haiti 2012: i need your help

over the last several years, the Christian Campus House (where I serve as campus minister) has raised over $12,000 for clean water projects in haiti. the need is desperate and our students have responded to the call to give a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name to those who are thirsty.

 
last year, a few students and i had the opportunity to visit haiti and see the need and the solutions firsthand. while there we had the privilege of serving orphans and their caretakers, students and their teachers, and the least of these.

but we fell in love in the mountains.

after a long hike straight up, we met the friendly residents of a very remote village. life is rough for them; the nearest water supply is not near at all, the land does not farm well, and the people have little to no access to medical care, education, and other basic necessities.

this year, we are heading back. from may 9th through may 16th, myself and several students will devote an entire week to the beautiful people in the mountains. we have three objectives:

1) we will provide materials to build a permanent structure for their church/school. once this structure is up, we will be able to collect rainwater from the roof, thus providing access to some clean water.

2) we will distribute as many bibles in their native language as we can get our hands on.

3) we will provide goats to families in the community to stimulate the local economy and jump-start the family’s ability to earn an income.

and this is just the beginning of what i imagine will be a 3-5 year series of projects in this community!

to make all of this possible, i need your help. i am looking for folks who will partner with me in one of two ways:

1) will you pray for me, for my team, and for haiti? if so, please email me at mynameisbrandon [at] gmail [dot] com and put “haiti prayer team” in the subject line. i will add you to our prayer email list and we’ll send occasional updates to you so that you can pray knowledgeably.

2) will you financially support me? i need to raise at least $1,200 to cover the trip expenses. you can give securely online by clicking on http://cscea.donortools.com and selecting my name from the list. or you can send a check with my name in the memo line to: Christian Campus House, 904 College Avenue, Maryville MO 64468.

i am aiming to have my funds raised by march 1st.

thanks so much in advance!

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sentralized goodness

about a month ago, i mentioned i would be heading to KC for the “sentralized” conference.

well, i went. i absorbed. and it was good.

i have been meaning to post some of the goodness here, but as you know…life happens.

the vibe of the conference was very chill. the authors and speakers were accessible as opposed to hidden off in a green room somewhere. i saw lots of skinny jeans and faux hawks.

and you should make plans to attend next year. the dates are september 27-29, 2012.

in the meantime, here are some of these goodies i wrote down in the trusty moleskine:

hugh halter said:

• people can’t seem to find Jesus when they look at us Christians. they are hungry for God, they just don’t want to be Christians.
• the point of the incarnation of Jesus was that a new story could be told.
• because Jesus has dealt with sin once and for all (and managed it), we no longer need to micro-manage sin in the daily life of others.
• sometimes the only way to break through the disorientation is with something unexpected and crazy.
• most pastors are pharisees: they know a lot of stuff but are separated from the world.

michael frost said:

• the universal reign of God is the basis of all mission; our job is to announce and demonstrate that reign.
• the missional life is meant to be like the fake orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. remember that? meg ryan’s character fakes an orgasm and the old lady sitting in the booth next to her says, “i’ll have what she’s having.”

the point here is that our missional life should make others look at us and say, “i want what they have.”

• we need to make a daily committment to listen to our city.
• we must be loyal to the context in which God has placed us. our departure from our city preaches something about the nature of Christ.

alan hirsch said:

• if you can define the church without Jesus, you can have church without Jesus.
• we can’t resolve the problems with the church by thinking the same way that created those problems.

eric mason said:

• we have sent subsidized leaders to the inner city; we must have the same expectations of ministry in every context.

rickie bradshaw said:

• the condition of the land is directly related to the condition of God’s people.
• if you lose your saltiness, you are good for nothing but baby baptisms and weddings.

neil cole said:

• if the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus doesn’t motivate the congregation, then my sermon isn’t going to motivate them.

debbie hersch said:

• when we misunderstand “family,” it blocks our capacity to truly be hospitable.
• it also re-distributes our resources. why does everyone in our neighborhood need to possess their own lawnmower, breadmaker, etc.? why can’t we share these amongst ourselves and use our saved resources in better ways?

lance ford and brad brisco said:

• the three ‘isms we must deal with today are: consumerism, materialism, and individualism.

geoff and sherry maddock said:

• the church has become the object of its own affection.
• we must become collaborators.
• we are made in the image of the Creator-God; not a consumer-god. therefore, we must create and not consume.