Showing posts with label wcf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wcf. Show all posts

Thursday 9 July 2015

Bringing into safety from Irak and Iran

English: Map of Iran-Irak war, Furthest ground...
English: Map of Iran-Irak war, Furthest ground gains. Red = Irak / Yellow = Iran Deutsch: Irak-Iran-Krieg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Belgian Christadelphians did not have much luck with keeping in contact with those from Irak and Iran, they brought  into safety and gave financial assistance. Even those which got baptised, once in the West in safety did not keep to the faith and enjoyed their renewed life in the capitalist world in the same way as most people do who are surrounded by all the materialistic tempting goods.

Brother Mehdi escaped persecution in Iran and recently left Turkey, being granted asylum in the United States. His wife and daughter remain in Turkey awaiting permission to resettle. After originally being sent to Kentucky by the resettlement agency, the Bloomington ecclesia supported his relocation to their city, so that he might be in the company of brethren and be able to benefit from ecclesial life. 
Although the federal government provides some funding to refugees, many expenses are not covered.
There are also numerous practical issues that need to be addressed such as enrolling in ESL classes, finding suitable housing, obtaining employment and securing transportation. At the request of the Bloomington ecclesia, WCF has provided financial assistance to cover rent and utility expenses until our brother becomes self-sufficient. 
The Foundation also continues to financially support many of the brethren remaining in Turkey as they await the slow process of resettlement to a new home in the West.

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Community Outreach Program Trust (COPT ), a non-profit Christian Trade School

Community Outreach Program Trust (COPT ), a non-profit Christian Trade School has been launched this Spring providing young adults who have been involved at the Good News Centres opportunity to learn basic trade skills. 
 
This practical instruction, open to both male and female students, will be combined
with spiritual lessons focused on the Kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
The four week course will equip students with technical skills tailored to the African market, with graduates receiving a Basic Trade Skills Certificate to confirm a level of competency for prospective employers.
The trade school facility is being set up in warehouse space in the Pinetown area of Durban and will be overseen by Brother Glen Wright. It is anticipated that this year’s graduates would number about twenty. To finance this venture, the COPT requested WCF support. The Foundation was pleased to provide matching funds to assist these young adults become more self sufficient. 
 
An online video has been produced by the COPT and can be viewed at
 
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Thursday 16 January 2014

Update on the Clermont Good News Centre Building

Update on the Clermont Good News Centre

BuildingLast year WCF provided a grant of over $35,000 to the COPT volunteer project team to address much needed repairs and improvements at the Clermont facility. The property is home to the Clermont ecclesia and also includes a residence. The property was terraced to control water runoff; a retaining wall was installed to increase the area of usable land and a proper walkway was laid to accommodate infirm members. Sanitary improvements, garden plots and accommodations for a resident caretaker were also part of the overall plan. After some deliberation it was deemed best to build a new structure on leased land to house the Clermont Good News Centre, rather than repair the existing building.

Pictured above is the new building fronting the street and protected by the surrounding retaining wall. Three young friends look forward to this welcome addition to their community. Many thanks are extended to Brother Grant Larsen — project supervisor and master builder — together with his team of dedicated volunteers!
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Support for Preaching in New Zealand

Support for Preaching in New Zealand

Thastings campaignhe brothers and sisters of the Hastings, NZ ecclesia are preparing to host a national preaching campaign, which will be held, God willing, January 2nd to 8th, 2014.
Although the campaign will be hosted by the Hastings ecclesia, they’ve received strong volunteer support from many ecclesias throughout New Zealand, and the brethren are hoping that this might spark a resurgence in preaching campaigns in the country. In particular, the young people are being strongly encouraged to attend; it is hoped that the experience of preaching in such an open and exciting environment will be invaluable to their spiritual development. The campaign is based on the theme of “The Bible for Life” with their slogan being “Live Life with Hope”.

In conjunction with the public talks, the brethren are planning to rent a storefront where they will be running a variety of ‘hands-on’ workshops dealing with topics such as addiction, marriage, parenting and finances—topics that focus on the practical outworking of the Christian faith, run by qualified brothers and sisters. As with any venture such as this, finances play a very important role. Renting an appropriate venue, marketing the campaign together with food, hospitality and accommodation can all add up quickly. To help defray these costs, WCF was approached for financial assistance. The Foundation was pleased to respond with a grant of $4,000 as requested by the 2014 Hastings Campaign steering committee.

If your ecclesia is planning a public outreach effort, the cost of which exceeds ecclesial resources, you are invited to ask WCF to serve as a funding partner. 
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Kapalpal Christadelphian School, Vanuatu

Where’s Vanuatu?  These picturesque islands are in the South Pacific, about 1,500 miles from Australia. This beautiful archipelago is not only noteworthy because of its stunning landscape, but also because of the spiritual inroads that have been made to spread the Good News.

The Kapalpal Christadelphian School is located on the island of Tanna  in Vanuatu.
The school opened its doors in 2009 and was begun in support of a brother who was volunteer teaching. The school, originally built to accommodate 70 children, was soon overburdened with 200 students!
A second building was added in 2010 and this year, a junior secondary school has been established. The extra classes for high school have meant that space has again become a major issue.

Thanks to volunteer workers and funding supplied by WCF, this summer a new building was constructed of earth-bags and timber. The students in the high school range in age from 12-20. Such an age range is not unusual in Vanuatu, where non-compulsory education can be interrupted for many reasons. The school follows the curriculum provided by the Vanuatu education department. Since Kapalpal is considered by the authorities to be a 'mission' school, the brethren have the freedom to teach the Good New of the Scriptures.
In the primary school, Sunday School lessons are also taught and a Bible camp is held annually.
The new building is made in good part of earth bags – synthetic bags filled with dirt. The upper half of the building is made of timber and is covered by an iron roof. Because the cost of getting materials to the island is high it was decided to employ local materials—bags of dirt and timber. Not only did this reduce building costs, but it was also a design that the local community could afford and replicate. The bags of earth would also in turn provide better protection from the cold, wind and rain compared to thatch and bamboo. It is anticipated that if built well, the earth bag homes should last much longer than those made of traditional materials. This project was facilitated by a grant of $20,000 from WCF.

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