More than Issues

Ed Chambers (one of the founders of the Industrial Areas Foundation; he's been at this work for 54 - count them - years) writes in his book, Roots for Radicals: "organizing is about more than winning on issues - it is about developing people's potential to realize their hopes" (60).

I wrote earlier about the differences between organizing and movements, but I think that what Ed says in this entry sums it up more clearly than the way I put it.  When people recognize that they have the power to make their hopes become reality, well, I just have to believe that that's one of the reasons we're here.  And when people actually work together and succeed...that, for me, is evidence of the Kingdom.