Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future

Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future

Discover the antidote to cynicism and despair in this dynamic, revelatory, hope-inducing exploration of the extraordinary work and extraordinary people who are transforming communities around the country--motivated by faith. The mother of a man with autism manages a network of group homes through her local Greek Orthodox congregation. The director of an Islamic cultural center hosts a national interfaith conference to foster better relationships with the Jewish community. A student counselor starts a free immigration services program through her church. Sometimes we forget that good is not only happening in America, it is flourishing-- in the fertile soil of our churches, synagogues, and mosques. Few people are better poised to speak to the value of religious institutions in civic life than former Ohio governor and presidential candidate John Kasich, who is both a public servant and a man of faith. In Heaven Help Us, Kasich reminds us through gripping stories that faith communities are vital to healthy communities and our nation. Heaven Help Us offers: Unforgettable stories of people making an extraordinary difference because of their faith communities - Insights into what sets faith institutions that transform their neighborhoods apart from those that don't - Practical ideas for making positive changes in our own communities - Hope to dream about what is possible in our country instead of what is impossible - Encouragement that religion can bring us together rather than break us apart As Kasich shows us, faith institutions can magnify the power of an individual in ways that almost always exceed the expectations of the person who jump-started the initiative in the first place. More than a collection of "feel-good" stories, Heaven Help Us reminds us of the resourcefulness and ingenuity of our fellow congregants and religious leaders that make it possible to turn our good intentions into even better outcomes. Good is happening in our country. Join in. In this book, John Kasich has shined a light on the agency that we all have to be pockets of heaven on earth when we embrace community with one another, love for one another, and service to one another. The stories in this book of faith, forgiveness, hope, love, sacrifice, and service not only are inspiring but also are calls to action for all of us. Communities, particularly our faith communities, are institutions that exist to provide the 'people fuel' we get from and give to each other to make our world a better place. -- Clark Kellogg, basketball analyst, CBS Sports John Kasich has written another fantastic book inviting us to find our ultimate meaning in life by giving ourselves to purposes that will outlive us. In his understated yet profound way, John paints a beautiful mosaic of how ordinary people can make extraordinary contributions. He invites us to become others-centered by committing ourselves to the well-being of our communities, and along the way highlights the great contributions being made by several individuals spread across our vast country. Simone Weil once observed that just as the power of the sun is the only power in the natural universe that can get a plant to grow against gravity, so the love of God is the only power in the spiritual universe that can get a human to grow against the power of their egocentrism. John's book is a great invitation to lead a life of loving impact. -- Dr. Gayle D. Beebe, president, Westmont College John Kasich knows that an individual can make a difference. Sure. However, an individual of faith working within a community of faith can do even bigger things to change the world for the better. John shares the stories of ordinary people, like you and me, who, motivated by their faith and working in communities of faith, have brought meaning, joy, and life to the struggling and vulnerable. Reading Heaven Help Us not only inspired me but moved me to want to be like these ordinary people, who turn out to be extraordinary. -- Tremper Longman III, PhD, distinguished scholar and professor emeritus of biblical studies, Westmont College This is an incredibly important book about the essential moral foundation that religion provides for human beings to be able to work together toward common goals. As public servants for many years, John Kasich and I experienced the awesome force of faith and religion that enabled us to cooperate to solve pressing problems in our beloved America. -- Dick Gephart, former Democratic leader, US House of Representatives To get something done, persuade John Kasich it's a good idea. Debt relief for the poorest people on the planet was a crazy notion until he helped explain it. Two years later, it was accepted as common sense. Five years later, twice as many children in Uganda were going to school. When he takes something he believes in, people believe in him. Believe in him. -- Bono John Kasich is a national leader who has spent a lifetime bringing people together to solve big problem