KSMU Ozarks Public Radio
Mark Struckhoff: Ministering to the Poor in Southwest Missouri
Council of Churches of the Ozarks Executive Director, Monday December 6, 2010
"I think God's given me a real heart for the poor. My own sense of calling has to do with raising money to really bring the kingdom of God into people's lives, and what I mean by the kingdom of God, of course, is not so much about Heaven later, but that in the Lord's Prayer we really are praying and asking, if you will, for Heaven to come to Earth, that justice would be done for people who are oppressed, that the weak are cared for by the strong and that we would find a way to create a better future, if you will, for our children. Raising money for those causes, whether it's for people in Nicaragua or for people right here in the Ozarks, that's a passion of mine."
Bridging Social Differences in the Evangelical Ozarks
 by John SchmalzbauerMarch 13, 2010
Sociologist John Schmalzbauer teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at Missouri State University where he holds the Blanche Gorman Strong Chair in Protestant Studies. A Minnesota native, he has lived in Nixa since 2004. His research and teaching focus on American evangelicalism, religious forms of popular culture, and the Bible Belt religion of the Missouri Ozarks.
This week FOX commentator Glenn Beck urging viewers to abandon such congregations. Not surprisingly, Beck’s comments have elicited a firestorm of criticism, including here in the Evangelical Ozarks.
In reality, many of the religious groups prevalent in the Ozarks advocate social justice on their web sites, including the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God and the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group of over 40 denominations.
The NAE is meeting here this week at a local seminary to discuss the topic of respecting sex and reducing abortions. Recently, the organization proclaimed its support for comprehensive immigration reform, a position also endorsed by Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood. In defending this stance, the NAE invoked the “values of justice and compassion.” Though controversial with some Ozarkers, such statements indicate that evangelical groups make use of the language of social justice.
From Social Justice to Social Capital
Of course, many in the Evangelical Epicenters prefer to think in terms of Christian service and love, rarely speaking of social justice. Whatever language they use, plenty of Ozarkers express their care and concern for the poor and needy. Active in 54 counties in Southwest Missouri, the Council of Churches of the Ozarks reaches over 100,000 people annually through ministries such as Crosslines. Its web site pledges “that there will never be a child, a senior or a person with disabilities in the Ozarks who is hungry, abused, or abandoned. Not even one.”
A recent study by a team of Missouri State University sociologists indicates that Ozarkers often express their social engagement through religious organizations. According to a 2008 survey of 799 Greene County residents, they are more likely than other Americans to belong to charity and neighborhood groups. They are also more likely to belong to religious groups outside of church.
Posted: 03.13.2010 / 12:35 AM PST
Link also on http://twitter.com/CCOzarks
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