I was sitting with some friends about 6 years ago talking about current trends and issues in the world. I brought up the micro-loan concept that was being used by missionaries in third world countries. The concept was to make small loans that would help to improve a family's quality of life. A fifty dollar loan could help a family break free from desperate poverty.
The idea of poverty as a tool of Satan was new to me at the time. I see how our enemy deceives people and how the greed of the powerful often oppresses the poor and the helpless. Poverty can become a snare that holds people in lifestyles that produce generational impacts.
I decided at that time that I would use my business experience to join with ministries that were helping people first get set free from the bondage of sin and then from the snare of poverty. Here we are six years later and the Mission Store is taking shape.
We have now partnered with three ministries that are working in Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Thailand to help widows and former prostitutes to escape the bonds of poverty. We import the products made by the people the ministries serve. This has immediate impact. The money from the products we purchase goes directly to the person who made the product. We then sell the products here in America which expands their market allowing them to sell more goods. We take 10% of the proceeds and send it back to the ministry and use the remaining funds to help widows, orphans and homeless families right here in America.
We are in the process of placing a few items on the web for purchase this Christmas season. If you are looking for a unique gift with a purpose and an impact then visit the Mission Store. Your purchase will change a life.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Sun - Greek word meaning "to come along side"
Sun Ministries was founded in 2006 as I was seeking God's answer to my calling in life. At the time I founded Sun Ministries I had no idea how much was about to take place or the significant role it would play in my future.
The idea was simple - the church in America was divided and God was not happy with that division. Every place I looked I saw churches duplicating efforts and refusing to work together. I hoped to become a unifying force for the body of Christ.
As we moved into the future I saw several areas where we could all come together. Specifically addressing the needs of widows, orphans, the poor and the homeless. Over the last couple of years I have taken what God has laid on my heart and I have put it into a vision of unity and working together for the common causes that unite us in Christ. I will give you a brief overview and later I will address each area in detail with another post.
The Narrow Gate - Not another homeless shelter but rather a mobilization to help people get off the streets. We have everything we need to end homelessness in this country. If the spare bedrooms of every Christian family would house one homeless person we would solve the problem tomorrow.
The Mission Store - Poverty is an oppressive power. Poverty causes people to make decisions they would otherwise never make. The Mission Store gives an outlet in America to handcrafted items made in third world countries by widows, orphans, and the poor. Through this effort we help people escape from poverty's grasp and lift the out of its oppressive power.
The Spiritual POW Project - Uniting in prayer is the first step to uniting at all. This project promotes prayer and supplies employment for the homeless and missionaries working in America. It allows ministries to partner together to make a difference in the lives of those right here in America.
The Summer Internship - We need to train tomorrows leaders in a different way. Instead of teaching the next generation to lead and pastor a church - let's teach them to lead and pastor their community. This program takes college age adults to Wyoming for the summer to learn how to make disciples and care for the community they live in.
The Sun is rising and a new day is dawning in America. I look forward to the day when the body of Christ is united in prayer, housing the homeless, caring for the widows and orphans, feeding the poor, and serving their communities. How about you?
The idea was simple - the church in America was divided and God was not happy with that division. Every place I looked I saw churches duplicating efforts and refusing to work together. I hoped to become a unifying force for the body of Christ.
As we moved into the future I saw several areas where we could all come together. Specifically addressing the needs of widows, orphans, the poor and the homeless. Over the last couple of years I have taken what God has laid on my heart and I have put it into a vision of unity and working together for the common causes that unite us in Christ. I will give you a brief overview and later I will address each area in detail with another post.
The Narrow Gate - Not another homeless shelter but rather a mobilization to help people get off the streets. We have everything we need to end homelessness in this country. If the spare bedrooms of every Christian family would house one homeless person we would solve the problem tomorrow.
The Mission Store - Poverty is an oppressive power. Poverty causes people to make decisions they would otherwise never make. The Mission Store gives an outlet in America to handcrafted items made in third world countries by widows, orphans, and the poor. Through this effort we help people escape from poverty's grasp and lift the out of its oppressive power.
The Spiritual POW Project - Uniting in prayer is the first step to uniting at all. This project promotes prayer and supplies employment for the homeless and missionaries working in America. It allows ministries to partner together to make a difference in the lives of those right here in America.
The Summer Internship - We need to train tomorrows leaders in a different way. Instead of teaching the next generation to lead and pastor a church - let's teach them to lead and pastor their community. This program takes college age adults to Wyoming for the summer to learn how to make disciples and care for the community they live in.
The Sun is rising and a new day is dawning in America. I look forward to the day when the body of Christ is united in prayer, housing the homeless, caring for the widows and orphans, feeding the poor, and serving their communities. How about you?
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