2 things
The text from this post comes from an update I put on "The City" which we use at Shoal Creek. You can check out the post here.
Two things that I figured you all would be interested in!
1. Business Leaders Meeting:
We met on Friday night in Richard’s Bay (3 hours North of Margate) with a group of Business Leaders. This group came together around the idea that they would be creating funding necessary to move Church Planters around in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province. They will also be helping to mobilize leaders through training and coaching when necessary. One of the main things that they will be doing is helping to create ministry opportunity for Church Planter’s through HIV/AIDS training. Mercy Alliance has been able to offer project based funding alongside the TAN Foundation and local Business Leaders to get the Business Leader hub off the ground. As a SA team, we are looking at starting 5 total hubs of Business Leaders who have the same heart throughout the country. It was cool to see some local initiative to fund the work that is beginning to happen! They still have a bit to raise, but I don’t think it will be hard as there’s not much left to go for their start-up budget.
2. KZN Coalition:
On Saturday, we met with 20 representatives from different ministries throughout KwaZulu-Natal Province. It was a great time to hear some stories of what God is up to and where He is working. For us, it is great to see so many people getting on board and working to make this thing happen. It takes a lot of people to make a movement happen! We look forward to contributing to the coalition by helping in the way of Curricula Design and Mapping as we all work together to create disciples of Jesus in SA!
South Coast CPM
The text below is from a post that I put on "The City" through Shoal Creek. Here is the link if you are interested in checking it out on The City.
We’ve been given access through an organization called World Changers to do a follow up course alongside of their teachers. This means that we go with the teacher (who we’re mentoring in CPM) to find people of peace. This is a huge breakthrough as it gives us access to close to 1000 people who live in the South Coast region of South Africa.
World Changers targets the unemployed population in local rural/township areas. They give them a 4 week ‘Life Skills’ training to help them find work and change the way they see their current situation. They’ve had great success within the program, but are looking to plant the Gospel alongside what they currently do. If what we are doing on the South Coast turns out to be successful, we could see other parts of KwaZulu Natal Province affected by this type of POP finding/Gospel planting begin to happen.
Please pray for 2 potential POP in a rural area called Bhoboyi. They have started going through a discovery process and God has really opened up a lot for them through the scriptures. The other day one said, “Wow, Jesus will be with me until the end of the age? For me that means that I should start to realize that he is there all the time…not just when I’m down or think I need him most.”
I couldn’t have done it without you, but I also can’t do it with you
Things have been super busy here in South Africa. We've been moving around a little less...meaning a little less driving long distances, but more short distances. We've been building a strong relationship with a group of people in an area very close to us...only 15 minutes away! This has been a huge success for us and the relationship is proving to be one that we feel led to invest in very strongly. It is a group of younger people who are passionate about reaching their community, KwaNzimakwe.
Most of them have come together through a program led by the team there called 'Life Skills.' This is a program that targets the unemployed portion of urban/rural communities along the eastern coast of SA. It gives them more skills, helps them develop a vision, and uplifts the community that they live in through challenging the students to action. It has had amazing results in the Durban area and here along the South Coast where we live.
Along with that team, we've been opened up to relationship with approximately 1000 people who've been through Life Skills along the South Coast. This is a huge opportunity for us to begin looking for People of Peace! People who will open up the community to us and be an entrance for the Gospel to change the community. When I say this gives 'us' the opportunity, I'm referring to more than just Shea and I. We've been facilitating discovery for the KwaNzimakwe team to begin looking for People of Peace to start some Discovery Groups.
Last week we saw some of our very first generational growth when a group of leaders went out and led their own Discovery Groups! This is a huge win!
Yesterday when I was driving through town, I had a thought that I couldn't shake. I've been trying to come up with a 'mantra' for our time here being catalytic in movement of making disciples. I finally came up with it and I like it quite a bit!
When I leave SA, I want people to say to me, "I couldn't have done it without you, but I also can't do it with you." This sounds weird right?! Shea and I are here to EQUIP people with a process through facilitating discovery...a process that we believe has the potential to transform communities from the inside out, but we can't DO that process. This also eludes to the fact that they will continue to do it long after we're gone. That process looks different in every community all over the world where it is being done. The leaders in the communities that we work in have to own the process...and even more than that, it has to become more than a process, but needs to be a way of life! When this happens, they adjust it to their context and culture. We're not here to impose Western Culture or Western Christianity.
This group of people has been doing an amazing job and we couldn't be more happy about what God is doing! Please keep praying with us as we continue to go where He leads!
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