We aren’t a big church, but we strive to be a giving and action-oriented community, supporting people and causes both locally and globally. This Christmas, we lived that out by supporting four ministries that matter to us. Please consider joining us in supporting these efforts!
Belize Friends Ministries
On the Southside of Belize City, in Central America, the Belize Friends School has been “Bridging the Gap Between Poverty and Possibilities” for 21 years. The School provides a “second-chance” for students who have failed in traditional schools. Their values-based curriculum is much more than remedial academics; it is whole-life redemption for children.
In recent years, Friends’ work in Belize City has been expanding within the Southside community. The School is seeking to serve more young people, to offer primary-level education to adults, and to provide pastoral counseling to students and families. Outreach efforts have included introducing the Alternatives to Violence Program and acting as police-community mediators. A Friends meeting is being planted in Belize City, gathering a worshipping body of Friends through incarnational and relational evangelism.
Many Friends from our meeting have visited Belize Friends Ministries on work teams, and the staff and students are always in our prayers. You can learn more about Friends United Meeting’s work in the Caribbean here, subscribe to Director Nikki Holland’s e-newsletter here, and subscribe to Pastor Oscar Mmbali’s e-newsletter here.
Harvest of Gold
Harvest of Gold, in Wilmington Ohio, is a multifaceted organization that addresses, “the whole well-being of the low income, the at risk, and the community at large by providing opportunities for education, training, personal empowerment and creative development.”
To realize these goals, they offer an after-school academic tutoring program in a computer lab, a bicycle incentive program for exceptional success by students in grades K-5 and many recreational activities. The program is led by Eleanor Harris and is financed locally by donations from a variety of organizations. They are always in need of volunteers, so reach out if you have some spare time!
Right Sharing of World Resources
Right Sharing of World Resources is an independent Quaker not for profit organization. It is sharing the abundance of God’s love by working for equity through partnerships around the world, lifting up women in India, Sierra Leone, and Kenya. Right Sharing’s work is grounded in a sense of stewardship for the world’s material, human, and spiritual resources. As we share resources together, communities are being transformed.
We support the work of Right Sharing year-round through Friends’ stamp collecting project, currently stewarded by Indianapolis First Friends. We collect all kinds of stamps, aside from the generic Forever ones. If you want to collect stamps for Right Sharing, click here for more information.
Mwandani International
Mwandani International began with this purpose: “Helping Rehabilitate Destitute and Street Children of Nakuru, Kenya.” It was initiated in the 1980s by Niva Kegode, the mother of George and Marcie Kegode, both Wilmington College graduates. In recent years George, who holds a Ph.D. in agriculture from Iowa State University has moved the organization toward dealing with poverty and homelessness by assisting small rural farmers. This in turn, will provide opportunity for participating in local markets and increased income. This has the added advantage of reversing the temptation to migration to urban areas which often results in more problems than solutions.
More information about Mwandani is available on their website.