Church-to-Church Partnership

Earlier this year, New Covenant began a "church-to-church" (C2C) partnership through Compassion International with a church in India. One of the key reasons we enthusiastically jumped at the chance to enter into this partnership is because we are partnering with a local church to empower them to do prayer care, and share in their community.

Here is a great blog article that explains more of how this works: How Does Our Partnership With Local Churches Really Work?

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Want to make a real difference in advancing God’s Kingdom to overcome poverty? Consider becoming involved with a global care opportunity by supporting a Compassion Leadership Development Program (LDP) Student. This program gives specially selected Compassion sponsored children the opportunity to attend a university and be participants rather than bystanders. Their education includes a full college curriculum, courses in Christian leadership training, and Compassion-taught seminars, workshops and retreats on the development of Christian character and leadership potential.

“LDP sponsors and donors are special instruments that the Lord uses to raise up godly leaders who will eventually break the cycle of poverty,” says Michelle, a LDP student. “You are unveiling the darkness that the enemy has placed over us by giving us dreams, hope and a future!”

Through the Leadership Development Program, hundreds of students like Michelle are energized, mentored and strengthened in their faith each year as they prepare for lives of leadership in their churches and communities. Drop by the Compassion table in the lobby this Sunday or go to their website to find out more.

Thank You!

Over the last month, Pastor Bob has led us on a journey as we considered God's Kingdom disrupted, restored, and advanced. He reminded us that one of the signs that the Kingdom of God is near is that the poor are given good news. As the Kingdom of God intersects the physical world, lives are changed and people are set free.

This last Sunday we threw out a challenge: We asked all of you at New Covenant to consider sponsoring one of 76 Compassion children at our India C2C partner church. In case we were able to find sponsors for all 76, we also had 120 packets for children at two nearby church development centers.

Your response was incredible. After the first service, we already had over 20 packets gone. By the last service, you sponsored 95 kids, including 73 of our partner church children (and the other three are claimed -- just need the forms to be completed). Your generosity is overwhelming. As a church, in one Sunday alone, we have committed to giving $43,320 a year to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. And we are not done yet.

This coming Sunday, we have 100 more Compassion children available to be sponsored. We also will be sharing two other ways you can get involved. So come on Sunday and learn how you can be a part of the Kingdom Unleashed!

Why We Are Offering Compassion Children to Sponsor in India

In the last few weeks, I have been asked a great question: Why sponsor a child from our Partner Church Compassion project in India? Why not suggest people go to the Compassion website and choose a child?

Of course, there are many needy children at Compassion projects in other parts of the world. And I would celebrate each and every one that is sponsored. I have been told by Compassion workers in India that our region is one of the poorest areas Compassion works anywhere in the world. But the most important reason is not the size of the need -- it is the relationship we are building with our partner church in India. They have added new children to their program, and we are being offered the first chance to sponsor as many as 76 of these children. What a wonderful and tangible way to show global care -- to reach out and link arms with our partner church to release a child from poverty in Jesus' name.

Regardless of whether you sponsor a child or not, please join me in praying that we can find a sponsor for each and every child at our partner site. In fact, if we do, we have another 100 packets of children who are equally needy in nearby Compassion projects. My prayer is that we sponsor at least 100 Compassion children in the coming weeks.

Here is a heart wrenching article about the female infanticide that still happens in India: http://blog.compassion.com/infanticide-in-india/.

Global Care in Action

Our vision for Global Outreach at New Covenant is for every person to be actively involved in global prayer, care, and share. With that in mind, we are excited to announce we will be offering an opportunity for global care through a Compassion Sunday on September 19.

Compassion International exists to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. All of their work and ministry is through a local church. Last March, Pastor Bob and I had the opportunity to travel to India to establish a partnership with a church that hosts and runs a Compassion child development center. We saw firsthand the work that is being done and the great need for even more to be done.

On Sunday, September 19, we will make available child sponsorship packets for children ministered to through our partner church. If all of those are taken, we will also have additional packets for children at other child development centers in the region. Our goal is to transform the lives of over 100 children in East India. I hope you will prayerfully consider joining us in this global care opportunity.

Compassion in Action

It is one thing to read about the work that Compassion International is doing. It is quite another to actually visit it.

I had the privilege of visiting one of the churches who host a Compassion child development center. It was impressive. They start with helping expectant mothers get the nourishment and medical help they need to have and raise a healthy baby. They then help as many children as they can through the child sponsorship program. This type of help is really making a difference. I am so glad we have begun this partnership through Compassion International.

First Day in India

Our first day was quite full when you consider that we landed in Delhi at 1:30 AM. By the time we made it to the hotel and checked in, it was after 3 AM. So by the time we got settled into our room, it was after 4 AM (Delhi time).

We got up a little after 9 AM for breakfast, then Bob checked on his luggage. So far, they can't find it in the system.

We then had lunch with the Compassion staff and received an orientation on India. Let's just say there is plenty to do!

Bob went to the mall (2 blocks from our hotel) to get some more clothes since it doesn't look like his luggage is appearing anytime soon. (Fortunately he had much of his needed stuff in his carry on.) We then had dinner with some from our group.

We will visit a project site Thursday, then Bob and I leave by train early Friday morning to visit our partner church. We probably won't have internet access again until after we return late Sunday night.

Thanks for your prayers. Pray that we adjust to this new time zone, culture, etc., and for our ability to absorb all that we will see in the next few days.

James

The Road to India

Wow. It is hard to believe this day is finally here. It was just over six months ago that we learned about Compassion International’s pilot program. From then it has been a whirlwind journey, applying to the program, being selected, going through training, getting our partner church in India, and now the day has finally come. Bob and I are flying to India to get more training and to meet our partner church in Pratapura.

We know many of you would like to receive updates about our trip. We believe we will have occasional access to the internet over the next week. So we are planning on using three ways to send out updates.

First, Bob and I will be posting updates on the New Covenant Facebook page. If you are on Facebook, become a Friend with (or fan of) New Covenant to get frequent updates.

Second, I plan to post some updates on the missions blog. Here is the link -- oh, wait, you are already here!

Third, we plan to send out occasional updates to the church. If you don't receive it already, go to www.newcovenantbible.org and click on "eNews sign-up" at the bottom of the home page and check the box for "missions." (If you get the church e-news, you will receive a special email telling you how to manage your subscriptions and just add "missions").

Let me close by giving you a few prayer requests:

• Pray for the obvious: Good health, safe travel, smooth flight and train connections, etc.
• Pray for us to adjust quickly to another culture and timezone.
• Pray for us to make a great first impression on St. Paul’s Church, our new partner church.
• Pray for us to establish a healthy and mutual working relationship with St. Paul’s Church.
• Pray that we would have wisdom in discerning how our two churches can best partner together.
• Pray too for the 30 or so other churches in India with us as they also meet and begin a relationship with each of their partner churches.

So thanks, in advance, for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

For His Kingdom,

James

Partners in the Gospel

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:4-6 NIV)

If I had to only use one word to describe how we view "missions" at New Covenant, that word would be "partnership." We do not "hire" missionaries to go do our work. We do not send out full time employees of New Covenant. No, we partner with those doing the ministry.

This idea of partnership is not just for individuals and families who serve as missionaries. It is also something we can do as a church. Around five years ago we intentionally began a partnership with a church in Cesky Tesin, Czech Republic. (A report on that partnership is coming soon!) Today we are in the process of being partnered through Compassion International with a church in East India.

So what does a partnership mean? What does it look like? In one word, a partnership is a relationship. We find an individual or a church who shares our passion for local and global prayer, care, and share, and we come alongside them in a relationship to see how we can accomplish more together than we can on our own.

It is important to understand that this is significantly different than a business partnership. While there are boundaries and expectations in a relationship, a biblical missions oriented partnership is about the relationship, not accomplishing a list of goals or achieving a predetermined list of results. Obviously when you invest in a relationship you hope something comes out of it, but an organic relationship allows things to develop based on how each partner is designed by God, not based on how we can "use" each other.

We will be announcing soon the details about our partnership with a church in East India. As we do so, my hope is that when you hear the word "partnership," the first thing that comes to mind is "relationship." Exciting things are ahead. I am grateful for the opportunity God has provided us to learn and grow along brothers and sisters in Christ in East India.

Advent Offering at New Covenant

The Advent Conspiracy series is an opportunity for us to conspire together for a radically different way to experience Christmas – a way that will release us from consumerism to celebration, from weariness to worship. As part of this series, we are raising funds for a special Advent Offering.

To participate, write “Advent Offering” on the check memo or envelope and mail to the church office or put in the offering by Sunday, December 20.

Q. Why are we doing an offering this year?

A. The idea comes directly from our Advent Conspiracy series as we seek to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all. It is also deeply rooted in our prayer, care, and share culture. Our desire is to tangibly care for our neighbors, both locally and globally.

Q. How will the offering be used?

A. We will use 90% of the offering collected to help provide clean drinking water to children and their families in East India through Compassion International. We will distribute the remaining 10% among our New Covenant Ministry Partners.

Q. Why are we focusing on clean water for this offering?

A. Nearly 90% of all diseases in the world are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. The weakest members of communities are the most vulnerable; every day water-related diseases claim the lives of 5,000 children under the age of five. Providing clean drinking water not only meets an essential need, it also then provides an opportunity to share about Christ, the Living Water.

Q. Why did we choose Compassion International?

A. There are many good organizations that provide clean water. We chose Compassion because they are a child discipleship organization who does all of their work through a local church. We recently volunteered to be part of a pilot project that will soon partner New Covenant with a Compassion church in East India. While this offering will not necessarily go to help our partner church, it will make a difference in the near vicinity. This means our offering is not only providing clean drinking water, it also enables a local church in India to do prayer, care, and share in their own community.

Q. How will the money be used?

A. Compassion has already begun a large scale water project to provide water to 13 needy communities. The cost will vary by site depending on what is needed. They will install a bore well at 13 child development centers. Additionally, seven of the sites will receive rain water harvesting and storage systems to ensure access to clean water during both the rainy and dry seasons.

Q. How much will this water project cost?

A. The total cost of the project is $46,457. The actual cost per site will vary depending on what is needed, but the average cost is roughly $3,575 for each child development center. A full executive summary is available at the Information Center and church website.

Q. What if we don’t raise $46,457?

A. Compassion will take whatever amount we can raise, and will find other donors to make up the remaining cost.

Q. Why East India?

A. In addition to being the location of our future partner church, India is one of the largest unreached nations in the world today.

Q. What if I would prefer to give my offering to another need?

A. Our goal with the Advent Offering is to encourage us to spend less and give more. If God leads you to give to a different Kingdom opportunity, then we encourage you to follow His leading.

Q. Who are the Ministry Partners receiving the 10% portion of the offering?

A. The Ministry Partners are Aid to Women, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, His Hands Free Medical Clinic, His Women, House of Hope, InterVarsity (at Coe College), Keys to Living, Serve the City, Youth for Christ, Proverbs Ministry, and YoungLife.

Clean Water

A few minutes ago I went and filled my water bottle with ice and water from the tap. It is something I do regularly. I don't stop to wonder if the water is safe. I don't boil it before drinking. While I like putting it through a water filter, it is for taste, not to remove dangerous parasites amoebas. When I brush my teeth, I don't have to worry that just putting my toothbrush under the faucet could mean getting sick for days or even weeks.

I have visited many other countries where I could not drink the water. Some of the time it was just because I was not adjusted to the microorganisms in their water supply. But other times it was because the water was dangerous. Yet I never understood how deeply this impacted the lives of over a billion people around the world. Here are just a few facts you can find on the website of Living Water International:

At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.

Nearly 90 percent of all diseases in the world are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. Every year, there are 4 billion cases of diarrhea as a direct result of drinking contaminated water; this results in more than 2.2 million deaths each year—the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing every day.

The weakest members of communities are the most vulnerable; every day water-related diseases claim the lives of 5000 children under the age of five. That’s roughly one every 15 seconds.

This year we at New Covenant are considering how to approach Christmas in a way that focuses less on ourselves and more on our Savior. As we enter into the story of Christmas, we are drawn to worship our Savior who left the comfort and splendor of Heaven to come and provide living water for all who are willing to accept it (see John 4:7-15). But the story does not stop there. His example was to not only meet the spiritual needs but the physical as well (one example: John 6:1-13).

As we follow His example, we should do the same -- meet both the physical and the spiritual needs of those in need. But in order to do that, it takes spending less on ourselves, giving more of our presence to others, and loving all -- especially those who are most in need (see Luke 10:25-37). One tangible way is to provide clean water, which is probably the most basic physical need in our world today.

That is the focus of our special Advent offering this year at New Covenant. On Sunday, December 20, we will take a special Advent offering to care for needs both locally and globally. We will send 90% of the offering to Compassion International to help up to nine projects in East India. We have chosen Compassion because they work through a local church, which means there is opportunity to help with both the spiritual and the physical needs in that community. Each church partner location will use $5,000 to supply clean water by drilling and/or rain water catchment and storage infrastructure. We will fund as many of these projects as God provides money. The remaining 10% of the offering will be divided among our local ministry partners such as Aid to Women, His Hands Free Medical Clinic, and House of Hope.

If you don't attend New Covenant, you can still make a difference. Go to the website for Living Water International for one option. And check out the website for the Advent Conspiracy and this article at Missions Network News to learn more about how we spend far, far more just on Christmas presents than it would cost to provide clean drinking water to those who need it around the world.

Remember the Poor

When you hear about someone who is "poor," what comes to your mind? What images do you see? What judgments do you make? What emotions do you feel?

Now take time to read these four verses and compare what they say to the answers you just gave:

There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open your hand to your fellow Israelites who are needy and poor in your land.
(Deuteronomy 15:11 NET Bible)

The one who oppresses the poor insults his Creator,
but whoever shows favor to the needy honors him.
(Proverbs 14:31 NET Bible)

The one who gives to the poor will not lack,
but whoever shuts his eyes to them will receive many curses.
(Proverbs 28:27 NET Bible)

Open your mouth, judge in righteousness,
and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
(Proverbs 31:9 NET Bible)

The New English Translation (NET Bible) has 164 verses that contain the word "poor." Some of those verses contain warnings that imprudent choices can lead to poverty. Unfortunately, those are the verses some choose to emphasize, forgetting the many commands to care for those who are poor. In fact, I was one of those who forgot these commands. I was never purposefully demeaning of those less fortunate than myself, but I failed to recognize my responsibility to get actively involved in helping those in need.

I don't believe those of us who have been blessed should live in guilt over our prosperity. Instead, I think we should do what God intended -- use our blessing to bless others. In the coming months, we will explore some ways we can do this at New Covenant in a global context.

Our goal is not to end poverty. It is simply to be obedient to what God commanded us to do.

The Essence of Partnership

For those who attend New Covenant and read this blog, you already know that our church recently decided to move forward with an ambitious plan to relocate to a new facility. Yet this relocation is not about having a new building. It is about us continuing and even expanding our ability to make disciples, both here in Cedar Rapids and around the world.

At this historic moment, we are in no way scaling back our missions emphasis. On the contrary, we feel God is leading us into some new and exciting Kingdom opportunities. To be specific, we are investigating launching a new partnership with a church in another part of the world. It is too soon to give specifics, but I am excited at the opportunities this partnership will provide to us in the midst of our relocation journey.

So what is a church partnership? That is a good question! Remove from your thinking any idea of a business partnership. Instead, think of it as a friendship. A partnership is a mutual relationship where both churches seek to work together to accomplish God's mission to see His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This is what we entered into a few years ago when we started Project CR, a partnership with a church in Trinec, Czech Republic. Our goal was simply to come alongside and serve them as they had need. We had the opportunity to assist them in purchasing a new facility a few years ago, have sent a team to meet with their church leaders and a team to do a kids camp, and we continue to send teams to teach in the Business English Camps every June.

We have no idea right now what this new partnership will exactly look like. But what I do know is this: It is first and foremost about a relationship, not about accomplishing a task or meeting arbitrary goals. Our desire is to serve and allow them to serve us as God sees fit. I can't wait to see what God has in store!