Life Aboveground: “The Poor”
How ‘Just Initiative’ is uplifting impoverished women and children in Tampa
Across the Underground Network, hundreds of microchurches strive daily to live out their God-given callings. Although each is unique in its respective mission, every microchurch ministers in accordance with the 18 values that comprise the Underground Manifesto: Jesus, the Poor, the Lost, the Whole World, Culture and Ethnicity, Contextualization, Zeal and Contemplation, Simplicity, Sharing and Giving, Each Other, Kingdom Mission, Humility, Biblical Justice, Passion, Prayer and Dependence on God, Microchurches, the Bible, and Empowerment.
The “Life Aboveground” series explores individual microchurches and how they reflect these values in the current season.
This interview profiles Just Initiative, a microchurch whose mission is “to reflect the kingdom of God by building community across economic divides while creating pathways towards stable housing, further education and increased income for those in need”. This is accomplished through housing and discipling single moms and children, tutoring students struggling due to poverty, and relational building within the community.
Sharing the story of Just Initiative is director Julie Wood.
In this current season, what is one of the 18 Underground Manifesto values you and your microchurch are living out?
We value The Poor.
Why do you find this value important for your microchurch?
We work with single moms and their children who are homeless or at high risk of homelessness. We see the evils and injustices in our society that are manifested towards the poor and we are here to take a stand with the poor against these things, and to sit with the poor and lament the experience of these things, and to open our hearts, homes, wallets, and resources to share and to do what we can to usher in the Kingdom of God into these places of poverty.
How have you practically fought for this value?
Just Initiative is very practical. It is hands-on and day to day, life on life ministry. We cry out to God in prayer for justice and for God to make a way in what often seems like impossible circumstances. We also actively create alliances and to advocate throughout Tampa for the poor in education, in jobs, and in housing situations. Some examples of what we are doing on a daily basis — we are with single moms when they are facing eviction and homelessness, connect resources for deposits, and do what it takes with that mom to get her and her family back into a stable living situation as soon as possible. We help create goals and hold people accountable to those goals they set for their education and career. This includes helping create resumes, assisting with transportation, advocating for our families to employers and landlords. We work with the mom’s in Just Initiative to create and maintain a budget for their family. We advocate for the children in the school system, to get the resources needed when a child is struggling in school. These are only some examples. We are with the moms and children in the ministry through all of the struggles and celebrations in life.
What are the challenges you have faced in fighting for this?
The need is huge. We face many roadblocks, discrimination, hopelessness, a lack of education, repercussions of trauma, a lack of trust, mental health issues, a lack of transportation, a lack of affordable housing, racism, domestic violence, a lack of child care — the obstacles are many that we face every day. The need seems to be never-ending. But God. God is bigger and He is truly never-ending. His resources are limitless. With each challenge we face, we remain hopeful and seek God together with everyone in the ministry.
What that has recently happened in your microchurch is worth celebrating?
One recent thing that we are still celebrating is a 12-year-old girl in our tutoring program, The Zone, got the news that she was going to be able to skip 5th grade and go directly from 4th grade to 6th grade. She was held back two times in lower grades. Her family had struggled for several years with homelessness and food insecurity and this took a toll on her ability to keep up in school. When she came to us she felt very defeated and had no confidence in her learning ability. With her working in our tutoring program which includes a cognitive skills development component and with us advocating for her with the teacher and the school’s administration, she is getting on track in her education. It is the best to see her confidence rising as now she knows she is able to succeed in school.
