The Power of Partnership…

So much of what I write, talks about those on the receiving end of what we do.  Today, I want to talk about those who make it possible for us to give.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of reporting to one of the congregations who partnered with us in the development of the internet café at TTC in Kitwe.  As I prepared for the presentation, I was over taken by “the power of partnership”.

Think about it…the internet café partnership included two churches from Montreal, and a company who donated ten computers toward the project.  One of the partnering churches sent their pastor and an IT specialist to set up the internet café.  The power of partnership!!!

In addition to this, a company has partnered with RTC to provide pastors and church leaders with pens, notebooks and portfolios for our conferences.  Then there is the man who donated an industrial sewing machine for our new Chitenga Creations project (more on this at another time).  As if all of this is not enough, a trucking company delivered all of the donated items free of charge to the container!

What a delight yesterday to hear the congregation break out in applause three or four times during the presentation.  You could sense the joy filling the room as people realized that they had played a significant part in making a dream become a reality!

I am reminded that MJ and I are able to do what we do because of people who partner with us.  This blog salutes all who have participated in “the power of partnership” on the Continent of Africa!  Any stories written are only made possible because of people who catch a vision and give toward a cause.  I get to write the stories but you are the heroes who provide the paper and pens!

Just this morning, I read these words from 1 Chronicles 15.  “But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

Thank you for the powerful partnership.  May your hands be kept strong, knowing that your work will be rewarded!

The power of partnership!!!!!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

The Pineapple Challenge…

Our daughter is an assistant head nurse on the oncology floor of the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

She and three of her co-workers signed up to compete in the Pineapple Challenge last Saturday to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.  I had the privilege of running alongside of them as their encourager and water boy.

Watching them and hundreds of others run through the gruelling five kilometre obstacle course, I was reminded that there are many wonderful people living on this earth who are willing to work hard for a good cause.  As the team reached the breaking point of stamina, and exhaustion was knocking on the door, my daughter commented that “it was only the kids on her floor that were keeping her going”.

This team of nurses work with cancer stricken children, some who never make it to their teen years.  As if it is not enough to spend twelve hour shifts with the children and their parents, the team raised money and ran the Pineapple Challenge for “their kids”.  I salute them and all of the dedicated medical staff who give of themselves everyday to bring help, healing and hope to sick children.

At the end of the day, it is not the gruelling obstacle race that one remembers; it is the satisfaction of knowing  that you gave your selfless best to help someone else in need.

Chiquita team, I salute you!!!  Bravo for a strong finish!!!  Maybe next year instead of running alongside of you, I can run with you??????

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

What do people say about you…?

I could not help but overhear two men talking on the plane as we were landing at London Heathrow late Saturday afternoon.

They were talking about a co-worker that they worked with in the medical field, speaking very highly of her personality and work ethic.  On the other hand, they spoke of a man, whether husband of this lady, or another co-worker, the story does not tell.  Although they did not speak derogatory of him, their words were not as positive.

It got me thinking.  Do you ever wonder what people say about you when you are many miles away from the conversation?  I suspect that somewhere in the world, someone is bringing up your or my name in the course of conversation.  What might they be saying?

Whether we like it or not, people are watching us and talking about us when we are not around.  It is not that we are looking for the approval of men, but it is a reminder that we should live in a way that when our name does come up in conversation, it will come up for positive reasons.  After listening in on the conversation between these two men, you knew that the one they were talking about was one you would be pleased to meet.  We should all desire to live in such a way!

Well, after a brief meeting with the cardboard Queen at Heathrow Airport, and wishing her a happy jubilee, it was off to Montreal.  We were greeted with a hug from our daughter at the airport and surprised by our son and daughter-in-law when we arrived home!  What a joy!  What a blessing! What a life! 

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

MJ and I return to Canada on Saturday after four months of ministry here in Zambia.

We came to Zambia in January with some specific goals in mind and will leave with a sense that the mission for this term has been accomplished.

Two hundred and thirty pastors/church leaders were trained in two different sets of seminars.  The comments have been humbling and overwhelming.  A pastor said:  “It has highly impacted me in that it has opened my spiritual awareness”. I quote a church leader who said:  “It has helped me to grow to another stage as a spiritual leader.  One denominational leader said:  “Immensely great tool …great organization”.   The thing that we hear over and over again is the thanks expressed for providing a forum to discuss challenges that are not being addressed in the nation.

There were two firsts accomplished during this term.  The first “Student Ministry Formation” at Trans-Africa Theological College (TTC).  Three Wednesday chapels were designated as student ministry formation days.  Following the chapel, four seasoned Zambian pastors mentored the student body in grade sensitive groups.  The biggest complaint from the students was that the time was too short.  Not a bad problem.

The second “first” was the development of the first ever Internet Café at TTC.  MJ and I just hired the first café employee from the student body at the college.  The students will return May 7^th from spring break to a brand new internet café.  Our only regret is that we will not be here to experience the thrill of the first day.  It just means that we will have to have an official opening when we come back in August/September!

Finally, our second micro-enterprise project was launched yesterday.  A school for orphans and vulnerable children, started in the home of a lady in Kabwe, Zambia, has grown from five students to two-hundred and twenty-five.  The Kawama Church Women’s Club received a sewing machine and kit from RTC yesterday.  This project has two goals.  One, it will provide a sustainable business for the ladies of the sewing and knitting club. Secondly, they will use the machine to sew much-needed uniforms and jerseys for the pupils at Lufutuko Community School and other schools in the area.

We leave Zambia with a fulfilling sense of accomplishment.  We return to Canada to face a busy three months of ministry that will have us crisscrossing the nation speaking at camps, pastor’s conferences and conducting pastor/board seminars.  Already, we are preparing for our return to Zambia in August/September for another series of seminars that will include a trip to Uganda.  Can’t wait!!!

MJ and I look forward to seeing many of you upon our return to Canada.  Thank you for your ongoing readership support and the encouragement that you continue to pour out to us in so many ways!

Until next Monday (from Canada)…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

Million kwacha smile…

I have no idea where the expression “a million dollar smile” comes from or what it means, but I can tell you what it looks like.

One million Zambian kwacha’s is the equivalent of two hundred Canadian dollars.  That was the cost of an internet modem that put the smile on the face of this student at Trans-Africa Theological College.  This past Friday, we did a trial test of the new Internet Café at TTC.  Nine of the ten computers were running simultaneously and the speed was absolutely incredible.  Maybe to those who have unlimited access to high speed internet, this perceived euphoria seems a little over the top, but in Zambia, a country ranked as the 184^th worst country around the world for internet service out of 187, this means everything.

Last year’s dream of an internet café at the college became a reality this past week because of two churches in Montreal, Laval Christian Assembly and Trinity Pentecostal Church, who caught the vision and raised the funds for the project.  Ten computers came from a company in Montreal who donated the computers they were turning over.  Two brand new computers came from a family who wanted to do something in another part of the world instead of buying gifts for themselves last Christmas.  The pastor of Laval Christian Assembly and an IT specialist in his church gave a week out of their busy schedule, to come and set up the internet café. 

Today, the café is ready for the students return from their school break in two weeks time.  After a three month trial with the students, the café will be opened in September to the surrounding communities.  It will provide a service that does not presently exist in those communities on a campus where Jesus is the center of all we do.  That puts a “million dollar (five trillion Zambian kwacha) smile” on my face!!!!!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

What a privilege it was for MJ and I to celebrate Resurrection Sunday in the Bread of Life International Church on the outskirts of Kitwe.  Pastor Jacob Ntuntu, a recent graduate of Trans-Africa Theological College, has watched the church grow by 100% in just over three years.  Over lunch, he shared with us how drunkards have been set free.  It is a reminder to me that even the grip of alcohol is no match for the resurrected power of Jesus Christ.

What a thrill for me to preach on the resurrected power of Jesus and witness six young men and women walk to the front of the church and accept Christ as their personal Saviour on Easter Sunday morning.  Following the service, the pastor told me that one of the young men who came forward was his neighbour who he had been inviting to church for some time.  Yesterday was his day to be regenerated by the power of the resurrected Christ.

What an opportunity I had last week to discover another way of illustrating the word reinvented.  For years, my old gold college ring has sat in a drawer at home.  MJ got the idea of bringing it to Zambia to have it melted down and formed into another ring.  I watched as within seconds a piece of my past was melted down and “reinvented” into a ring that now finds its new home on my wife’s right hand.

It is time that the church stop placing Jesus in a drawer, making Him a relic of the past through our traditions.  It is time that the church returns to the preaching of the resurrected power of Jesus Christ and watch as it regenerates lives on a daily basis.  It is time for the church to “reinvent” itself by melting down its traditions, taking Jesus out of the drawer, and putting Him back on display on the hands of the Church where He belongs.

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

TTC “hot spot”…

The dream of having the first ever internet café on the grounds of Trans-Africa Theological College has become a reality!

Two churches in Montreal, Laval Christian Assembly and Trinity Church – Lasalle, raised the necessary funds for the project.  Pastor John Ippolito, and Jimmy Abraham (an IT specialist from LCA) caught the vision of coming to Zambia to set up the internet on the second floor of the Ministry Formation Center.

The “J” team, as they are now known,  took on a truly International flavour.  Jackson the electrician, Joseph the painter and John the IT guy at TTC prepared the way for John and Jimmy to come from Canada and complete the final installation. And just to make the “J” Team complete, José the decorator (my MJ) chose the colours.  Every team needs the touch and taste of a classy woman!!!!

The vision is simple – a café for the students, run by the students with the ultimate goal of community outreach.  The strategy is just as simple – a three month trial run for the students starting in May and opening the doors to the surrounding communities in September.  Already, the news is spreading in the compounds surrounding TTC about the café that is coming to town.

The system is up and running and two computers are already in place.  Now all that remains is for the container to arrive from Canada with the rest of the computers to be installed.  It could come at any moment, maybe even today.

Instead of me doing the talking, let the pictures paint a thousand words, starting with the before and after.  Enjoy!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

Dealing with death…

Death is a reality everywhere in the world, but it seems especially prevalent here in Africa.

Last week, we were privileged to have a prominent Zambian church leader as one of our seminar speakers.  In the days leading up to the seminar, he alerted me that his church was facing a series of funerals that may impact his presence with us.  After making the decision to join us in spite of the flurry of funerals, he arrived in Kitwe, and informed me that he would not be able to join us in Kabwe as a close family member had passed away.  Fortunately, we were able to videotape his session in Kitwe and show it the next day in his absence.

During our seminar in Kabwe, I got word that one of our pastor’s in Lusaka had passed away very suddenly.  He had attended our previous seminar and was registered for our Friday seminar in Lusaka.  As a result of Pastor Kabwe’s untimely passing, we postponed the RTC seminar until the end of April and attended his funeral instead.  The pictures in my blog give you a little idea of the hundreds who jammed that village church for the funeral.

I must say that I have experienced my share of death during my lifetime, but never have I been so surrounded by the ever present reality of loss.  Most of us live like death is a long way off.  In Africa, death is as almost as common as eating and sleeping itself.

It is my prayer that those who read this blog will enjoy long life, but may it also be a reminder of just how precious life is.  Don’t take life for granted.  Those of us who are surrounded by death on a daily basis are reminded of just how fragile life can be.  My advice, enjoy life today and prepare like there is no tomorrow!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

Bitter fish, green tongues, and a petro shortage…

This past Thursday morning, I had the privilege of moderating a discussion between the graduating class at Trans Africa Theological College and four seasoned pastors.  For three hours, the students were given the opportunity of asking any question they wanted about ministry and things that the classroom could not teach them.

The questions ranged from how one can make it as an assistant pastor to what happens if your spouse is not called to ministry.

Inevitably, the question of finance comes to the surface.  One of the best words of advice given was to “learn to be calm and resilient in the face of lack”.  A pastor shared how he and his wife ate bitter fish during the first year of their ministry.  Another shared how his wife grew a particular vegetable that turned their tongue green when they ate it.  He mused how for one whole year, their tongues were green every day!  The students heard how lack of finance can build your personal faith while it allows God to see whom He can trust with bigger things.  As one pastor put it, “If your passion is to do the will of the Father, it doesn’t matter what you eat or wear, it is the call that will keep you going”.

I can’t possibly express in words the privilege MJ and I to have of pouring into present and future leadership on the Continent of Africa.  Tomorrow, we begin our next series of seminars for pastors and church leaders called “Another Gospel”.  I will travel with Bishop Joshua Banda, Doctor John Kerr and Rev. Garry Fess (from London, Ontario) to three cities over four days.

We just got word yesterday that a gas shortage is looming in Zambia.  A ship carrying the precious fuel cargo is “idling” in Dar es Salaam because of what is being described as “red tape” which could lead to a potentially destructive disruption of fuel to Zambia.  Click on this link http://www.lusakatimes.com/2012/03/18/fuel-petroleum-products-shortage-looms/ for the full story.

So I guess it is important to take heed to the words of the Zambian pastor last week who said “learn to be calm and resilient in the face of lack”.  We may not eat bitter fish or have a green tongue this week, but it may be a long walk to Lusaka!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

I sat where they sit…

The major mode of transportation in Zambia is these blue and white mini buses. For three thousand kwacha (about 75 cents Canadian), you can travel anywhere in the city.

Last Thursday, my car was in the garage for suspension repair – a common occurrence on our Zambian roads. When I called the taxi driver who normally takes us to the airport, he told me that his taxi was also in the garage, a not so common occurrence in Zambia as they usually run them until they can run no longer.

I decided to start walking the five or six kilometres to our home while I contemplated what I would do. Then I got thinking, this would be a great opportunity to experience “the Zambian mini-bus”, something I purposed to do while living here. You need to understand that of the thousands of mini-buses on the road, I have only seen one that looked like it might be one year old or less. For the most part, they are falling apart and literally held together by the equivalent of Zambian duck tape.

The one piece of advice given to me was to look like I know what I am doing when I get on, even if I don’t. As they opened the side door to let me in, the door was barely hanging on the hinges. The only seat available was in the middle of the bus and because I was the fourth man in a row that seats four, I literally had to squeeze my backside in between a man and a woman. The good news, no need for a seatbelt!

MJ and I have been blessed to have two mid-term PAOC global workers living on the property with us for the last year. They have become experienced mini-bus riders. Laura has enjoyed taking pictures of the unique sayings on the back window of the bus, unless of course, the window is broken and held together with the Zambian duck tape. She has often said that she would like to see me take a mini-bus before her return to Canada.

On Thursday, when I arrived home, I went to tell Laura what I had done, she said, “I already know”. Thinking that MJ had told her, she preceded to tell me that she took a picture of a mini-bus called “Purpose”. When she got home, she looked at the picture and noticed a white man standing in line. As she zoomed in, she realized it was me!!! Huh, what are the chances of that? If you enlarge the picture enough, you will notice me asking questions of the locals as to what bus I was to take.

So, every time I pull up beside a jammed packed mini-bus, I now know what they experience everyday, because “I have sat where they sit”!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!