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For Those With Ears - Entries written by Global Ministries

TueTuesdayAprApril12th2011

Churches Helping Churches: Our Ministry to Japan Begins

Posted Tuesday, April 12 2011 @ 7 AM byGlobal Ministries Tagged Global Ministries 0 comments Add comment

We are grateful that $9,124.07 was given here at Harvest Barrie for the Churches Helping Churches effort in Japan. Praise God. And may he use this for his purposes there.

A word from Executive Director Tom Kim:

The challenges we faced during our trip are some of the obstacles that people in northeastern Japan face everyday these days. The main expressways have been closed off to civilian travel. There are gas shortages on the east side of the country. Long lines form at kerosene depots in the hopes that they can cook a warm meal at home. Most cars are either parked with empty gas tanks or waiting in gas station lines a mile long.

These obstacles impede the Japanese people’s commutes to school and work, and therein a return to normalcy in their lives. Moreover, they’re slowing down the distribution of food and water. Grocery stores in downtown Sendai have 100 bags of rice, while people along the coast just six miles away struggle to find adequate food and supplies.

We saw the need firsthand when we stumbled upon a middle school gymnasium in Shiogama, now acting as an evacuation shelter. After delivering a few boxes of feminine care products, a girl rushed over to Andrew, a volunteer with our partners, CRASH, and hugged him. This, in a country where public displays of affection are non-existent, especially between strangers.

The physical needs persist but not alone. As people move away from day-to-day to week-to-week and month-to-month, the needs begin to shift. When the basic things in life can’t be trusted – such as the ground beneath your feet, the air that touches your skin, or the seaside view that you’ve always enjoyed – it does something to the mind and emotions. We need 10 times more physical relief, and 20 times more spiritual relief.

Ministering to the pastors of Japan

We’re beginning plans for Churches Helping Pastors, a retreat that provides crisis counseling that’s gospel-centered and Biblical to pastors. The curriculum is designed to both treat and train pastors. If there’s one thing that every Japanese pastor cannot afford to be less than excellent at right now, it’s crisis counseling. The retreat will take place in May, led by a team of Japanese and foreign teachers. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) If you know any pastors who would benefit from this retreat in northern Japan, please have them contact us.

Meanwhile, we are exploring options for new church buildings. As far as we know, there were not many churches along the coast within striking distance of the tsunami. We are currently aware of four, which we plan to rebuild or repair. There will be a correct time for reconstruction, in pace with the rest of community restoration. For now, we continue to be reminded that the church is not a building but the people of God. As we saw in Haiti, though the church buildings were lost, the church grew. And it’s that church that needs our attention and care now.

WedWednesdayFebFebruary2nd2011

Churches Helping Churches: Haiti Report

Posted Wednesday, February 02 2011 @ 6 AM byGlobal Ministries Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

Parting the waters of Caribbean bureaucracy

Anyone who has worked, lived, or passed through a country like Haiti knows that trying to get any bureaucratic thing processed means navigating an interminable quagmire of paperwork, signatures, and stamps. Getting official approval for a personal visa alone can be a nightmare, much less see through logistical details for a rally for a tens of thousands of people.

I’ve been a part of events where maybe God was with us, maybe not. For this month's Anniversary Rally, the Red Sea was parted in ways we never asked for or could have expected. We merely got to walk on the dry ground.

Here's a look at God's graces that were going on behind the scenes of the rally:

Two weeks before the event, we took our letter of approval to the Haitian National Police. When we tried to confirm the location and security, they pointed out that our letter was inadvertently dated the event for January 12, 2010 … instead of 2011. The letter, which took two months to obtain in the first place, was null and void with only two weeks to go. So we called the mayor of Port-au-Prince. By God’s grace, he answered our phone call and provided us with a new document that same day.

We originally intended to broadcast the service on a few Haitian television stations. But, right before the event, the networks raised their prices and were asking for double the usual rates. The one group that we were able to finalize an agreement with was Tele Ginen, who historically has avoided Christian programs. As for the other stations, we decided not to hire them. They ended up airing the service anyway … for free.

Our shipping container of sound equipment shipped and cleared customs in four weeks – a record for CHC. That equipment has since been donated to Haitian churches.

The day before the event, we showed up at 5 a.m. at the intersection to set up the stage and were greeted with a strange sight: there was already a stage in place. It turned out that the government had set up a platform in the same intersection for their memorial service which was to be held later. In the end, they allowed us to use their stage and equipment, saving us thousands of dollars and improving our quality.

Alabanza, above, is a famous Haitian gospel band who left Haiti six years ago and had been unable to return to their country. The group, along with many Haitian churches, had been waiting for an opportunity to return. This worship service was their first time back in Haiti, both individually and as a group. The crowd knew and sang along with every word. This was more than just a performance; it was a reunion and homecoming.

Moreover, this was a service for the Haitian people by the Haitian people. Leading from behind meant Haitian leaders deciding, Haitian volunteers serving, Haitian bands performing, and Haitian pastors speaking. Twelve pastors came together to work on this service, representing over 3,000 churches. They met in small groups with churches all over Port-au-Prince and Léogâne to cast the vision for this event. Radio Lumière held interviews and prayer meetings over the radio.

Because of their leadership in it all, they could hold an event like this again without CHC. In fact, after eavesdropping on a few pastors discussing the idea of holding the Anniversary Rally as an annual event, I pray they do.

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

As always you can continue to support the ongoing work of Churches Helping Churches at the website.

TueTuesdayJanJanuary11th2011

35,000 to 50,000 people, giving thanks in Port-au-Prince

Posted Tuesday, January 11 2011 @ 1 AM byGlobal Ministries Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

Download the prayer points sheet here.

Last September, Joel Trimble and I stood by the corner of the collapsed Haitian National Palace. It’s a five-way street intersection, busy with car and foot traffic. It's also the center of one of the rougher tent cities, with tarps sprawling in and around the city center. We joined hands and prayed boldly that God would give us that exact intersection on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake – January 12, 2011 – for a massive rally.

We envisioned a gathering where thousands would come together – not to mourn for the losses of the past year primarily, but to pray for the future transformation of the country.

Today, I find myself in “believing disbelief.” God is blowing past our expectations: We have a signed document in hand from the mayor of Port-au-Prince, Mayor Jean-Yves Jason, committing that exact location to us.

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, January 12), from 6 to 11 am EST, we are expecting between 35,000 to 50,000 people to come to this rally to give thanks for all that God has been doing in the nation of Haiti.

There will be praise, prayer, messages and testimonies, and Scripture reading, and CHC founders Pastors James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll will both be there to preach from God’s Word. There will be lots of music, too, including Alabanza, a renowned Haitian gospel band. Twelve Haitian church leaders have been on the planning committee, representing Haiti's Evangelical (CEEH), Baptist, and Methodist churches, Avidec, Radio/Tele Lumiere, Relarde, the Bible League, and many more. With well over 3,000 churches represented, we’re already seeing the unity we prayed we'd see at the event.

We often have to fight an uphill battle to execute a plan in Haiti. Yet, for an event this large, it’s been paddling downstream. God has gone before us and cleared the way from the very beginning.

Haiti is going through a major transformation – both physical and spiritual. Joel often says, that in his 30+ years there, he’s never seen such an openness to the gospel: “Haiti is in the greatest revival in its history. Yes, many people died, but many more are being saved.”

Please be in prayer for us as we prepare for this event, but especially, for the hearts of Haitians in and around Port-au-Prince to come to remember, renew their hope, and rejoice in God's grace.

Thomas Kim
Executive Director, Churches Helping Churches

ThuThursdayDecDecember9th2010

Churches Helping Churches: Haiti

Posted Thursday, December 09 2010 @ 6 AM byGlobal Ministries Tagged Global Ministries 0 comments Add comment

How we are – and aren't – giving away money in Haiti

Haiti was already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, with over half of its population living in abject poverty and almost a quarter of its GDP coming from remittances, when it was hit by the earthquake in January, killing a quarter of a million people in Port-au-Prince and bringing an already crippled economy to its knees.

The quake's aftereffects underscored long-standing problems of the Haitian infrastructure: Perennially dependent on foreign aid, the Haitian economy – and even government – had never developed the infrastructure to stand on its own feet. There was concern among many that foreign aid, ironically, was frustrating the very development the aid was intended to foster, discouraging both local production and, moreover, local governance. One key, experts have said, to Haiti’s recovery, would be for the international community to not blindly pour money into a country that would not be able to properly channel it into infrastructure development. It would be imperative for Haitians to own and implement this recovery.

By this summer, Churches Helping Churches had over $2 million in funds tied to Haiti. Many Haitian churches often function as community institutions, running schools, hospitals, and more. We knew dozens, if not hundreds, of pastors who’d lost their churches, many of whom knew exactly what it would cost to fully rebuild their churches, and some who would ask for the amount directly. Now it was up to us to give the delicate response: We love them; we can’t give the money out that freely, not with what we know of development, but more importantly, what we know of scripture.

Giving to churches, not buildings

“And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” (2 Corinthians 8:1-3)

A church is not a building; It is a community of believers. The core mission of Churches Helping Churches is to rebuild, not just church buildings, but church communities – bodies of believers who come together in fellowship to grow in discipleship together. If we simply handed out money to rebuild church structures, we would be side-stepping this critical gospel-based component of what a church body is, and who we are as an organization.

Thus, we are indeed giving money to churches, but we’re doing so with a plan, one that requires the participation not just of Haitians, but of Haitians coming together as one church body to own the reconstruction of their own church. And we want to partner with and support them in this process, while leading from behind.

Here’s how our church reconstruction program operates: CHC has been holding retreats for pastors throughout the year in Port-au-Prince and regionally. At these retreats, we get to know and identify the pastors whose churches were destroyed and who are leaders in their community – leaders among leaders – and the ones for whom a church reconstruction grant would be most strategic. In this process, we’ve met many amazing men of faith and partnered with them. Through this program, we will partner with 30 larger churches and up to 50 smaller ones, and give out about half of our Haiti funds.

Read more about the full program on the CHC website.

TueTuesdayOctOctober26th2010

Children of Promise Ministries

Posted Tuesday, October 26 2010 @ 7 AM byGlobal Ministries Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

CHIPROM, in Ibadan, Nigeria, provides ongoing short and long term relief, advocacy and rescue services to children who, in many cases, are struggling just to hold on to each hour and each day.

At the Ibadan Children Transition Home, the average number of children at any particular time is twenty. Their ages ranges from a day old to fourteen. The children can be referred by a community leader, pastor or from the Social Welfare departments. Sometimes, we receive a child through referral by neighbours or the juvenile court system. The good thing about the composition of the children and our services is that we encourage the high rate of turnover which occurs through adoption or reunification with nucleus family. To each child that comes into our home there is a different story and history. Since the challenges that brought these children together differs, we often respond and treat each child differently attending to the most important emotional and physical hurts of each child.

All the children of school age attend school from nursery to high school. Most of the older children have a routine within the house and they assist the caregivers from time to time.

When invited to churches, the children participate in the service by presenting rhymes, songs and choruses to the congregation.In all, CHIPROM works hard to find a permanent home for each child within a reasonable time frame. More children need to be rescued on a daily basis.

To learn more about Children of Promise Ministries, supported by Harvest and led by Harvest members, Dayo and Tinu Idowu, please go to their website and read the latest newsletter online.