Part 2

This seminar was given by Brian Fikkert Saturday, October 20, 2012, during Global Focus.

Note: When Helping Hurts, co-authored by Brian Fikkert, is still on sale at the bookstore for $9.99.

Part 1

This seminar was given by Brian Fikkert Saturday, October 20, 2012, during Global Focus.

Listen to Part 2 of the seminar.

How do you effectively help meet the needs of those who are poor? This is a question that is particularly pertinent to the task of missions. When Paul himself was encouraged by the church in Jerusalem to continue his ministry to the Gentiles, they exhorted him to remember the poor (Gal. 2:10).  Like Paul, many of our global partners find themselves working among the poor and marginalized in society, and this is a key part to their ministries. But how are we, as missions-minded Christians, to do this?

Tim Blackmon makes the following observations in his article “The Dangerous Act of Hospitality” (from Modern Reformation, Sept/Oct 2011):

“True hospitality is different. It is deeply Christian and at times is even dangerous.”

“Hospitality was crucial to the survival, identity, and growth of the early church.”

“Compassionate care was the direct result of theological vision. They ‘joyfully accepted the plundering of their property,’ because of their belief about the future ‘since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.’”

Bethlehem College and Seminary seeks to be …

Focus_to_Foster_Fruitfulness.pdf

I remember early in my Christian journey hearing a church described as a “sending church.” The idea was that the church was committed to investing their people, prayers, and finances in kingdom-advancing work beyond themselves. Now, later in my Christian journey, I am glad to be a part of such a church. Those who are “sent” from Bethlehem fall into two primary categories. “Global Partners” minister in cross-cultural situations around the world and “Outreach Ministries” minister in various settings in the United States.

TCT Tear-Off August 2011.pdf

Treasuring Christ Together

TCT is our ongoing strategy to fulfill our mission through a multiplying movement of campuses, new churches, and a Global Diaconate, united by a common mission and founded on a common biblical life and doctrine.

Earlier this Spring, I wrote a blog post inviting women to tell me commendable things about their fathers. For the next few days, we will be posting some of the responses.

That’s the mission of Jericho Road Ministries. Their vision is for people to be fed, housed, clothed, gainfully-employed, freed in Christ, part of a Bible-based church, and community-minded. Located in South Minneapolis, Jericho Road assists people experiencing financial crisis, provides food for those in need, and trains in budgeting, nutrition, and work skills.
 
The goals for Jericho Road in 2011 include the following:

Hope_in_Financial_Hardship_and_Helping_Hand.pdf

Financial Hardship

I have worked as a financial counselor over the past couple years and have spoken with more than 2,500 individuals and families, all of them with common themes of financial hardship and difficulty in managing their money.

The majority of people I have spoken with are very humble, and often ashamed and fearful of their predicament. For many it is a great struggle to pick up the phone and ask for help. Being in financial hardship can be a difficult and terrible experience—it is also a very common one.