#JoyToTheWorld -- Lord Jesus, as we rejoice in Your coming, let our joy overflow into acts of love. Teach us that true atonement transforms hearts and societies. May we, as Your people, rise together to end poverty and bring Your kingdom of justice and peace to earth. Amen.
By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired
Fiduciary Trustee, FAS2 Free African Society for the 21st Century
AMWS-FAS2, Sunday, December 13, 2026, Alkebulan – The #BlackJesus
Family Trust Fund supports a one-year demonstration for financing United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1. The
African Development Bank has been invited to partner
with 2.4 billion #HeirsofSalvation to model a multi-donor thematic trust fund
focused on resilience and youth entrepreneurship. It aligns with AfDB’s
strategic priorities and UN SDGs 1 and 17, aiming to empower Generation Z and
Alpha across Africa and the diaspora.
A $100 million
crowdfunding campaign supports multi-year engagement culminating June
9, 2030, the Day of Pentecost. #ThePentecostProject
anticipates signs, wonders and miracles through cheerful giving by the planet’s
youngest beneficiaries.
On this Third Sunday of Advent, the candle of joy signals #JoyToTheWorld
—not a fleeting happiness, but a deep, abiding joy rooted in the promise of
reconciliation. Advent values hope, peace, joy and love as community assets for
#KingdomFellowship. A fifth candle, lit The Night Before Christmas, anticipates
a supernatural atonement to restore what was broken between humanity and God.
This gift of grace is not passive; it calls intentional engagement as agents of
restoration in the world.
Atonement is not only vertical—between 2.4 billion #HeirsofSalvation
and God—but also horizontal—between you and 8.2 billion neighbors you are supposed
to love. The miracle of #NoPoverty2030
#MissionPossible with #BlackJesus is neither ambiguous nor esoteric.
FACT 1: Christ’s coming reconciles humanity to God.
FACT 2: #MissionPossible is the heir’s endowed capacity to
reinvest in those who suffer under the weight of poverty and injustice. #JoyToTheWorld
becomes complete when it is shared, when the hungry are fed, the oppressed are
lifted, and communities are sustained.
FACT 3: “The assistant director of the Office of Economic
Opportunity, Hyman Bookbinder, in a frank statement on December 29, 1966,
declared that the long-range costs of adequately implementing programs to fight
poverty, ignorance and slums will reach one trillion dollars. He was not awed
or dismayed by this prospect but instead pointed out that the growth of the
gross national product during the same period makes this expenditure
comfortably possible. It is, he said, as simple as this: “The poor can stop
being poor if the rich are willing to become even richer at a slower rate.”
Furthermore, he predicted that unless a “substantial sacrifice is made by the
American people,” the nation can expect further deterioration of the cities,
increased antagonisms between races and continued disorders in the streets. He
asserted that people are not informed enough to give adequate support to
antipoverty programs, and he leveled a share of the blame at the government
because it “must do more to get people to understand the size of the problem.”
― Martin Luther King, Jr., from Where Do We Go from Here:
Chaos or Community?
How can 2.4 billion followers of #BlackJesus end poverty?
#PrayerChangesThings
Social Action: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” — Philippians 4:4
Imagine 2.4 billion people of faith united under a shared
vision of ending poverty, potential
impact could be enormous. Here is one practical, boots-on-the-ground that such
a movement could adopt:
1. Collective Resource Mobilization
The $100 m capital campaign is replicable. It establishes AfDB Trust account for 100 Generation
Alpha Reparations Trusts at $1 million each to include operating expenses for a
Generation Z Trustee (See Diasbank 10-year 1 million SME Vision of the
future).
The AfDB issues a $10k #BlackJesus credit card to the
certified Gen X, Y CAM (adult grantee) and Gen Z Trustee advisory team. (See
7 Money-n-the-Bank advisors The Annual Youth Achievement Awards).
These funds could be directed toward youth-led SMEs supporting any of seven Whole of Government Economic Security sectors:
2. Global Advocacy and Policy Influence
2.4 billion people represent nearly 30% of the world’s
population—a massive voting and lobbying power.
They could push governments and corporations to:
Implement fair trade policies.
Increase social safety nets.
Support universal education and healthcare.
3. Community-Based Action
Organize sustainable local initiatives:
Food security programs (community farms, food banks).
Skill-building workshops for sustainable employment.
Empower communities to become self-sufficient rather than
dependent on aid.
4. Technology and Innovation
Use digital platforms to:
Connect donors directly with beneficiaries.
Share knowledge and resources globally.
Promote open-source solutions for education, agriculture,
and healthcare.
5. Cultural Shift
Encourage values of generosity, stewardship, and equity.
Combat consumerism and redirect wealth toward impact-driven
projects.
If this movement were well-organized, it could realistically
eradicate extreme poverty within a generation. The challenge isn’t
resources—it’s coordination, transparency, and accountability.
There has never been a shortage of resources…JUST
RESOURCEFULNESS!
