21Sep 2010 by Nigel Ring

Floods in Pakistan

News, Pakistan, Poor, Relief and Development, To the Nations
The floods which hit Pakistan in August were the worst in living memory and their magnitude eclipsed some of the recent disasters in other parts of the world. Newfrontiers have several churches in Pakistan and one, in Nowshera, was particularly badly affected. People lost their houses and all their possessions, and the church building and office were severely damaged. Many in the community were similarly affected and the church was able to reach out and feed over 150 people, which included Christians, Muslims and Hindus. Now the rebuilding is starting.  A few days ago I was able to interview Pervez Sohail who oversees many of these churches. He shared with me some of their experiences. Churches help with Floods in Pakistan from Newfrontiers on Vimeo. The Finance Team Newfrontiers The…
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17Jun 2010 by Nigel Ring

Country report – Kenya pt 2. The forgotten tribes

Christian ministry, Cross-culture, Kenya, News, Poor, Relief and Development
Manyangalo In 1924 people from 8 tribes were brought together in the centre of a 160,000 acre (250 sq miles) game reserve. They had been brought there to care for the area and tend the animals. Over the next 80 years the land changed ownership several times, the most recent being in 2004. The new owner no longer wanted these people (now numbering several thousand) on his land and began to take steps to remove them. But they had no other home - several generations had been born and raised there! Lawyer saved At about this time Martin Mithega, a senior lawyer in Meru, became a Christian in Edward Buria’s church. Having previously had no time for the poor (as they could not pay substantial fees) he now felt he…
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11Jun 2010 by Nigel Ring

Country report – Visit to Kenya pt 1

Cross-culture, Kenya, News, Poor, Relief and Development, To the Nations
Welcome to Kenya! It is always a great pleasure to visit Kenya and to spend time with Edward and Fridah Buria. Edward brings apostolic oversight to many Newfrontiers churches in East Africa. This larger-than-life couple have a huge vision and a track record of success that is inspiring, including about 200 churches they have planted in Kenya and significant involvement in the neighbouring nations including Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia and Sudan. Over the years they have run several successful businesses in order to release funds for the ministry, from printing and metal fabrication to coffee, bananas and tree planting to produce scaffold poles, a living and vibrant example of Paul’s teaching in 2 Thessalonians 3 about supporting apostolic ministry through tent-making . Samburu During my time in Kenya I was…
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22Oct 2009 by Nigel Ring

The Poor deserve the Best – part 13 – Summary of Key Indicators of Good Practice

Administration in the Church, Administrative Skills, Biblical Administration, Christian ministry, Equipping, Good Practice, Planning, Poor, Relief and Development, Training
Since the start of September we have been considering the principle of having Key Indicators of Good Practice to guide our thinking in planning a ministry among the Poor or to use as a plumbline against which we can monitor how we are performing. This is part of the desire of the Task Team of the Newfrontiers family of churches to help churches worldwide to pursue excellence in all they do and thus bring glory to God while uplifting those who are in some way disadvantaged. For reasons of combining Indicators with similar qualities in one blog I have handled these in a slightly different order from the one I originally presented. To aid you with referencing this body of material I have listed below the particular dates on which…
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19Oct 2009 by Nigel Ring

The Poor deserve the Best – part 12 – Sustainability

Christian ministry, Equipping, Ghana, Good Practice, Planning, Poor, Relief and Development, Training, Zimbabwe
We have been considering Key Indicators of Good Practice under the title The Poor deserve the Best and now come to the final 2 of 20. 11. Sustainability Much charitable work relies on continual fund raising. Called Donor Dependency this makes a ministry very vulnerable. However, Donor Dependency introduces a measure of insecurity and puts the permanence of the ministry in doubt. It can also lead to the compromise of values in order to obtain funding. Further, Donor dependency may diminish the dignity of the ministry, but sometimes is a necessity. To mitigate against this a thorough assessment should be made of the reliance on outside funding and how this may be reduced. Appropriate practice should then be implemented to make the ministry as self-sustainable as possible. Clearly certain ministries…
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16Oct 2009 by Nigel Ring

The Poor deserve the Best pt 11 – Engaging with the local context

Christian ministry, Equipping, Good Practice, India, Poor, Relief and Development
In this penultimate posting on Key Indicators to Good Practice we shall consider two Indicators related to the context and environment in which a ministry is being carried out. 9. Local community ownership Some ministries are contained within the local church whereas others intentionally impact a local community. Where the latter is the case the active endorsement and cooperation of the local community may be key contributors to success. It can be tempting to feel that the church has the knowledge to carry out the ministry independently of any outside influence. But often community representatives will have a better understanding of the culture you may be trying to impact than is readily available within your local church. In the development world there are various participatory techniques for involving the Community…
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