(SOUTHERN AFRICA) The Church in Community (CnC) Initiative is Progressing. In the last month, I have facilitated two workshops with two of our church partners. The first one was held in Mzuzu, northern Malawi, with our partner, Living Waters Church.
This workshop focused on how churches can plan together with communities to respond to the needs and the opportunities around them. The second workshop was held in Kabwe, Zambia, with our partner, the United Church of Zambia. This was a first workshop with these church leaders, and we focused on how churches can become more aware of their biblical mandate to respond to poverty and need in their congregations and in their communities.
In both of these workshops, the participants left with action plans for their church and their communities. World Renew has developed a very simple process for churches to implement in their local communities called the “Triple-A” approach:
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It starts with AWAKENING the church to its biblical mandate to work in their communities to bring about justice and reconcile people to God, each other, and the environment.
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This is followed by a period of ANALYSIS during which the church and the community examine their situation and the environment, and together tries to isolate the root causes of their need and their opportunities.
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Finally we ACT together by implementing small, targeted, and locally-supported projects that will bring about change in the church and the community.
This cycle of Awaken-Analyze-Act is repeated (together with regular evaluations of success) until it becomes a regular part of the church in its community. In this way the church is able to become both salt and light in the community where it exists.
One of the church leaders who attended the workshop in Zambia said, “This simple and interactive approach with the church will make a huge difference in my community.” In Mzuzu, one of the participants said that other denominations in his community were already asking if they could also join the CnC initiative, since they had seen the difference it is making in the churches involved in the program.
The church as salt and light within their communities. A vision for the body of Christ building His kingdom here on earth. The adventure continues.
Flood Response Update
All three of our partners in the flooded parts of Mozambique and Malawi have completed their initial “rapid response.” They distributed materials for temporary shelters, kitchen and bathing supplies, and mosquito nets to over 1,500 households in southern Malawi and central Mozambique. We are now working with these same partners to develop an agricultural recovery project to ensure household food security over the next year. We will keep you updated. If you want to donate to this initiative, please do so online at www.worldrenew.net. Specify the gift to “Where Needed Most,” or to “Malawi” or “Mozambique.”
Please Pray:
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the economy of Malawi, which seems to be on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Unfortunately it seems like only the rich take advantage of the “ups,” and the poor just stay in the “downs.”
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all of our staff as we will be very busy in the next few months with closing down some of our current grant-funded projects and seeking funding for ongoing initiatives.
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those who have been impacted by the floods in southern Malawi and northern Mozambique, and for our partners as they decide how to move forward with ongoing support for these families who have had homes and fields destroyed.
Blessings,
Peter Timmerman
World Renew Malawi
Southern Africa
Image above: Living Waters Pastors Playing the Knot Game in CnC Training