Faith Garden Hostel, the name of the hostel in Chiangmai that we are serving currently has 18 children. Almost all of the families of the students currently cared for by our partners cannot afford the full expense of school fees, related expenses of living away from their village. Their families contribute what they can by way of cash and produce like rice. The couple supplements this with sundry income from weaving, and growing food in their garden.
We have a report from a visit to our partners in February, that on average, monthly overall expenses for the Faith Garden Hostel in past year was about S$2000. After deducting receipts from the students and the sundry income earned by the couple, the shortfall per month was about S$1,100 per month in the initial months. For the last 4 months, however, the shortfall per month has dropped as the student’s parents were able to increase their contribution, and the foreseeable cash shortfall now stands at about S$600 per month.
Sponsorship
A sponsorship program has been requested by our partners that will support and enable them to continue the good work they are doing with the Karen students. Our partners hope that each sponsor will commit to give an amount equivalent to one month’s cash shortfall needed to run the Faith Garden Hostel, or S$600.
The sponsorship program allows concerned parties to give according to their preference. A sponsor can elect and indicate in the sponsorship form to give S$600 in a lump sum or in installments over a one-year period or less. (For instance, you may decide to give S$50/month for a year, S$300 upfront and S$300 six months later, or the full S$600 upfront.)
A sponsor may also elect to give toward the direct sponsorship of a student. Alternatively, a sponsor may choose to give toward the overall running of the hostel. In both cases, sponsorship monies will all go to our local partners to pay for the maintenance of the hostel/school fees and expenses for the students. In the event you choose to give toward the direct sponsorship of a student, our partners will “match” a specific student to the sponsor, and provide the name and photo of the student to the sponsor. To the extent possible, subject to practical limitations, our partners will facilitate the provision of information regarding the student to the sponsor for the latter to know the student’s general progress and development. In either case, you will receive an acknowledgement of your sponsorship from our partners.
Vineyard is all about zealously or passionately “doing the stuff”. Why do we feel this way? What has influenced us?
One of the main influences, if not the major influence on John Wimber’s life was an understanding of the kingdom of God. Learning about the kingdom of God gave John a new perspective. In his own words, his Christian life took on an entirely different meaning. Attending church was no longer a dreaded activity, but became, exciting gatherings in which the people of God are equipped to go and preach and demonstrate the gospel.
The kingdom of God gave John (and all of us who are a part of the Vineyard movement which he founded) our biblical and theological key for power evangelism and experiencing signs and wonders today. The kingdom of God has shaped our approach to ministry, and given us the basis and motivation for equipping the saints and joining the fight against Satan. Teaching about the kingdom of God has become a deeply ingrained practice in Vineyard churches.
We will reproduce below a number of blog posts about the Kingdom of God in the coming days, that had been featured in discontinued NLV online site, and include a video in which John Wimber teaches on the kingdom of God..
The Indonesian Partnership is always looking for new and strategic ways to continue their efforts towards building community, both here in the US as well as in Indonesia… and another idea has sprung up!
Indonesia is known for their lush vegetation, plentiful rainforests, and exotic wildlife. This ecosystem is one of the most diverse in the world but it’s not only for aesthetics – the entire world benefits from the oxygen produced there. Many of the trees and plants are used daily to financially support villages and communities. Rubber, teak, and acacia trees are just three of the main types of timber planted, grown, and harvested for a living. Just one acre of 5 year old rubber trees can support a family of four, providing them approximately $150 per month!
With Christmas just around the corner, our Indonesian partners have initiated a project called, Trees for Lives, to help church planters reach rural communities by selling t-shirts and Christmas ornaments.
By purchasing a t-shirt and/or ornament a tree will be planted in your name and will help:
• Provide jobs so Indonesian church planters can hire local people to work planting the trees
• Build and enhance relationships between church planters and their new communities as they demonstrate care for the environment and their neighbors
• Reducing carbon emissions
• Helping parents to send their kids to school with new cloths & supplies
• Fund investments in new properties to continue building Communities of Hope
• Develop tree farms for long term employment harvesting rubber and other tree products.
These trees represent bringing new life to communities. They represent that there are still communities in the world who want to see growth by engaging and supporting win-win projects with other communities … such as Trees for Lives!
If you would like to participate in this project please contact:
Through the introduction of Jon, I met with Adolfo “Chito” Aquino recently during the latter’s visit to Singapore.
Chito and a number of other pastors founded and currently lead the LJOR Church in the Philippines. LJOR is the acronymn for the Lord Jesus Our Redeemer, and the church comprises of more than a hundred local churches spread all over the Philippines and elsewhere in the world. It is committed to: “Love God, Love One Another; Proclaim, Teach, and Advance God’s Kingdom to the Ends of the World.” Now isn’t that remarkably like NLV’s vision, to Love GOd, Love People, and Co-mission with Christ?
The elders of LJOR are open to networking with NLV and they have started coming to our Sunday morning meetings.
LJOR has a small Filipino fellowship going in Singapore and we are delighted to be hosting their Sunday afternoon meetings in our premises.
The new hostel has taken in 19 children for this school year. From the pictures below, we can see that they are settling into their “home” in the city.
