A Community Sows the Seeds of Hope

By Deborah Pardo

March 17, 2004

Facts About Marion, Ala. On Feb. 19, 1965, 26-year old Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot by state police following a voter registration rally. His death sparked the Selma-Montgomery march. Population: Approximately 4,000 in Marion; 11,861 in Perry County (Marion is in Perry County) 85 percent voter turnout at last mayoral election 30 percent of population commutes to work outside the community Main industries: Timber and catfish farms 65 percent African American; 95 percent are democrats 35 percent white; 95 percent are republicans In 2000, 72.6 percent unwed mothers (in Perry County) First Confederate flag and confederate uniform designed in Marion Area throughout Alabama called the Blackbelt; Local myth because of black soil

We spent Tuesday night in the midst of rural Alabama in Marion's only hotel, The Gateway Inn. After waking up to the screeching sound of peacocks crowing, we headed for breakfast and then to our meeting with a local faith-based initiative, Sowing Seeds of Hope.

MARION, Ala.—Sixty-nine-year-old Gordon Perry drove three hours with some friends from Huntsville to Marion. Sent by their hometown Baptist church, they would be participating in missionary work of a different kind. The traditional gospel need not be preached in Perry County, where most of the people call themselves Christian. The residents here don't seek salvation from sin, but deliverance from poverty.

Recognized as the second poorest county in the state and within the top 100 in the nation, Perry County's 11,861 people have become aware of Sowing Seeds of Hope, an ecumenical non-profit faith-based organization making inroads in the area. Seeds of Hope repairs homes, restores churches and provides healthcare and education for many through a full-time staff of two and more than 600 local and statewide volunteers.

"We've touched 7,000 lives in the county," said Frances Ford, the healthcare coordinator for the organization at a meeting in their headquarters at the Chamber of Commerce in Marion.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a breakaway group from the Southern Baptists Convention, together with Wayne Flint, a socially active professor at Auburn University, discussed the idea for Sowing Seeds of Hope in 1999, and helped it become a reality in 2000.

Gordon Perry measures the facade of a church in rural Perry County. Sowing Seeds of Hope organized the repair work that Perry and his crew will undertake. Photo: Chris Karmiol

They desired to reach the neglected poor who live in rural communities. Their mandate followed the New Testament gospel of Matthew's instruction to care for those who are hungry, sick, and without clothing or shelter.

For them and for Perry, aiding the poor characterizes religious faithfulness.

Perry had worked as a mechanical engineer for the U.S. government's missile systems before his retirement. He traveled to more than 20 countries for his work. He also visited Bangladesh and Brazil as part of his congregation's mission to build churches abroad. Now, he prefers to work in his own backyard, in Alabama.

Climbing into his burgundy pickup truck, he set out with John Martin, 71, the Seeds of Hope coordinator, and another family to assess churches and homes for necessary repairs.

They drove past donkeys, cows grazing in wide fields, and some mobile homes before arriving at their first destination, a small white church about 15 minutes outside downtown Marion. The exterior white paint was peeling off the wood slats. Dozens of wasps buzzed around and inside the building while the men encircled it with a tape measure.

"We'll just bring a roll of roofing," Perry said to his friend Rowe Smith, a volunteer firefighter also from Huntsville.

Sitting in his pickup truck, Gordon Perry looks over a map of Marion, Ala. in rural Perry County. Photo: Chris Karmiol

They try to buy most of the construction materials in Marion to help boost local business, but what they can't find at the two hardware stores, they will bring with them when they return at the end of June to do the work. At that time, about 75 people will travel with them for one week to paint the walls, add new siding, fix leaks in ceilings and replace roof panels. Men, women, and children will join the project crew.

"Our kids get to see how the other half lives, then they can go home and appreciate what they have," Perry said.

Most of the homes and churches that have undergone renovations belong to the 65 percent black community. But Seeds of Hope offers equal employment opportunities for blacks and whites - a unique situation in the area. The organization stands as a model of a non-segregated ideal not yet attained in the wider district. Whites in the city attend private schools for the most part, such as the local military academy, while blacks attend public schools. Many say each racial group prefers its own houses of worship because of their different cultural styles.

Edward Daniel, the mayor, works closely with Seeds of Hope. The black leader downplayed any racial tension and said that a day-to-day cash flow presents the most difficult hurdle. But Rev. Anthony Tremble, 44, whose church provides meals for the needy, offered a more realistic perspective.

"Our town is very segregated," he said. "There's still a lot of animosity in the air. We are a divided city." Tremble explained that the state caused a rift 15 years ago when it offered blacks higher positions normally filled by whites, such as school principals. He said that when whites visit his congregation there is a smaller black turnout. Tremble believes the more than 100 churches in the county are ignoring practical issues.

"They spend a lot of time on how to get to heaven, and not on how to live together down here," he said.

But many claim that Marion, a city that once played a crucial role in initiating the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, has come a long way. Those on the Seeds of Hope team aim to overcome racial challenges. Some, such as Gordon Perry, are trying to reverse damage done by their predecessors. Perry's roots in Marion reach back three generations and he hopes his present actions might heal his family's past.

"My great grandfather had slaves," Perry said. "I guess I have a hidden agenda."

After about half an hour of evaluating the building, Perry and Smith went on to the next endeavor - Marietta AME church about ten minutes away. The red interior of the sanctuary with its musty smell rivaled the last one. It had no running water, no bathroom. Pastor Isaiah Ferguson offered $3,000 toward the $6,500 needed to drill a well and add a septic tank. Painting would be additional.

"We got a piano at church we can give them," said Smith, glancing at the decrepit piano on the stage behind the altar.

Kids play on an old, out-of-tune piano in a rural Baptist church. "We got a piano at church we can give them," Rowe Smith said, as he looked around making notes of needed repairs. Photo: Chris Karmiol

A few thousand dollars goes into each project, mostly raised by Seeds of Hope, which operates on a budget of $200,000 annually. They have yet to see any of the federal funds promised by the Bush Administration's Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Compassion Capital Fund. In 2003, the administration awarded 81 organizations more than $30 million for work with the homeless, drug addicts and other Americans in need.

In the meantime, Seeds of Hope works together with local government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Agriculture.

Until Seeds of Hope receives federal grants, they will be rejecting some who apply for assistance. Doris Jackson, 52, a single mother with two kids works as a desk clerk at the Gateway Inn in Marion and as a secretary at Frances Mary High School. She filled out an application for home improvements several years ago, but never heard back. She said that two people on her street received repairs on their homes.

Seeds of Hope rates applicants by priority of age, number of residents in the home, income, and their homes' needs.

"Some applications are three years old," Martin said, because of the prioritization. To date, the organization has restored 65 homes, moved a library, and built a fitness center.

Those at Seeds of Hope consider their work as transformative, not only for the ones they are assisting, but also for themselves. Perry agrees that he has been fortunate enough with his personal finances that he can volunteer to give to others. His wife recently received an inheritance and decided to donate some to the work in Marion.

Back at the Chamber of Commerce building, Martin's wife, Judy, spoke about the greater context of Seeds of Hope. She remarked on the divisions and bitterness between races that continued until the 1980s. She sees much improvement since that time, with many laborers laying the seeds of hope.

Reporter Deborah Pardo may be reached at dep2103@columbia.edu.