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A Model for Helping Those in Great Need

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Fantastic. Here is the mission, vision, and philosophy of ministry for a mercy ministry that just started at my church:

Mission

The seventeen-mile rugged descending road from Jerusalem to Jericho is the setting for the Good Samaritan to display mercy and restoration to a beat-up man and robbed stranger. Jesus tells us to go and do likewise. Luke 10:35-35

It is not enough to bandage the wounds of the beaten up man. It is necessary to give him a donkey ride to the inn in Jericho so that he can be fully restored.

“From crisis to Christ-centered restoration.”

Vision

To meet the basic needs of the hungry, homeless, and unemployed while teaching life skills that will lead them to be community minded and part of a Christ-centered church.

Philosophy of Ministry

It is a privilege and honor, not a sacrifice, to serve the low income/no income persons in a Christ-like way.

Ministry Programs

We will be there for a person’s crisis. But, far beyond just crisis food and financial response, we want people to be restored. This will happen through the following development programs . . .

Here are two reasons why I’m so enthusiastic about this. First, it affirms the need to not only meet immediate needs, but also to teach life skills and restore people so they can become self-sustaining. Second, though this is not easy, they see this as a privilege, not a sacrifice.

I commend this as an example of a mercy ministry founded in good thinking (and good theology) regarding relief and restoration for those in great need.

"No Man Has a Right to be Idle"

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William Wilberforce:

No man has a right to be idle. Where is it that in such a world as this, that health, and leisure, and affluence may not find some ignorance to instruct, some wrong to redress, some want to supply, some misery to alleviate?

In other words, be constantly on the lookout for good that you can do. Use the time and energy that God has given you not to make your own life easier or more restful primarily, but rather to meet the needs of others, both nearby and on a global scale.

Here are some easy things you can do right now, in just a few minutes:

  • Empower an entrepreneur in the developing world with a $25 loan through Kiva.
  • Help bring rescue and restoration to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression through a $250 gift to International Justice Mission.
  • Give one person the gift of clean, safe water through a gift of $20 to Charity:Water
  • Contribute to theological famine relief by helping supply pastors in the developing world with resources through a gift of $100 to Desiring God.

This is what true productivity is: Being creative and thoughtful in finding ways to use our time and skills to become fruitful in good works.

A Seth Godin Book You May Not Know About

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I hadn’t heard about it, at least. It’s short and was published last fall as an e-book. Here’s the description: “In this 32-page short eBook, New York Times bestselling author Seth Godin presents 30 ideas for making a difference in a world that needs you.”

Give the Gift of Safe Water

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Carlos Whittaker has blogged about an initiative of Water Missions International to provide clean water to as many of their remaining communities as they can through text donations of $10.

Water Missions International is an engineering relief and development Christian nonprofit that seeks to provide sustainable and safe water solutions to people in 40 developing countries and disaster victims worldwide. They currently have 125+ communities waiting for funding to get safe water, with the communities averaging around 2500 people. This initiative is focused on providing the funding for as many of those communities as possible.

Microfinance with World Vision

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It looks like you can also do microfinance through World Vision, and that their approach is similar to Kiva (which I’ve mentioned before a few times).

Here’s the summary from their site:

World Vision Micro lets you fund life changing microfinance loans for hardworking entrepreneurs in need helping to alleviate them from poverty.

Here’s more info from their About page and more detail on how it works.

Generous Justice Now Available

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Tim Keller’s new book, Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just, is now available. Here’s the summary:

It is commonly thought in secular society that the Bible is one of the greatest hindrances to doing justice. Isn’t it full of regressive views? Didn’t it condone slavery? Why would we look to the Bible for guidance on how to have a more just society?

But Timothy Keller, pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, challenges these preconceived beliefs and presents the Bible as a fundamental source for promoting justice and compassion for those in need. In Generous Justice, he explores a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace: a generous, gracious justice. This book offers readers a new understanding of modern justice and human rights that will resonate with both the faithful and the skeptical.

International Justice Mission Mobile App Now Available

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I really admire the work of International Justice Mission. So I was glad to see they now have an iPhone app. Here’s the description:

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems – police, courts and laws – effectively protect the poor from violence.

The IJM iPhone app empowers users to stand against oppression by giving them tools to engage in the fight for justice. Users can stay connected directly to IJM staff and projects around the world – while helping to drive the movement in their own networks and communities.

Features:

+ Get breaking updates on IJM casework, including the latest IJM-related headlines and breaking news on rescues, arrests, convictions and more

+ Write encouraging notes to IJM’s frontline staff

+ Get equipped to take action with urgent advocacy opportunities

+ Learn about simple steps you can take to fuel the movement, and easy ways to generate buzz by posting to your social networks right from inside the application

+ Organize your church, Bible study, or Campus group into a giving team around an IJM project

+ Interact with a map of IJM’s progress in eradicating slavery and oppression

+ Find events in your area and connect with other users who attend the event

+ Read great culture changing blog content from Gary Haugen, and others

What to Ask for for Christmas This Year

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Kiva gift certificates.

If you have thought before that you’d rather not just receive more stuff each year for Christmas, a good alternative is to ask for Kiva gift cards. Here are two benefits.

First, it’s a gift that enables you to help others.

Second, it’s fun. Figuring out the best way to invest $50 or $100 or more in some thoughtful entrepreneurs in the developing world is more fun than getting a new sweatshirt.

Nothing against giving sweatshirts and other such things. There’s a place for that, too. But it would be exciting and even more fulfilling to make “gifts that enable you to give” a larger part of our Christmas giving and receiving.

Get Out There and Try Something!

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A good word from Tom Peters and Robert Waterman’s In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies:

Just as you don’t learn anything in science without experimenting, you don’t learn anything in business without trying, failing, and trying again. The trick, and it’s a tough one, is a common cultural understanding of what kind of failure is okay and what kind leads to disaster. But don’t kid yourself. No amount of analysis, especially market research, will lead to true innovation.

Or, as Jim Collins puts it, “try a lot of stuff and keep what works.” That is, branch and prune:

The idea is simple: If you add enough branches to a tree (variation) and intelligently prune the deadwood (selection), then you’ll likely evolve into a collection of healthy branches well positioned to prosper in an ever-changing environment. (Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, 146).

And this doesn’t just apply to your business or organization. It applies to the rest of your life as well. Try stuff. Make things happen. Build on what works.