About Us
The Center for the Working Poor is an inter-faith intentional community inspired by the Catholic Worker movement and New Monasticism, which is committed to strategic non-violent social change. These are our core principles and programs:
- Strategic Nonviolence
- Voluntary Simplicity and Intentional Community
- Hospitality and Mutual Aid Mental Health Community
- The Burning Bush Newsletter and website
- Community Building
- Spirituality and Faith in Action
Some of our community members live and work as full-time volunteers at the Center, and other community members work in careers outside the Center. We all share a commitment to live in community, share a few meals a week, and a common vision of non-violent social change to benefit the most oppressed in our society. Volunteer members run the Center for the Working Poor, which is a non-profit that provides services for poor, and organizes protest and social movement activity. Our specialty is helping to organize social movements, and facilitating the use of strategic nonviolence throughout the world. We are a spiritual community which observes Christian contemplative practices; however, this is not a requirement for participation or membership at the Center. We have people of many faiths and beliefs in our community.
Mutual Aid Mental Health
We provide mutual aid mental health community and services to people in need and people in social justice movements.
Articles About Us
Paul Engler, in addition to administering the house and services of the Center For The Working Poor, has been writing a bit with his brother, Mark Engler. They are proud …
Dear Friends, I started the Center for the Working Poor in 2006. I donated all my money and my car, and slept on the floor of my shared, cramped apartment …
At the end of June, a threat arose in the Philadelphia school district of budget cuts that would eliminate many workers. I would like again to congratulate the parents, and …
Click Here to Kick Glenn Beck Off the Air: Web Activism’s Big Wins—and What to Do Next
You may find the original article in Yes! Magazine or read the full text below. It was also published on Truthout.org. Click Here to Kick Glenn Beck Off the Air: …
I wrote this article with my brother Mark Engler about strategy in the movement to combat climate change. It was published in Dissent magazine and Truthout.org. You can read the …
Dear Friends, In our journey to build a more just, a more democratic, and a more sustainable world, there are many challenges: cynicism, fear, despairs. But this holiday season, we …
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