Rethinking Poverty: Cultural Lens

Mission | September 24, 2015

St. Paul Lutheran Church will host Rethinking Poverty, a continuation of series of conversations about socioeconomics, beginning on Monday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.

September’s topic is entitled, “Cultural Lens.”

This monthly discussion is led by a variety of people who share a common purpose: work in understanding how poverty affects individuals, communities, and institutions – and how change can happen in order to lessen the impact.

“We will examine the cultural lens through which we view persons who live in poverty, persons who live in the middle class, and persons who live in wealth,” said Barb Brunkan, a social worker who will be leading the discussion. “By looking through these lenses we begin to develop an understanding of why some persons get stuck; feel lost, or have difficulties communicating with others who come from different backgrounds.”

The word poverty means different things to different people, said Dana Welser, who guides St. Paul’s partnership with two neighborhood schools – Madison Elementary and J.B. Young K-8.

“What are our own assumptions about poverty? What do we need to know about poverty in order to create caring and meaningful relationships with others? How do we move beyond the safety of ‘giving’ to truly connecting with others?” Welser said.

Following Sept. 28, additional conversations will be held on Mondays, Oct. 26 and Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at St. Paul.  A poverty simulation will be held Jan. 11.

St. Paul Lutheran Church is at 2136 Brady St. Light refreshments will be served. The series is free and open to the public.

Questions? Contact Dana Welser, 563-326-3547, ext. 225, or dana@stpaulqc.org.

Leave a Comment