LETHBRIDGE, AB--(Marketwired - March 28, 2016) - West African Pastor, author, and inspirational speaker Daniel Zopoula has shared a remarkable message of the meaning of unity. He wants modern society to embrace this idea as he believes it can help struggling communities survive and improve them for the future. His own humble upbringing in Burkina Faso taught him valuable lessons about the necessity of perseverance in hostile circumstances. Zopoula regularly brings this message to his congregation at his southern Alberta church, and channels it through his other work counseling, writing, speaking, and consulting.

In addition to his own personal experiences, Daniel Zopoula has learned a great amount about the realities of struggle through working with his Bridges of Hope International Network charity, which he established in the 1990s. One recurring theme he has observed is the increased strength and potential for improvement of communities that display a unified character. "Communities that support each other can make it through the most difficult of times," Zopoula explains. "Those that fail to do this are often headed for disaster or total collapse." He reminds us how the Bible repeatedly urges people to live in unity: "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. Finally, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind."

In following the advice of the Good Book, Zopoula shares his discoveries of the different ways communities can unite and their importance. The greatest danger to any community, Zopoula explains, is hopelessness. Compassionate individuals or organizations such as his charity, NGOs, and others can do their best to help bring hope, but the source of that important feeling must be the community itself. Regular meetings where hope and unity are reinforced can help these values become part of the community's core, which are then repeated in daily interactions. With this foundation, the sense of unity spreads to many central areas. When challenged by outside forces that wish to exploit or harm them, a unified community can quickly recognize the danger and band together to protect themselves.

"Though the advantages in each of these situations are clear," Zopoula reveals, "the importance of unity is greater than the sum of its parts." Soon, a struggling community realizes that as a unified group, the possibility of survival and progress is a very real one. As is often observed, working towards improvement becomes a self‐fulfilling prophecy and opens the community up to greater visibility and increased assistance. "I encourage the brave communities striving for better conditions and those assisting them to add the consideration of total unity to their plans," Zopoula concluded.