Christianity has always been the pioneer of biblical equality, true community, and proper stewardship throughout the centuries.
Paul, in Galatians 3:28 writes,
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Christianity’s influence and care for people is also evidence in the Faith Based Credit Union Alliance, a collaboration of about twenty-three Christian credit unions.
To understand the continuing impact of the FBCUA in primarily African American communities in Chicago, it is important to go back 50 years.
“Back 50 years ago, there were areas where there was redlining going on. They were not making loans to people in those communities, they could not go into traditional banks and get loans, so that’s how faith-based credit unions began to get formed.”
Fast forward to today, the FBCUA is still bringing affordable financial services to families in need.
Credit unions that are a part of this membership share resources, training, vendor contracts, and best practices through this alliance.
“The Faith Based Credit Union Alliance is a 501c3 organization that leads credit unions through collaboration to advocate, train, and provide financial resources to some of the most at-risk communities. In addition to providing traditional savings and loans products, they harness the collective knowledge of the Certified Financial Counselors in their organization to provide financial literacy, credit counseling, tax preparation, retirement planning and estate planning to individuals.”
Their services include: networking, training, technical assistance, partner opportunities, CFI Certification Assistance, LID and MDI assistance, grant notification, grant writing assistance, and advocacy.
In 2022, the FBCUA received the Herb Wegner Memorial Award for outstanding organization, which further recognizes their impact on the communities they serve.
To learn more about one of the credit unions, Pilgrim Baptist Credit Union, included in this collaboration, click here.
