#StandUp for credit union relevancy

By Jim Blaine, retired CEO, SECU (NC)

Excerpt: Letter from Birmingham Jail

August 1963

There was a time when the church was very powerful. It was during that period that the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was the thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators.” But they went on with the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven" and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated.”  They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest.

Things are different now. The contemporary church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is often the arch supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's often vocal sanction of things as they are.

Jim will also be speaking at our record-attendance Collision March 10 in DC. Want more? Join the Underground today!

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. I meet young people every day whose disappointment with the church has risen to outright disgust.

I hope the church as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour.

Martin Luther King, Jr

[read the entire letter]

Excerpt:  Letter from Underground Collision

February 2019

There was a time when credit unions were very powerful. It was during that period that the early credit unions rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the credit unions were not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; they were the thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Wherever the early credit unions entered a town, the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being "devious tax dodgers" and "socialist agitators.”  But they went on with the conviction that they were "a cooperative movement" and had to obey their members rather than "the man.” They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too "principled in purpose" to be "coerced and intimidated.” They brought an end to such ancient evils as usury and loan sharking.

Things are different now. The contemporary credit union is often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the credit union, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the credit union's often vocal sanction of things as they are.

Working to strengthen credit unions? Join the Underground today!

But the judgment of the people is upon credit unions as never before. If the credit union of today does not recapture the ascendant spirit of the early credit unions, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant bank with no meaning for the twenty-first century. I meet young people every day whose disappointment with the credit union cooperative has risen to outright disgust.

I hope credit unions as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour.