. I remember Jodi Amodei whose house was to be foreclosed being thankful for the opportunity to talk about what she was going through. She said many people are experiencing the same situation and it’s unheard of. Frederick Sutliff, Jr. was happy to help us as students by sharing his story. I was moved because he was just coming out jail and was having a hard time finding a job while working on his treatment for addiction.

We had some challenges, especially with people who didn’t want to talk to us. But it was an exciting experience overall. I teamed up with the right classmate who gave me enough confidence to engage with the people of a country and culture I am still trying to understand.