Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Debt Annihilation Team - Another Round


On Monday night, our second round of the Debt Annihilation Team officially commenced. Our first group launched in 2010 with five people - nine lines of credit totaling over $22,000 in consumer debt. With $8,000 of seed money, our plan would save thousands of dollars in interest to credit card companies, expedite freedom from debt, and teach a number of healthy financial habits and understanding through being formed into a little community within our church. This first group, whom we affectionately referred to as the "astronauts," took a lot of risks and courageously demonstrated that our ideas can work. We learned a lot along the way as people grew, their situations changed, and four of the five made it to the finish line and are nearly complete replenishing the seed fund - which will be most of the money we need to prospect for a third group.

Our second group, now underway, is five people again. This time with nine lines of credit and over $26,000 of consumer debt. Our $10,000 seed fund and improved relational structure would save over $7,000 in interest to predatory credit card companies over the next two plus years. After 21 months, the debt will be erased. After 38 months, the seed fund will be replenished for a future group to use. In July, we'll have our first meeting hosted by one of the Group members, a simple meal at their home to help foster love and enjoy hospitality and generosity as part of Christ's antidote to shame and scarcity.

Keep the Debt Annihilation Group members, their Everence-trained coaches, and our administrators in your prayers as we take some huge swipes at bondage while taking strides towards more freedom together.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

A Trip to Conoy


The Compassion Core team and musicians from our network traveled to Elizabethtown to Conoy BIC Church on Sunday. Following Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25, Jonny Rashid shared why we would care to have compassion on others and Megan Rosenbach gave the details about how we are doing it through our compassion teams. Our musicians shared original and foreign language songs. Our fourteen compassion teams give people fourteen different opportunities to help spread justice and peace in the Philadelphia region and beyond, and the Compassion Core team is working to find creative ways to expand our reach. Sunday was a great start! The good people at Conoy BIC welcomed us with hospitality and even orchestrated a love offering of $300! We are looking for more venues to share the stories from our compassion teams in the coming months.

Reporting: Megan Rosenbach


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Missionary Mindset


On Saturday, our cell leaders gathered to learn a bit more about what Paul was really talking about when he told Corinthian women to veil their heads. We concluded that he was really trying to be on a mission, striving to be all things to all people as he had written about just a few chapters earlier. Our cell leaders then brainstormed about ways that we could make connections within our neighborhoods and meet the next person by being cultural sensitive and flexibly presenting the Gospel.

The summary of Jonny's complete talk at the training can be read at his blog: http://jonnyrashid.wordpress.com/ 


Reporting: Jonny Rashid

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Circle Thrift shares nearly triple so far in 2013!



Last year by the end of April Circle Thrift had shared $12,750 with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). This year they have already shared $33,700 with MCC! That is nearly a tripling in giving!

The money donated to the Mennonite Central Committee is used to support peace, education, health, food, and water programs around the globe. Here are a few real ways that Circle Thrift's donations to MCC are impacting people:

Syria: MCC's work with Syrian partner organizations to respond to the basic human needs of Syrians by distributing food, blankets and kits, and supporting peacebuilding and education in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

HIV AIDS Prevention: MCC supports volunteers, churches and organizations who are courageously speaking out to prevent the spread of HIV, caring for their neighbors and supporting those orphaned by the pandemic.

Clean Drinking Water: folks in Zambian villages are trained by Brethren in Christ Churches to maintain hand water pumps in their communities to provide access to clean drinking water.