Poverty is Not God’s Design

Dear friends and partners, 

This summer I had the opportunity to hear almost a dozen testimonies firsthand from Zambian pastors. They shared how poverty challenged their communities, their congregants, and themselves. However, every single one of them effectively said, that was our reality, before. But today is different, in all facets of my life. I’m more equipped, better connected, and more empowered to grow the church, and I’m an increasingly successful businessperson. And it’s not just me—my family and my community now have the same hope.

It was more than a testimony: it was an impassioned word of encouragement, a call to action, and an invitation to join them in what God has created them to do and lead. They still face challenges, but they believe in a very different future. All because the body came together to help them live out what they were created for—in this case, farmers, businesspeople, and pastors, all in one!  

I found myself thinking, “Who wouldn’t want to be part of this!?” And it seemed like everyone else present—fellow Zambians and neighbors in Zimbabwe, the DRC, Nigeria, and the United States—shared my thoughts.

Our Call to Reflect Christ’s Love

This is a convicting reminder that poverty is not part of God's original plan for creation or the people in it. It’s also a humbling picture of what we miss out on when poverty goes unchecked.   

In the beginning, the world was a place of abundance and harmony, where every creature and person had what they needed; a place where everything and everyone lived out their full God-given potential. Sin disrupted this perfect design, introducing scarcity, suffering, and inequality.

Poverty is a symptom of brokenness in our relationships with God, self, others, and creation.

Through Christ, we are instilled with an urgent responsibility to act, restore, and reconcile those relationships and bring hope to people facing poverty. Jesus' life and teachings emphasize the importance of compassion, justice, and service toward the poor and vulnerable. His ultimate act of love—sacrificing Himself on the cross—was to restore our relationship with God and to demonstrate the extent of God’s love for us.  

As followers of Christ, we are called to reflect this love in our actions. As I saw at that Zambian gathering, the work we do is incredibly redemptive because it impacts all aspects of a person’s life and often serves as a catalyst for them to carry it forward. Some would call it empowering, but I think redemptive is the best descriptor. What I saw was a community of people increasingly living out their potential in Christ, and that includes me. 

Ambassadors of Reconciliation 

The stories of those Zambian leaders were both a testimony of the reconciliation and restoration they have experienced and a bold statement that they are now ambassadors of the same—just like you, our partners in the work to create a world without poverty. I know that it is this conviction that drives you to partner with us and engage in redemptive business relationships. Together, we are working towards a world where everyone can experience the fullness of life as God intended. 

Your unwavering partnership in this work of reconciliation is central to helping us fulfill this mission.

Together, we are making a significant impact, transforming lives and bringing God’s vision of shalom to communities around the world.

Thank you for being an integral part of this journey towards restoring God’s original design for creation. Your selflessness and sacrifice reflect Christ's example of service. 

Be encouraged, friends. Your dedication to this cause is a powerful witness to the world. Together, let us continue to pursue the end of poverty with the same passion and commitment that Christ demonstrated for us. 

-Bob