Nepal earthquake update from the BBC and ReachGlobal

Nepal earthquake: Death toll rises above 3,000

EFCA and ReachGlobal Response

Nepal Earthquake Response Fact Sheet – 4/25/15 Edition

1)      What happened?

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal yesterday, April 25, 2015.  Damage reports are still coming in, but it appears to be a major crisis. Our partner, the Nepali Church Planting Movement, has had all 13 of its churches affected in some manner.  We are coordinating our efforts with OC International, with an assessment team traveling tomorrow, and more people on Tuesday. An Initial $10,000 in immediate response funds is in the process of being transferred. 

2)      Yes, we are responding.

·         We have partners in the area impacted.

·         We have started to initiate contacts with other partner ministries involved in the work in Nepal, as well as other NGO’s and relief organizations.

·         For up to date info go to http://go.efca.org/resources/project/nepal-earthquake-response ….info will be put here by early evening.

3)      What should I tell someone who wants to help?   

·         Pray -  see today’s current top story on www.efca.org  and blog post

·         Please send funds !!! 

·         Please stay tuned for more information to follow.  Collect name and email for anyone we have contact with. Direct them to email crisisresponse@efca.org  with their contact information, or call our Crisis Response office at  985-893-0218 ext 7.

·         We are not sending teams in initial stages. Mark is coordinating with our ReachGlobal Asia Division.  They through partners will be heading there asap to assess and determine needs/strategies with our local partners. 

4)      What kinds of needs do we have – prioritized.

·         Donations will be the immediate and priority need.

·         We ARE NOT interested in receiving bulk donations (eg. pallet loads) of gift-in-kind

5)      Where should I direct them for more info?  

·         https://reachglobalcrisisresponse.wordpress.com/   and crisisresponse@efca.org

6)      What should people give to?

·         Give to ‘Earthquake Relief  21709-3970’

·         Direct them to www.efca.org and click on donation link on that page.

7)      Can we give stuff…not just money?

·         No. We are not accepting any gift in kind!!!!

8)      Who should I contact for more info or to help in other ways?

·         Crisisresponse@efca.org

·         Call mark lewis 717-439-3138

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal yesterday, April 25, 2015.  With the epicenter between Kathmandu and Pokhara, major areas of Nepal have been hit very hard and there have been many building collapses and the death toll continues to rise.  We have staff and partners on the ground who are assessing the situation.  We have been working in partnership in church planting efforts in various parts of Nepal and in response to this crisis are mobilizing to provide aid and relief.  We (Reach Global and OC International) are currently assessing needs and developing our plan of action in partnership together.  This includes organizing relief to reduce the suffering of the people and mobilizing the church to minister to physical needs as well as bring the gospel.  We also ask you to pray for the nation and for relief efforts.  As we talked to our partners about needs, of course the first request is for prayer and so we would ask for you to mobilize your church to pray as this crisis unfolds and as we seek to help.  We also invite others to join in partnership with us.  Stephen Chandra (International leader, Asia for EFCA Reach Global) and Gill Nash (Assistant Asia Area Director, OC) are planning to travel to Kathmandu as soon as possible to further assess and direct efforts for relief.  

Growing a God sized heart

There are many things that matter in life but few as important as growing hearts that are God sized. That is a lifelong pursuit because His heart is so vast, so caring, so loving, so truthful, so courageous, so merciful, holy and gracious that all eternity will not suffice to get close to His heart. But there is no better pursuit.

Think about how having His heart impacts our relationships, actions and priorities:

• My care for the hurting - and they are all around us
• My responses to those who are irritating - we all have them in our lives
• My response to the crises that hit our world like the current crisis in Nepal
• How I choose to invest my gifts - for His purposes or primarily for mine
• How I choose to invest my funds - generosity for Him or selfishness for me
• The lens through which I make decisions - simply pragmatic or personal gain or through Jesus' eyes
• How I view my own personal sin - unimportant or deeply hurtful to God's heart
• How I view position, power and influence - as something I deserve or a trust that I hold

All Scripture reveals God's heart but if you really want to understand His heart read the Gospels for there we see it put into action in real life situations. What surprises us when we read carefully is how counter intuitive His heart is compared to what we would expect and to what society sees as normal. He surprised people around Him, His own disciples, those who were guilty, those who were resistant and the Pharisees. The more we develop His heart the more that will be true of our own lives as well. 

Posted from Oakdale, MN

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

How the prosperity gospel hurts racial reconciliation from Desiring God

How the Prosperity Gospel Hurts Racial Reconciliation

Posted from Oakdale, MN

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

How many hospitality hotspots does your church have?

It is common for a congregation to have an information booth where new folks can get information on what is happening and where to go. All good. But what would happen if every major ministry was a hospitality hotspot with trained hosts whose job it is to make people comfortable and ensure that people are engaged and have the information they need. 

A hospitality hotspot is one where there is an individual or individuals who:

• Look for new people and engage them
• Ensure that you get their name and them yours
• Introduce them to several others in the vicinity
• Re-welcome by name the following week
• Help get them connected
• Get their story as you can

One of key reasons people do not come back to a church is that no one engaged them when they came. Having multiple hospitality hotspots would solve that issue. It would also train a greater number of people in your congregation to engage with new folks.

Posted from Oakdale, MN

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

A fairly nutty article on Mars Hill Governance

After reading this three part series all I wanted to do was to ask, "How well did this work for you?"

Church Governance: Local Elders or Outside Board?ResultSource Part 3

Posted from Oakdale, MN

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

Seven reasons why I refuse to become cynical about the church and always remain hopeful.

Because I often consult with hurting churches (and fortunately some very healthy ones) I am often asked why I remain optimistic about the church. The truth is that I have seen the good, bad and the ugly but there are seven reasons that I never lose hope, refuse to become cynical and will always value the local church, domestically and internationally. 

First, the church is the Bride of Jesus. That is what He calls it (Ephesians 5) and it is the bride that will be reunited with the Bridegroom at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The local church is God's hope of the world, and His local strategy for making disciples of His. How can I be cynical if He, knowing the best and the worst of the church still calls it His bride?

Second, wherever the people of God are gathered, the Holy Spirit is present. Perhaps this is why it is so hard to kill off a church! Where His followers are present, He is present and where He is present, He does His work whether we think He should or not. 

Third, lives are changed through the relationships of a local church. We might wonder how given some of the obvious dysfunctions but it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that makes this possible. This is why even a bad sermon can make a huge difference in the listener as the Holy Spirit works in their hearts in spite of our deficiencies (Romans 8). 

Fourth, even in the midst of great church dysfunction (and I have seen my share) many of God's people continue to live out their particular calling (Ephesians 2:10) in spite of what they see around them. In one particularly dysfunctional church many people said to me, "I wish the leaders would get their act together but in the meantime I am just doing what God has called me to do. And so real and effective ministry went on despite the dysfunction of the leaders.

Fifth, my own spiritual growth is not held hostage by church dysfunction. I am responsible for my growth and ministry and frankly I have left dysfunctional churches without any guilt. I cannot speak for others but I am not willing to give my life long term to a congregation that I cannot bring my neighbors to. It is not sacrilege to leave a church. At times it is the only thing that will get the attention of church leaders.

Sixth, churches can be revitalized. I can attest to that after working with many hurting churches. It is the will of good leaders and the Holy Spirit that makes this possible. Where leaders and pastors are unwilling to face truth, churches should frankly die and let something new grow.  But if the will is there it is possible for churches to become renewed and missional once again.

Seventh, Jesus is not unaware of the challenges of local churches and in spite of the challenges He continues to bless those who are committed to His plan for great fruit (John 15). He will bless the efforts of those who are committed to being the bride of His. However imperfect we are. 

It is my prayer that I will always be hopeful for the church and never succumb to cynicism which Jesus never has. However imperfect it is His bride and it is His joy and we will celebrate His family when we arrive in heaven at the second coming.

Posted from Oakdale, MN

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

The God sized ask instead of a vision statement

In my long experience in working with churches and ministries there is inevitably confusion and disagreement over mission statements and vision statements. For me, the mission statement answers the question of why we exist and vision is a long term description of what we would love to see happen. However, the debate over which is which can take up a lot of time and conversation. In addition, many feel it presumptuous to assume that we can "deliver" on our vision as God is the source of the fruit our ministries see. 

I have a simple suggestion that makes the debate irrelevant.

Rather than a vision statement, what about a God sized ask that all are praying for in the spirit of Ephesians 3:20-21: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

God wants to surprise us with his power and he wants to show his glory in the church - for all generations. So why not ask Him a God sized ask and see what He does?

The mission of ReachGlobal is the same as that of our denomination. "We exist to glorify God by multiplying transformational churches among all people." Pretty straightforward.

But here is our God sized ask: We are asking God for one million disciplemakers impacting 100 million people with the Gospel and that He would give us 100 Acts 19 locations where the Gospel penetrates a whole city or region.

If that were simply our vision it could be seen as presumptuous. But instead it is a God sized ask (we cannot do it but He can). He is pleased with those who pray in faith and he loves to surprise us. We know that only He can make that happen. And it eliminates the debate between mission and vision.

We have a mission. We also have a God sized ask and He is fully capable of surprising us by doing immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. Finally, vision statements can be exciting and motivating. But a God sized ask is different. It is mobilization around prayer rather than around a statement. It mobilizes our people to pray for a common and God honoring result. It places the focus on Him rather than on us. And that is a big difference. 

Posted from Oakdale, MN

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.