Union in Crisis

In the Mid 1700s there was a man by the name of John Newton. He was the captain of a slave ship that transported slaves from Africa to the West Indies and other parts of the world. In 1748 he cried out to God in the time of dire need - his ship was filling with water during a terrible storm. On his way back to Liverpool, England he began reading the Bible and other literature on Christianity. Even though he gave his life to Christ, he continued his career in slave trade. Some called him a hypocrite. He agreed, saying that he could not consider himself a believer until he gave up slave trading.

Newton later became a lay minister and wrote many hymns, the most recognized being “Amazing Grace.”

The story does not end there. John Newton was a mentor in the life of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was a member of the House of Parliament and spent 26 years of his career attempting to abolish slave trade. Many of the Parliament members were slave owners and did not see slavery as a conflict to their moral principles. It is sad to say that it took so long for him and many others to convince the majority of Parliament that slavery was wrong and immoral.

Finally, through Wilberforce's tireless efforts, The Slave Trade Act of 1807 was passed abolishing slave trade. Eventually, the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 was passed, completely abolishing slavery.

How is this relevant to poverty in Union, South Carolina? For most of us, we simply pass by those in need thinking that it is not OUR problem. We believe that because we have done all of the right things in life, we are better off. We see others as lesser for making bad decisions or falling on hard times. This is similar to the way the British Parliament viewed slavery. They did not see these people as being equal or even being “people”. This was simply because they were born in a different part of the world and had darker skin. But finally, a small group of people, including Wilberforce, rallied for a change by showing that slave trade and slavery was immoral and wrong. Turning our backs to our brothers and sisters in need is also morally and Biblically wrong.

Union has been through tremendous hardship over the past several years with leadership failures, fraud, and corruption in many levels of government. In addition to this, unemployment is north of 21%, while the national average is less than 10%. Over 30% of the citizens receive Medicaid benefits; at least 74% of children receive free or reduced lunch; teen pregnancy is the highest in the state; more than 18% of the families in Union live under the poverty level (as of 2000 census - probably higher today), while the national average is 13.4%.

This is a WAKE UP CALL for all citizens of Union, especially Christians. Not only are we failing to fulfill God’s commandments but we are letting our community continue to worsen. We must do what is moral as humans and what is our duty as Christians. It is not too late.

Similar to the verse in “Amazing Grace”- Union is Lost but can again be Found. To begin with, it’s time to call the Christian community to follow the commandments of God to help the “least of my brothers” (Matthew 25:31-46). This should not be done simply by giving them a handout but rather a hand up. Over the next several weeks there will be an announcement of the creation of an organization that will focus on bringing the community together in an effort to help those in need by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, providing for the emergency physical needs, and guiding them through the transition into a productive meaningful life.

Joe E. Hines, Jr.
Joe is a Certified Financial Planner and Partner with Global View Investment Advisors, LLC with offices in Greenville and Charleston, SC. He is a director on the Governing Board of Miracle Hill Ministries, Member of the Greenville Estate Planning Council, and on a mission to fight poverty in South Carolina.