To the Point:
A doctrin e serves no purpose in itself, but it is indispensable to have one if only to avoid being deceived by false doctrines.
-Simone Weil
No one has ever had an idea in a dress suit.
-Sir Frederick G. Banting
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
-Isaiah 32:17
The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it. -Sir Peter Medawar- One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.
- -Marie Curie
The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men.
-George Eliot- I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.
- -Terry Pratchett
- Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.
- -Christopher Lasch
- In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.
- -Fran Lebowitz
- What
we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have
finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of
books.
- -Thomas Carlyle
It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has accumulated during the first half. -Fyodor DostoevskyGot a favorite quote? Send it to BestPractices@ameritech.net. |
|
|
|
Practitioners:
Paul Mawela, Dwarsloop, South Africa
by Loren Seibold
I just got back from a trip to South Africa with Hope for Humanity, and wanted to tell you about this retired African pastor's discovery: after a lifetime of ministry, he has been surprised and delighted to find himself working as part of a team with other Christian clergy on a life-changing humanitarian project they all believe in.
While I was there, I took this (rather poor quality) video of Pastor Mawela telling his own story. There are two YouTube videos here: Part 1 is about starting the Nhlengelo Center for the care of HIV/AIDS patients. Part 2 is about how that opened the door to beginning a church. Watch them both: I assure you, you won't be bored.
Nhlengelo Center today is quite an operation: 60+ volunteer caregivers go out every day to visit HIV/AIDS patients and orphans. They feed around 400 orphans every day. Several entities provide support,but Hope for Humanity--what we used to call Harvest Ingathering--is a key partner.
The other fellow in Part 2 is Maitland DiPinto, who is the current godfather of Hope for Humanity. We all know that going door to door soliciting money has rather fallen out of favor (if it was ever in) here in North America. I'm convinced, though, that our churches absolutely must do something for others, without ulterior motive, or we will become hopelessly ingrown.
Maitland points out that the decline of door-to-door solicitation precisely matches the decline in the public awareness of Seventh-day Adventists. (In surveys, only about 10% of the general public can name one true fact about us. My friend Monte Sahlin quips, "At least we don't have to worry anymore about being persecuted: no one knows we exist.")
Maitland is trying to put together new ways of making our churches and our neighbors interested again in humanitarian work. He's calling it "Partners in Mission," which is another way of saying that your church can take on a specific project, like Nhlengelo, have interaction with the program you're supporting, and follow the results of your gift as it is used.
This whole concept is still developing. Traditional ingathering hangs on in some churches by means of some business contacts, a die-hard door-to-door solicitor or two, member-donated money to reach the goal, and in some conferences a percentage kickback to the local church. Partners in Mission is an attempt to give Ingathering a new face, and I think it has great potential, but it won't be precisely like old Ingathering.
Here are a few resources you can check out:
- Maitland and his team have put together an excellent DVD (only just released) that you can get free from AdventSource. It is beautifully done, and I wouldn't be afraid to use it for the sermon time.
- While in Africa I posted a travel journal. There are some rather startling stories retold there, especially those having to do with child-headed homes.
- Hope for Humanity has yet to get their web presence established, but they tell me that's coming eventually. In the meantime, if you have questions about the Partners in Mission program, or the Mawela's ministry in particular, e-mail Maitland directly at Maitland.DiPinto@nad.adventist.org.
Are you or a colleague doing something especially interesting and innovative in ministry? Tell us about it at BestPractices@ameritech.net. |
|
|
|
|
