engaged in building the Kingdom and they are enlisting others to join them. Through Worldview International, a 501(c)3 organization that partners with churches around the world to lift up the poorest of the poor, Worldview challenges people to "see different and live different."
"Our goal is to help Christians in America see what church in other parts of the world is like and move them to help," said Gary Craun, administrative pastor at Worldview Community Church. "The opportunities are so great that we can't just keep the ministry within our church walls. We really see ourselves as part of the international church."
In order to reach out to the world, financial resources are necessary. Worldview met in schools for more than 20 years before constructing a facility so they could focus on their ministry. After four years in their new building, they looked for a way to free up some of their financial commitments so they could funnel more money into ministry.
"We talked with banks and mortgage companies and it just didn't work," Gary said. "Then we found Strongtower and they committed to working with us to set up a financial package that makes sense. Now we're spending $10,000 less a month on our building and that allows us to use those dollars on what God has called us to do."
Through collaboration with international and indigenous workers, Worldview created the concept of Hope Villages to care for orphans in Africa and transform the villages where they live.
"We have found it extremely effective to work with sister churches in Malawi to create these Hope Villages," Gary said. "Right at the center is a church and we come alongside that church to help them meet the practical and spiritual needs of the village."
By equipping people in these Hope Villages with resources and training, they can become self-sufficient, Kingdom-building members of the global church.
Poverty is prevalent in Madagascar as well, where the Mikea People hide deep in the forest. These hunter-gatherers live unseen by most of their countrymen and were unreachable by their own government. However, people from Worldview Community Church felt called to reach out the them.
"They worship demons, but God gave us favor with them," Gary said. "We were sitting with them under their witchcraft tree when they told us they felt our God would bless them. We have a church there now and we're baptizing people...it is a miracle."
To find out more about what God is doing through Worldview Community Church, visit www.worldviewcc.org. For more information about financing options available through Strongtower, complete and submit the form below. |
