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March 2026 | A project of the Center for Rural Strategies
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Photo credit: Rachel Pinti
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“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:35
Earlier this month, our project leader, Rev. Whitney Kimball Coe, journeyed with the senior class at Berkeley Divinity School to the Texas-Mexico border, where they were hosted by the Rio Grande Borderlands Ministry of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, to bear witness to the challenges, cruelties, and deep faith along the border.
Read Whitney’s reflections about the trip here.
To learn more about how to get involved with migrant ministries, visit the Rio Grande Borderlands Ministry website.
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We're excited to share a new project from the Center for Rural Strategies: Yonder Radio, a free, weekly, hour-long rural radio program. Yonder Radio will be shared as a podcast and as a radio show for rural stations that are filling the gaps from funding cuts.
We'll be sharing ideas for stories from faith communities for future episodes. Add Yonder Radio to your feed to hear rural conversations with national reach!
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Meet Marty Newell
From his upbringing in an Eastern Kentucky Methodist church to his media work across the country, faith has always been part of the story, says Marty Newell, chief operating officer of the Center for Rural Strategies and a key leader in our Rural Faith Initative. Learn more about Marty, his career, and how faith has shaped how he sees community and the future of rural places.
Read the Q&A.
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"I’m more convinced than ever that among the things rural communities need to survive are institutions like communities of faith" — Marty Newell
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Stories of Faith in Action
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Each edition, we feature stories that show faith in action or inform about issues such as mental health, economics, and social issues, that impact our rural communities and congregations.
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Why a rural pastor stayed
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After being pushed out of his home church, Daniel Rogers resolved to discover what he believed in. Now he’s helping others do it too. Read about his journey, why he wrote a book titled How a 25-year-old Learned He Wasn't the Only One Going to Heaven, and why he says barn nights are the "purest expression of community I've ever seen in a church."
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Q&A: Ryan Burge on Declining Religious Participation
Former rural pastor and social scientist Ryan Burge takes a data-driven approach to studying American religious trends.
Read the story.
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A Rural Calling: Rev. Brad Davis
A practitioner of the “Holler gospel” is working towards the resurrection of communities “ravaged by scarcity.”
Read the story.
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Homemade Easter Eggs
In the basement of a Methodist church in Clarksburg, West Virginia, a congregation gathers to carry on the Appalachian tradition of chocolate eggs.
Read + listen to the story.
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Local clergy and leaders in the coalfields of east Kentucky— from Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, nondenominational, Jewish, and Indigenous faith backgrounds — have been gathering for the past year, brought together by the Rural Faith Initiative.
They have shared stories, built relationships, strengthened each other's congregations, and created new radio programs, musical events, videos, opportunities for worship, and a new faith community for neighbors who haven't felt welcome in traditional churches.
More projects are in the works for the coming months, including more story circles, collaboration between Black and white churches, and a joint revival gathering, bringing together denominations that have often felt uncomfortable praying and working together. "He hates those dividing walls," one local pastor remarked. "If He hates it, why are we for it?"
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Learn more about data centers
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tWe know faith leaders and congregations are facing the challenges and questions of data centers as they rapidly expand into rural communities across the country. Watch a replay of our webinar, "What Rural Communities Need to Know About Data Centers" to learn more about the issue.
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This project is supported by a grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc., made through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative, a national effort to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them. The Center for Rural Strategies is one of 20 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the initiative, including colleges and universities, denominational agencies, church networks, and parachurch organizations, among others.
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