On October 1st we celebrated the 7th birthday of our organization. We love our birthdays. They are always a fantastic time to remember the journey that God has brought us on and be thankful for all that He has done for us.
This year we celebrated our birthday during our virtual Community Gathering. It was a week of fun, laughter, and lots of prayer. Our theme was A Place of Springs—a reminder that God can bring flourishing even in difficult times. This report is about all the ways He has shown Himself faithful, answered prayers, and guided our steps to make 2020 a season of innovation and even growth.
We’ve doubled down on prayer and seen God answer in remarkable ways. We are reminded again and again just how important prayer is. So we have a special request for you: rather than simply reading through this update, will you pray through it? We’ve included suggestions for prayer in each section and ask that you take a moment to lift us up as we seek to walk in obedience to God and serve churches and families in the Majority World. We so appreciate your prayers.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
The Create Commission
The Create Commission saw lots of change over the past few months. We said farewell to a longtime staff person—he had been hoping and praying for several years to move to a different city and finally had the opportunity to do it. Despite the financial and physical challenges of the pandemic local programs around the world have found creative ways to continue making art that is hopeful and nurtures others during this time of need.
We’d appreciate your prayers for The Create Commission during a time when funding worldwide for the arts has dropped due to the COVID pandemic. Pray that artists and those impacted by our work will be encouraged and find hope in difficult circumstances.
In His Image
This has been a hard season for the families served by our center for students with autism, In His Image. They were seriously impacted by COVID-19 and lockdowns. We were forced to close the school in March—stopping therapies and education for 25 students—and have yet to be able to re-open. In His Image is located in a low-income neighborhood, and most of the families we serve are poor. They live in crowded conditions with high rates of the disease. Many have lost their source of income because of lockdowns. Beyond that, for parents and siblings of people with autism, the stress of stay-at-home orders can be intense. In His Image is reaching out to families virtually as much as possible, but most don’t have access to internet at home.
We’d appreciate your prayers that the school will be able to safely re-open soon. We’re also praying for parents and family members to be lovingly involved with their students—that they would have grace and strength to care for their special needs in this difficult time.
Wholistic Development Center
After ending the spring term early in May, we’re praising God that the entire class of 28 students returned to campus on August 3. Along with nightly worship and Bible studies, the students are learning a variety of vocational skills—from childcare, housecleaning, and baking to carpentry and electrical wiring. This school year has its challenges, though—the campus has been flooding with very heavy rain, we’re mourning the recent death of an alumnus, and three students were sent home for disciplinary reasons.
We’d really appreciate prayer that every student would learn to discern God’s voice and follow His leading in every area of life before they graduate this spring. Please pray that we’ll be able to find internships for every student despite pandemic restrictions and the economic slowdown. Pray also for the campus to be protected from flooding and for the health and safety of all staff and students.
Ending Gendercide
Stay-at-home orders—combined with all the fears, financial hardship, and stressors of the pandemic—have brought an increase in domestic violence around the world, including India. So we’re thankful for the many doors that God is opening for the director of Ending Gendercide to speak to churches and ministries about God’s plan for family and His value of women. In fact, virtual speaking engagements are in many ways easier than in-person, since there is no travel and expense. So our director’s been busy—speaking 3-4 times per month.
Please pray that the messages we’re bringing would penetrate the hearts and minds of churches in India, so that they become safe havens and places of hope for women experiencing violence. Pray that the Church would rise up as the most vocal advocate for protecting vulnerable women, girls, and unborn babies. Pray that women facing abuse may receive the help and support they need.
Truth Centered Transformation
When all in-person training was halted in March, we checked in with our TCT partners regarding their needs and how we could best support them through this season. Their insights ultimately led us to launch a new program called Churches Stronger (see the next section for details). A few countries have since gone back to in-person training. We’ve also begun Zoom trainings for Master Trainers, created two video modules, and adapted some materials for radio broadcast.
Please pray that God would guide our decisions and plans as we restart training online or in-person, now that many churches are ready to restart TCT. Pray for right timing and technology. And pray for the churches that have not been able to have any activities or serve their congregation—that they would find new, creative ways of serving, discipling, generating income, and showing love to their neighbors.
At the height of the coronavirus crisis, one of our trainers in Southeast Asia mobilized several churches in his tribe to meet the needs of neighboring tribes with rice, instant noodles, dried fish, and oil. The churches collected enough to serve one hundred families. People in these villages are often without food for 3-6 months a year—they survive by foraging in the forest for anything edible. So these staple foods were a welcome gift and a tangible expression of God’s love.
In a country opposed to Christianity and suspicious of the Church, one TCT trainer saw that the government had posted signs to encourage people to protect the environment, have a harmonious marriage, and improve living conditions. Although the government promotes these things, it doesn’t provide any training to people on how to do it. So—while the Christians are being transformed in these areas through church-based discipleship—among the non-Christians nothing really changes. The TCT trainer realized that none of the local officials were trained—that’s why they couldn’t help anyone else. Truly wanting to see the non-Christian villages transformed, the TCT trainer approached his district government and suggested to them that they send some officials to attend our TCT training. To his surprise, they agreed and sent five officials along. Communist government officials attending a church training? That is only the work of God!
Churches Stronger
We launched the Churches Stronger program in April. Many churches faced serious challenges brought on by COVID-19 and lockdowns. Pastors wondered how to feed their families in the face of vanishing tithes; at the same time they were struggling to cope with the increased needs in their congregations together with the inability to meet together. We felt called, not just to help churches survive this trial, but to help them emerge stronger.
Churches Stronger provides teaching on key issues—starting with finances, hopelessness, counselling skills, marriage, and how to serve others. We finished up the first round of lessons in June and then, at the request of the participants, began a new series of lessons in July with topics including building God’s kingdom, parenting, planning, and healthy relationships. We deliver the lessons via WhatsApp and Messenger because, in many countries, social media data packages are much cheaper than visiting websites. We send the lessons directly to about 3,000 ministry and denomination leaders, who pass it along to more than 50,000 churches. Along the way, the lessons get translated into 11 different languages and shared via small groups, Sunday sermons, and even seminary curriculum.
We’d love you to pray for each lesson to clearly convey God’s truth and to encourage believers. Pray that the churches will apply what they learn to their congregations and communities and, most importantly, that God will be glorified through His bride. Pray for those who are interested in transitioning to TCT—that we will be able to find ways to help them get access to the training.
“This program changed things in me to the better…Now having learned counseling skills, I am able to counsel a person who is stressed, depressed, and in fear. Now I can give salt and light to the community and shine before them for them to see the glory of God. Also I gained knowledge on serving others and intend to start a poultry project that will sustain my family, church, and the community at large.”
– testimony from Zimbabwe
“I see that it is very true, what you’ve taught about knowing how to manage what God gives us, seeing what is needed, and paying close attention to wants versus needs. There are things that, even though I don’t have them at that moment, they don’t affect our daily life. It is very important to pay attention to these small details and try to live a simple life. God has challenged me a lot to be grateful for what God gives us for our livelihood. Here at the base of Quelimane, we are making a vegetable garden and thinking about raising chickens. This is very positive, it will add to the daily income.”
– testimony from Mozambique
“I wanted to share my learning from the lessons on Stronger Marriages… What touched me most in this lesson is confession of anger…then the dialogue and forgiveness. This is a learning and challenging experience that calls for constant fixing with prayer… In the midst of multi tasking for family needs, most women get lost in the chores throughout the day. I learned from this lesson to pause for a while and take time to reflect…with the help of the love languages listed in the lesson. Is my love language an unknown tongue to my spouse? To speak his language of love calls to be observant and caring. This is a wise thing to do in marriage.”
– testimony from India
If you’re a practitioner and would like to use the Churches Stronger materials, please email us at contact@tctprogram.org
IMPACT OF COVID-19
Partners
In the 26 countries where we work, the circumstances and specific responses to COVID-19 have varied widely. Some countries had short lockdowns and then returned to normal, while others remain in a state of emergency. Some still have climbing infection rates, while others seem to be out of the woods. Here’s a snapshot of how churches have been impacted.
September 2020
Please pray for countries hardest hit by the pandemic and lockdowns. Pray that God would supply families’ basic needs of food, water, and shelter. Pray that churches would be a beacon of hope and tangible help for those who are desperate.
A Prayer For Provision
RW Operations
As the stock market reacted to the COVID-19 crisis, we were informed that our largest foundation partner had put their granting on hold to protect their investment portfolios. We’ve always held that God is our provider, but there’s nothing like a tangible reminder. We’re thankful that He once again showed Himself more faithful than we can imagine, enabling us to end our fiscal year with a balanced budget without furloughing any staff.
Please pray for God’s continued provision for the work, especially that we would have sufficient resources to restart training in places where internet is poor (or non-existent) and lockdowns have lifted—DRC, Malawi, and Mozambique.
RW Community Gathering
In the past, we’ve held a Community Gathering every 12-18 months where the RW team comes together for a few days of skills development, relationship building, and seeking the Lord. Throughout the year, we have some smaller team-level meetings as well.
Since we couldn’t be together in-person this year, we held many virtual prayer meetings, peer learning sessions, and our week-long Community Gathering—including our 7th birthday celebration—using Zoom, WhatsApp, and videos. While we miss being physically present with one another, we’re thankful for the technology that enables us to remain connected.
Thanks for reading and for supporting us in prayer. We simply cannot do this work with human strength alone. We are grateful for all the ways God has led and used us in the past six months and looking forward to what He’ll surprise us with next!
