“You enter the extraordinary by doing what you believe.”
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Together International is less about an organization and more about an invitation to change, starting with us.
At the highest level, our purpose, or mission, is about change. We believe the “fierce urgency of now” is inviting a quiet revolution of courageous people who refuse to accept the world as it is, and who are willing to immerse themselves into the complexity of change. But standing up for what we believe often means defying the status quo, digging deep for courage, and chasing down hope. It dares to believe justice and mercy are worthy pursuits in a world that may shirk and scoff.
Our friends on the front lines of suffering are crying out for people to join their fight for change, whether across the world in places like Sudan or Syria, or here, in the United States and its borderlands, where people are trapped in systems that dehumanize. When we hear their "long cry of anguish and distress,” how can we “be deaf to their cry?”
But change is usually not what we think it is. Too often charities promise silver bullets — “sponsor a child,” “dig a well,” or “free a slave.” But it’s never that simple. Change requires those on the front lines to lead their own change. Voice, choice and resilience matter, and they matter a lot. Pursuing lasting change means considering the how as much as the what. Sometimes change begins by first changing how we understand change.
-
The wheels of change grind slowly, yet we’ve experienced lasting change in some of the most unlikely places by some of the most surprising people. We have seen it first hand. Despite the tremendous headwinds, there is plenty of evidence for change. Hope is not too far off or elusive. Tens of thousands, even millions, have overcome overwhelming challenges through proven, often uncelebrated ways — community-led initiatives, entrepreneurship, trauma-informed resilience practices to name a few.
-
How can we make a difference in the face of such urgent needs today? We believe small is the new big. Highly leveraged, niche strategies can have outsized, even exponential, impact and influence. “Not all of us can do great things,” said Mother Teresa, who left her home in Albania for India in her teens “But we can all do small things with great love.” Call it the principle of five loaves and two fish. Or the mustard seed.
-
Many people believe the answer to poverty is wealth when, in fact, poverty is overcome through community. Friendship moves change beyond transactional results to transformational change where everyone involved contributes to change. Our invitation is to anyone who wants to e offer genuine love in a world that is increasingly bent on deciding who’s in and who’s out. Fear is a powerful force in the world today, a force that seems to be sharply rising. But history tells us that fear ultimately collapses, even if it takes longer than we hope. Love triumphs in the end, always.
Our invitation extends beyond our faith tradition. Regardless of background, whether faith inspires or brings caution, anyone who can unite on love is welcome. A beautiful verse tucked away in a lesser known letter written by one of Jesus’ followers captures it well: “She who dwells in love, dwells in God” (1 John 4:16b). In the end, love wins.