It would be interesting to hear from those who have grown up with technology. I'm part of the in between generation (30 something) and I have a much different view of things than I see presented here. I did not grow up with social media. However, I do use my smartphone for reading the Bible, check in with Foursquare when I get to church, and occasionally take a photo if there is especially interesting artwork or something visual going on during worship. I have been to conferences where people are tweeting with a specific hash tag during a main speaker and it actually helps people to pay attention - you can retweet a quote that struck you, read what others are thinking, etc. Multitasking is second nature and rather than detracting from what's going on, it can enhance one's experience of it.
I think the same principles of good community development apply to good missions principles . . . our role as North Americans is to serve and support the indigenous local churches. They know their culture and context better than we do.
Church based development was referring to the churches in Uganda. Anneke mentions Joseph and Edward. They provide technical support and encouragement to the diaconal ministries of the Church of Uganda and the Pentecostal Assemblies of God. The COU and PAG also receive some grant funding from CRWRC to carry out the plans that Joseph and Edward help them develop. Joseph and Edward are Christians, and it is known that they work for CRWRC-Uganda.
Anneke's trip was specifically for a community development class, so it doesn't mention the church growth that results from this work. You can find an example of that in this post.
Finally, CRWRC has no plans to change from its emphasis on church-based community development (by that I mean community development carried out through indigenous churches). The name change will also not change the relationship with the CRCNA. It will be a bit more inclusive, though, of those RCA churches that work with us in the U.S., and the PAG and COU churches in Uganda, for example!
I wonder how the Factbook arrives at its data vs Operation World? I just double checked the sites and you are right, they provide different statistics.
It is surprising, especially since it seems like every church would have at least one budding amateur photographer who would love to volunteer to take some more candid photos. It could even be a fun youth project - images of our church, or something.
CRWM and CRWRC do not start new churches; rather, we work with denominations that are already in the country. To learn more about what the CRC is doing in Zambia, you can visit these links:
I don't think that churches should be boring. That doesn't mean they need to be entertaining in the pop culture sense of the word, but the congregation should be engaged. I'm not sure how to describe it, but sometimes when I attend a church as a guest it has the feel of being incredibly stifling. This has happened to me in both traditional and contemporary churches. The difference is in traditional churches it makes me feel like everyone is just punching in their time in the pew, whereas in contemporary churches it feels like I might just as well have stayed home and watched it on TV.
I currently attend a church plant so we do drink coffee during the service. It's definitely not boring. But neither is it boring when I visit a traditional church - the singing is often very beautiful and the people friendly.
So, I guess the question boils down to, if one thinks their church is boring, it is important to identify what is boring about it.
I'm interested in learning what the term undocumented immigrant means. Is it that they entered legally but their papers lapsed because they didn't know what they were supposed to do? Entered illegally? Attending Calvin as a Canadian spouse and not supposed to be in the US on a particular visa? In the process of getting a green card but it's not all the way through the system yet? I suppose it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things because if they are in your church or community you need to show love to them, but there are a lot of scenarios I can think of where someone would find themselves undocumented without knowingly breaking any laws.
It seems that many do not attend church within walking distance (some commuting 30 minutes or more by car) so that would indeed be an interesting experiment!
What is the definition of greed? I find it hard to believe that every single one of us doesn't have some bit of greed in their hearts. If Cunningham has found more greed among the poor, what was her reason?
Those are very sad stories, however to me it seems that the people were feeling hopeless, not necessarily greedy. I cannot imagine being in those situations.
Posted in: #helphimjesus
It would be interesting to hear from those who have grown up with technology. I'm part of the in between generation (30 something) and I have a much different view of things than I see presented here. I did not grow up with social media. However, I do use my smartphone for reading the Bible, check in with Foursquare when I get to church, and occasionally take a photo if there is especially interesting artwork or something visual going on during worship. I have been to conferences where people are tweeting with a specific hash tag during a main speaker and it actually helps people to pay attention - you can retweet a quote that struck you, read what others are thinking, etc. Multitasking is second nature and rather than detracting from what's going on, it can enhance one's experience of it.
Posted in: Behind the Scenes of an Effective STM Project
Hi Lou,
I think the same principles of good community development apply to good missions principles . . . our role as North Americans is to serve and support the indigenous local churches. They know their culture and context better than we do.
Church based development was referring to the churches in Uganda. Anneke mentions Joseph and Edward. They provide technical support and encouragement to the diaconal ministries of the Church of Uganda and the Pentecostal Assemblies of God. The COU and PAG also receive some grant funding from CRWRC to carry out the plans that Joseph and Edward help them develop. Joseph and Edward are Christians, and it is known that they work for CRWRC-Uganda.
Anneke's trip was specifically for a community development class, so it doesn't mention the church growth that results from this work. You can find an example of that in this post.
Finally, CRWRC has no plans to change from its emphasis on church-based community development (by that I mean community development carried out through indigenous churches). The name change will also not change the relationship with the CRCNA. It will be a bit more inclusive, though, of those RCA churches that work with us in the U.S., and the PAG and COU churches in Uganda, for example!
Posted in: 5 Lessons From Honduras on Short-Term Missions
I wonder how the Factbook arrives at its data vs Operation World? I just double checked the sites and you are right, they provide different statistics.
Posted in: Moving Beyond Pictures Of Empty Buildings
It is surprising, especially since it seems like every church would have at least one budding amateur photographer who would love to volunteer to take some more candid photos. It could even be a fun youth project - images of our church, or something.
Posted in: China Missionary Becomes Great Great Grandfather to China Orphan
Greetings,
CRWM and CRWRC do not start new churches; rather, we work with denominations that are already in the country. To learn more about what the CRC is doing in Zambia, you can visit these links:
http://www.crwrc.org/pages/crwrc_samt_zambia.cfm
http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwm_glance_zambia.cfm
Posted in: Church is Boring!
I don't think that churches should be boring. That doesn't mean they need to be entertaining in the pop culture sense of the word, but the congregation should be engaged. I'm not sure how to describe it, but sometimes when I attend a church as a guest it has the feel of being incredibly stifling. This has happened to me in both traditional and contemporary churches. The difference is in traditional churches it makes me feel like everyone is just punching in their time in the pew, whereas in contemporary churches it feels like I might just as well have stayed home and watched it on TV.
I currently attend a church plant so we do drink coffee during the service. It's definitely not boring. But neither is it boring when I visit a traditional church - the singing is often very beautiful and the people friendly.
So, I guess the question boils down to, if one thinks their church is boring, it is important to identify what is boring about it.
Posted in: Why Does the CRC Encourage Congregations to Speak Up on Behalf of Undocumented Immigrants?
I'm interested in learning what the term undocumented immigrant means. Is it that they entered legally but their papers lapsed because they didn't know what they were supposed to do? Entered illegally? Attending Calvin as a Canadian spouse and not supposed to be in the US on a particular visa? In the process of getting a green card but it's not all the way through the system yet? I suppose it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things because if they are in your church or community you need to show love to them, but there are a lot of scenarios I can think of where someone would find themselves undocumented without knowingly breaking any laws.
Posted in: Crossing Cultures at Home
Thanks Steve! Great article.
Another recent Banner article that people might enjoy is 10 Questions for Debriefing After a Missions Trip
Posted in: Puzzling about Creation Care—Part 2—A Rant
It seems that many do not attend church within walking distance (some commuting 30 minutes or more by car) so that would indeed be an interesting experiment!
Posted in: Guard Against All Kinds of Greed - a Reflection on Luke 12
What is the definition of greed? I find it hard to believe that every single one of us doesn't have some bit of greed in their hearts. If Cunningham has found more greed among the poor, what was her reason?
Posted in: Guard Against All Kinds of Greed - a Reflection on Luke 12
Those are very sad stories, however to me it seems that the people were feeling hopeless, not necessarily greedy. I cannot imagine being in those situations.
Posted in: Guard Against All Kinds of Greed - a Reflection on Luke 12
Amen!