Economic development programs Essay

One area where African-American churches have largely been on their own is in the area of economic development programs. Reiland relates the tale of a successful grassroots economic development program initiated by the Greater Christ Temple in Meridian, Mississippi. The church started the REACH Program in 1977 in response to high unemployment in the congregation. The program, beginning with sales of peanuts in the church basement, has expanded greatly since these humble beginnings. As Reiland notes, the church’s economic enterprises today include a Christian boarding school, a gas station, motels, restaurants, meat processing plants and several other ventures. The REACH Program hasn’t had the easiest time; differences of opinion within the African-American community, particularly a split with the NAACP, is noted; troubles with formal systems such as the welfare department and the health department are also noted. The REACH Program does not receive any assistance from the government or from philanthropic foundations, and is entirely self-funded, which has occasionally caused problems with the viability of the program. Overall, though, the program has been a success, and the economic health and wellbeing of the congregation has grown tremendously. As Reiland states: A Black bishop who doesn’t look beyond the poor community itself for salvation, who sees potential business success in the faces of his flock, may seem naively out-of-step. To those watching from the ground, a bird that is out of formation risks being seen as misguided. But maybe It is the rest of the flock that is out of step. (Reiland, 7). YOUTH ADVOCACY PROGRAMS Youth advocacy programs and youth ministries have long been a cornerstone of Black church ministry, and have been recognized to decrease youth problems such as crime, premarital sex and pregnancy and truancy and drop out rates in areas with strong church programs. Youth advocacy programs are also one of the main areas where Black churches perform community outreach; many church programs are extended to non-congregation members. Rubin (1994) studied the role of youth advocacy programs within Black churches and their effects on adolescents who participated. Youth advocacy programs are particularly important because, as Rubin states, adolescence is a peculiarly vulnerable time – adolescents are often no longer under the full control of their parents and have adult bodies, but are still lacking in adult psychological qualities like judgment capability, impulse control and the ability to predict the consequences of their actions. Although adolescents are typically physically healthy, they suffer myriad social and psychological ills they are ill-equipped to deal with (Rubin, 252). Rubin notes that the social problems of adolescents range from pregnancy and out-of-wedlock births to emotional and sexual abuse to crime and delinquency. The picture the authors paint is depressing; they note that the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy and out of wedlock birth occurs among poor Black teenagers; that sexually transmitted diseases and premature sexuality are also a concern; that emotional and physical abuse, dysfunctional families, the lack of male role models in the home, and substance abuse are all on the rise; that physical and mental problems like psychosis, accidental injuries, obesity and thyroid problems disproportionately affect Black children and that depression and suicide are common among Black teens (Rubin, 252). Other social problems like crime, delinquency, illiteracy or non-completion of high school, limited career aspirations and lack of opportunity, and behavioral and learning difficulties combine with the above factors to paint a very negative picture of the African-American adolescent (Rubin, 252). Rubin’s study examined the role of the Black church in affecting the lives of Black adolescents to determine how responsive the church is to the needs of its youth. The study, called the Black Church Family Project, examined 635 churches in total across the North Central and Northeastern United States, conducting phone interviews with church leaders in order to determine the degree of youth ministry provided. Out of these churches, 176 reported the existence of at least one program which was open to nonmembers of the church. Most of the programs were targeted at youth from low-income homes (Rubin, 253). The churches who responded to Rubin’s study reported many different types of programs. The most common programs were teen support programs such as counseling, fellowships or ministry, group discussions, seminar and workshops (39%). Sports activities such as athletic camps or martial arts classes were second most popular, at 30% of the responding churches offering. AIDS support and health-related services were offered least commonly, at only 2-3% of responding churches; however, many churches offered general programs for substance abuse counseling. College financial support (16% of the responding churches), parenting and sexuality counseling including pregnancy prevention and teen parenting support programs were offered by 15% of the churches, and 14% of the responding churches offered intervention programs for at-risk youth such as delinquency prevention (Rubin, 254). Other programs included adult role model or mentoring programs, employment training and job readiness, and a category of â€Å"other youth support programs†. The study found a number of different which influenced the potential for a church to host or facilitate a youth outreach ministry: denomination was one such factor, with Methodists being far more likely than other denominations to host such groups, and Baptists least likely; older churches were more likely to host programs, as were churches which were economically more stable. Other factors cited were ownership of church premises and the presence of paid clergy and lay helpers (Rubin, 256). The character and training of the church’s pastor was also seen to be of critical importance when determining the likelihood of a church having youth outreach programs – clergy who were younger, those who were formally trained at a seminar or bible college or those who had advanced degrees were seen as more likely to sponsor youth ministries (Rubin, 257). Rubin’s study highlights some deficiencies in the coverage of youth outreach programs as compared to the problems of modern adolescents. The authors note that health related services and AIDS testing and support programs are very rare; that substance abuse, parenting and sexuality programs are not as prominent as they should be when compared to the size of the problems in the African-American communities overall; and that the bulk of support is aimed at sports and fellowship activities, which can be easily obtained outside the church setting (Rubin, 258). However, Rubin also notes some positive advantages to the involvement of the Black church in adolescent’s lives. The church’s role in family life is one such advantage; the church offers support to parents which reduces their stress and eases the task of socializing their children. Adolescent parents in particular are supported by the Black church, with education of teenage fathers and stress reduction of teenage mothers being primary benefits (Rubin, 260). Black churches have also taken on an increasing burden for sexual education in the wake of federal limits which require abstinence-only programs; life skills, economics and basic prenatal care are also seen as benefits to the church ministry (Rubin, 261). Areas Rubin marks out as having great potential for improvement are in college support (scholarships and tutoring), job training and employment readiness and acknowledging and supporting the difference in adolescent psychology and social support structures between boys and girls (Rubin, 262).