Macon, Mississippi is representative of numerous small towns along the Mississippi / Alabama border. It was recently cited by one website as “the poorest town in America.” Though statistics aren’t always the most accurate indicators of reality, in this article two facts in particular stand out to me.
Firstly, the median household income of Macon is a mere $18,232 annually. This is one of the lowest in the nation. Secondly, the poverty rate hovers around 49%. These two facts alone offer an obvious glimpse into the economic environment that the youth of Macon and the surrounding areas are growing up in.
It is one thing to read about these needs. It is another to consider that they exist not in some third-world country, but for many of us in America, right out of our back door. Wherever there are economic needs, there are the accompanying social issues.
And these are issues that ultimately can only be addressed by the Gospel.
Macon is a town that contains young people with needs that Trinity Farm Ministries is designed to meet. An emphasis on spiritual development under-girds life and work skills. It is in the environment of acquiring these skills while being engaged in the discipleship process that youth have the opportunity to learn what it means to follow Christ.
