by Jan Rehmann

Central Appalachia was not “left behind” by the Industrial Revolution, explained Bruce Kuhre, sociology professor at the University of Athens, but rather made it possible. It was an “internal colony” providing it with the raw materials it needed. At the heels of the lumber barons came the mineral hunters mapping out the sites for coal mining, oil and gas. A colonial economy, characterized by absentee ownership, with 80% of the land and of the minerals belonging to “interests outside the region”. The hills gutted out, families living in trailers: People and nature devastated alike. The abandoned mines spill their poisonous acids into creeks, streams, and rivers. We can see and smell the foamy liquid exiting a mine cave, covering the stones with an artificially shiny white (like tooth paste ads), while the people still complain about their drinking water turning rusty or black.

by Paul Chapman

On Sunday and Monday we have been confronted with a theological challenge — inspiring and at the same time complex and disturbing.

The largest not-for-profit organization that seeks to address the issue of poverty in northern Appalachia is an evangelical Christian agency that receives a significant share of its funding from United States taxes, benefiting from the government’s faith-based charitable choice policy. (More than $750,000 out of a total budget of over $2 million comes from public grants.) The organization combines a program to teach the Christian faith with their program to improve the lives of children and families.

There is no question that the services that this agency provides are of significant value for many people who live very close to the edge of survival. It is clear that the Christian church is deeply embedded in the lives of the people of this community. The language of faith is familiar to them. They have been sustained by prayer and the promises of the gospel. They are not offended when the gospel is proclaimed by a service organization.

They provide many programs, including selling building materials for home restoration at reduced cost. The highly motivated members of the 20-person staff perform a significant service for the people of the community. The children especially benefit from various after-school programs, including tutoring and mentoring. The children that we met appeared self-confident and hopeful about their future.

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