The Barnabas Foundation...
For those who have read my blog for some time or have been here and worked with me, you know that I have been trying to figure out how to bring community development into the mix of church planting among the urban poor. Through experience, I have seen that the chaos of the barrios- economic instability, lack of education, hope, empowerment are tremendous obstacles in developing leadership and planting new churches. So, after much prayer and experimentation, we are going to create "The Barnabas Foundation" (Acts 4:36) which will be the right arm of our church planting efforts. Basically, the foundation will work with the following goals:
1) help people become financially stable by
a)providing micro-credit for the start of small business' and
b) encouraging and helping people finish their education.
2) develop a sports ministry that will involve sports camps and on-going sports activities that will enable our Baptist churches and church plants to form relationships with the young men and women of the barrios. The goal is to nurture saving faith among these young people through their participation in sports.
3) continue providing special funds to people who find themselves in medical crisis. In the past, we have helped provide for a cochlear implant, an open heart surgery along with several other surgeries.
4) continue providing special funds for church planting projects. Over the past several years, volunteers have provided resources to help buy land and simple structures in which the new churches meet and carry on their ministries. We are hoping to build a basketball court in Villa de Yaque this Spring. Also, soon I will be sharing some news about water purification ministry plans.
There is a lot yet to be done- how all this will work is yet to be determined. I have a lawyer who is drawing up the legal papers to submit to the DR government, establishing us as a non-profit foundation. By law we have to have 11 members of a Board of Directors. I spent this past weekend recruiting people to form the Board of Directors- I am excited with the qualities and experience they bring to the table, especially their heart for the Baptist work. Above all, we want the foundation to be the engine for the development of strong healthy leaders who will lead many others to Christ through the planting of many churches all around the city.
How can you help? Pray, pray and pray some more for God's guidance and direction for the Board of Directors. Also, if any of you have special skills in any of the areas listed above, please call me or email me (marsha.davidson@macregion.org). I want to hear from you!!
1) help people become financially stable by
a)providing micro-credit for the start of small business' and
b) encouraging and helping people finish their education.
2) develop a sports ministry that will involve sports camps and on-going sports activities that will enable our Baptist churches and church plants to form relationships with the young men and women of the barrios. The goal is to nurture saving faith among these young people through their participation in sports.
3) continue providing special funds to people who find themselves in medical crisis. In the past, we have helped provide for a cochlear implant, an open heart surgery along with several other surgeries.
4) continue providing special funds for church planting projects. Over the past several years, volunteers have provided resources to help buy land and simple structures in which the new churches meet and carry on their ministries. We are hoping to build a basketball court in Villa de Yaque this Spring. Also, soon I will be sharing some news about water purification ministry plans.
There is a lot yet to be done- how all this will work is yet to be determined. I have a lawyer who is drawing up the legal papers to submit to the DR government, establishing us as a non-profit foundation. By law we have to have 11 members of a Board of Directors. I spent this past weekend recruiting people to form the Board of Directors- I am excited with the qualities and experience they bring to the table, especially their heart for the Baptist work. Above all, we want the foundation to be the engine for the development of strong healthy leaders who will lead many others to Christ through the planting of many churches all around the city.
How can you help? Pray, pray and pray some more for God's guidance and direction for the Board of Directors. Also, if any of you have special skills in any of the areas listed above, please call me or email me (marsha.davidson@macregion.org). I want to hear from you!!
