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Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World
2025-5-27 | Ronda Ooms
“Show me the way I should go, for to you, I (we) entrust my (our) life.”
Psalm 142:8
Since 2007, The Grove has been involved in outreach ministry in the Miller School and Bauer Community Center neighborhoods. God has guided us as we’ve expanded the ministry over the years. In 2017, we felt led to start a housing ministry to help families facing homelessness. In 2021, we purchased two houses and established the Covenant Community Development Corporation (CCDC).
Over the years, we have built meaningful relationships with the families we’ve ministered to. Our desire has always been to help others rise above their circumstances and get ahead (or even just make ends meet). We’ve met with people, prayed for them, and encouraged them. However, life always seemed to get in the way, leaving them feeling hopeless about making changes that could make a difference. Those of us who ministered to them felt like something was missing. We could only do so much, and the rest certainly lies with the individual. What would work? How could any changes happen?
Last Spring, I spoke with Ramelia Williams, who works with the Covenant in Chicago, and during our conversation, I had an “aha” moment. Some of you may have heard of Ruby Payne and her initiatives around Bridges Out of Poverty. Ramelia mentioned a curriculum called Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’-By World, which had been used with individuals in poverty or those lacking resources. It had received wonderful feedback and was helping individuals change their lives. Just the name of the curriculum itself was thought-provoking.
I discussed this with the CCDC board, and we decided to explore what it might look like for us. I applied for a grant from Love Mercy, Do Justice, and we received funding to help us start. The board members all took the Bridges Out of Poverty training, and Jill Smith and I took additional training to start a Getting Ahead group here in Lafayette.
We knew that our first group would be small, and we wanted it that way as we learned the curriculum and worked with individuals. During the training, one of the things that stood out to me was the repeated advice to “Trust the process.” Jill and I have worked hard to do just that!
We started a group at the beginning of February with seven women. As we near the end of our time, we have three remaining. Life got in the way for the other four, making it impossible for them to finish. Managers refused to allow one to leave work early after previously agreeing, an ex-boyfriend stalked another, some lost housing and couldn’t find a job, and one was overwhelmed by the stress of a first child and trying to make ends meet. Our prayer is that they might be able to attend another session when their lives aren’t quite so difficult.
Our mission is to “Inspire individuals to write a new story for the next chapter of their life.” A description of the group as given in the materials is:
If you’ve spent part of your life—or most of your life—struggling to get by in the world, the idea of actually getting ahead might seem out of reach. But even if your story has been filled with barriers, vanishing opportunities, and setbacks, the next chapter can change all that. Yes, you have to write it, but you don’t have to do it alone. In a facilitated group setting, Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World takes you step by step through a discovery of yourself like no other. It’s not just about how you got where you are now. It’s also about what comes next to build the life you want. Plus, you develop relationships with people who will support you all along the way.
We have learned that we all have 11 different resources: financial, emotional, language, mental/cognitive, social capital (connections), physical, spiritual, motivation/persistence, integrity/trust, relationships/role models, and knowledge of hidden rules.
Each participant was given the opportunity to identify their strengths and discover areas they need to work on. Ferra, one of the participants, said: “Getting Ahead has taught me the skills and fundamentals needed to finally get ahead instead of just getting by. It completely changed my outlook on poverty and the different classes, and it helped me realize that I was operating under a poverty mindset even though I would be considered middle class. Halfway through the class, I started thinking and forming a plan to turn my life around, and I’m already seeing results.”
Praise the Lord! We are so excited to hear how the participants have changed their thinking. We will keep track of these ladies to see how what they have learned is shaping their lives after they complete the curriculum. We have one more meeting, and then on Saturday, May 31, we will have a graduation celebration. Please pray with us that what they have learned will continue to shape their lives. It only takes one small change to start moving in a different direction. A small change can make a big difference.