Destroying Evil with Generosity

Last Monday night, our Capacity Core Team hosted a conversation around Circle of Hope's Common Fund Budget. We are committed to the counter-cultural act of talking about money. Believing that how we allocate our common resources is a reflection of our values, 32 people gathered to discuss where we stand on Sources (income) and Uses (spending) half-way through the calendar year. We heard about some significant new uses in 2013 on technology, speaker honorariums, and QuickBooks online - which are all increasing our Capacity for meeting the next person in our region. We discussed a new way of allocating our World Hunger Giving, and will be sending a percentage of our Common Fund giving with Macha Mission, a community, hospital, and malaria research center founded in Zambia. Finally, we brainstormed in small groups about how we might allocate our resources in 2014 - centered around our 3 main uses: Human Resources, our shared spaces, and technology. We hope that this conversation serves as a springboard for further discussion about how Circle of Hope shares our common resources.

If you would like to continue the conversation, please reach out to Capacity Core Team members Alison Wear, Michael Heneghan, Kyle Zieba, or Aaron Foltz. If you have shared with Circle of Hope's Common Fund in the 2nd Quarter of 2013 (April, May, June), you will receive a Statement via email in the next week or so. Please check your statement for accuracy, and contact Operations Manager Matthew Abraham with any questions or concerns.

Reporting: Alison Wear

The Congo

On Saturday we hosted our fourth seminar of the year as our friends Bruce Campbell-Janz and Jesus Cruz from Mennonite Central Committee led us to ponder the Congo, an active faith, and God's call to the world. Over 50 people gathered to hear about a country devastated by nearly 20 years of war. MCC's work with youth, refugees, and internally displaced peoples was inspiring and gave us a good picture of where some of our Common Fund sharing dollars go.

As an added bonus, a visiting Syrian Orthodox Church bishop joined in our conversation and commented on the recent conflict in Syria, the humanitarian toll, and the physical and psychological damage being inflicted within the borders of his beloved home.

As a group, we were driven to our feet in solidarity, offering prayers of peace, reconciliation, healing, and restoration. We continue to pray for Jesus to be at work and for the safety of our partners as they do the work of Jesus in difficult circumstances.

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.

Clandestine Fiddling

Clandestine Fiddling 2013 - Watch it now.

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

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

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.