Missio Dei, inherent in our organization’s name, is a Latin phrase meaning “Mission of God”.  And this demonstrates why we exist as an organization . . . to bridge a huge and very real gap that exists in our post-Christian society between the institutional church’s shrinking number of members/attenders and those in its shared society who are dying in a downtrodden and hopeless state of life all alone.  These are the people whom the Scripture refers to as the “poor in spirit”.  Our mission is to reach these people in society, not with the goal of making them institutional church people, but to help them find hope and a path to growth through developing a personal relationship with their creator by coming to an understanding of God’s story of and plan for His creation.  And this is what the Scripture calls making disciples.  So, we are asking you to partner with us in this year’s fundraiser “Africa the Gala” to help financially support this mission.

At this point, you may have some questions . . . “How exactly are you accomplishing this mission?”  “How are you reaching the ‘poor in spirit’?” “How are you engaging them in order to spark the transformation?”  “Do you have any stories from anyone whom you have reached that was in this “poor in spirit” hopeless state who has experienced transformation through your efforts?”  These are all good questions.  Our strategy is to think and act practically but also in partnership with the Holy Spirit.  So, we partner with local organizations that house those who are poor in spirit such as the Home of Grace and Freedom Lighthouse.  We provide scholarship funds to help get those in need into their programs.  We are also committed to personally going to each of these organizations weekly to serve their clients and build relationships with them with goal of providing a support system when they complete the programs.  We help people find housing, jobs and even find ways to invest in new businesses for them to run when the opportunity arises.  As a result, we are also seeing the hopeless restored in their relationships with their families and others in their community!  As we go about these things in our daily lives, we are modeling and multiplying a certain way of life that was established by Christ in during His life.  And, we are very excited to have the opportunity, in partnership with Training Pastor’s International, to be sending a team to Africa on three trips over a three year period to help train leaders in the remote village of Panyimur, Uganda to walk out this same way of Jesus Christ among their communities as well!