Dan Crum, Global Impact Director
After only two weekends of launching the 1+1 child sponsorship ministry initiative, the number of children sponsored in Kenya, Guatemala and Swaziland has grown from 385 to 570. Well done, Church! Our goal remains 1000, to equal the number of children who come to Kid City on the weekend. If you sponsor a child outside the three partnering organizations of Connection Pointe, please let Teresa Byington know. Every child counts, and these children will be included as part of our vision to reach the one-to-one ratio.
One of the highlights of 1+1 has been the story of Cinthya and Chris Brown and their heart for children. A snippet of their story was shown in our services recently. You can watch the full interview HERE. I would encourage you to watch this powerful interview to capture their individual stories that God brought together and is using today in ways none of us expected. Cinthya was a sponsored child in Colombia and Chris is a third-generation foster parent. These two are some of my life heroes, and they show us what a life on mission can do.
I asked Cinthya and Chris this past weekend how this 1+1 has impacted them, to which they said, “It was amazing to see all those children’s packets disappear from the table and be sponsored by someone.” They have been moved by this response, just as we have been moved by their story. We are well on our way to being known as a church that cares for children on campus in Kid City, in the community through City Mosaic, and around the world through child sponsorship.
Once again, well done, Church.
1+1 will have one more weekend coming up as a presence in the lobby, after which it will be an ongoing presence in specific places of our campus. Be on the lookout for when that happens, and watch our number rise as more sponsored children are brought into relationship with people here.
If you are still considering sponsoring a child as part of your faith journey, take time to pray about it and meditate on these outcomes:
- Sponsoring a child allows us to participate in God’s Kingdom work in another part of the world.
- It brings hope, encouragement and a relationship to a child who may not have much to look forward to in this world.
- Being noticed by the sponsor, receiving letters, and having the support needed to attend school, receive basic living necessities (food, water, medical) and spiritual teaching becomes a new framework for a child to build their future story.
- It establishes a relationship that both child and sponsor enjoy.
- It teaches us to look beyond our own needs to the needs of others.
