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Our segment from Appalachia, to which you can link from this page, concentrates on three communities in the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky.
The communities which I visited with my colleagues, Michael McGuinnes and William Jarrett, are located in the region known as Appalachia.
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The area has suffered economic poverty for generations. We were told that sixteen of the one hundred poorest counties in the United States are in the Diocese of Lexington.
We first stopped in Irvine (pronounced Irvin), the county seat of Estill County, Kentucky. The median household income here is $23,000, compared with a U.S. average of $52,000. Only three sawmills remain in operation which has exacerbated unemployment. Here, the lucky few drive more than an hour, each way, to work in Lexington or Richmond. Cincinnati, not much more than two hours away, is “the big city” which many will never see.
The community of Barnes Mountain, twenty minutes away along a winding road, is even more remote. That’s where the Episcopal congregation called St. Timothy’s has served folks for almost thirty years.
Mount Sterling, our second stop, looks like a classic “small town” with homes with front porches and neatly-kept lawns. Compared with the surrounding area, it’s relatively affluent and comfortable. The women of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension are not resting in that comfort. They’re volunteering their time to help more than a dozen at-risk teenagers.
Morehead, our third stop, is a “college town.” It’s the site of Morehead State University, with nine-thousand students and alumni that includes former NFL quarterback Phil Sims, NPR journalist Noah Adams, and game show host Chuck Woolery.
"We sometimes wonder if the Appalachian people of Southeastern Kentucky are forgotten, and worry about who will share the message to them that they matter to others, and that they matter to God. This project will help us all remember that they aren’t lost." Sam McDonald, Canon to the Ordinary
The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington
Those are a few pertinent facts. Always more important are the people.
The people of the communities of Appalachia. And the people of the church, who are serving with them.
Watch for them in our video segment. I hope we convey their inspirational dedication to offering encouragement, hospitality, and reconciliation.