EnterMission - Rob Wegner

Groundbreaking on Kalavai Colony Community Center and Lift Off of GCC August Team!

Raj just sent me this photo.  Ground has been broken and the foundation is being laid for the Kalavai Colony Community Center (KC3).

Yes!  Kingdom breakthrough!  The short video below provides a "before" look at the construction sight and overview of the community-transforming initiatives that KC3 will house.

Another GCC team leaves today, picking up the baton from the long line of GCC teams that have gone before them.  Each team member has responded to the call of Jesus and then engaged a rigorous training process.  They are ready heart, mind, body, and soul. As one of their pastors, they make me so proud I could almost burst.

The current team will function in two villages where GCC has planted churches. They will:  

• Begin construction of the Kalavai Colony Community Center.
• Teach conversational English.  Conversational English unlocks the door to vocational and academic opportunity in India.
• Host health camps that will revolve around teaching basic health, hygiene, sanitation, and nutritional.  Over 80% of illness in a village can be alleviated through this type of education.
• Fire up three new small businesses: A rope shop, a flower shop, and goat-raising.

As you can see, the impact will be profound.

They are more than ready to join in the action. I hope you will too!  Our team leaders have all been iphone-equipped and twitter-trained, so you'll experience "in real time" reporting from the field.

Here's the part you can play to make a difference:

1. Follow along at the team blog.  Take a few minutes every day to "go to India."
2. Engage the global conversation by leaving them encouraging comments.  Imagine how morale will soar as they read scores of messages from the GCC family back here in Indiana.
3. Support the team in prayer.  Your prayers are powerful and will reach all the way around the world instantly.

Here we go!

KC3 in Kalavai from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

The First Ever...

I received an email yesterday that made me so happy, I was bent over with laughter.

Back story: The US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 154,000 vets are homeless on any given night.  The VA adds, one out of every three homeless men found sleeping by a dumpster has risked his life serving his country.  These brave souls who once stood in the line of fire to protect our freedom, now wear hand-me-down clothes and sleep in an alley. Unbelievable. This story has to change.

New story: South Bend will soon be the home to America's first shelter exclusively for homeless veterans!  God's people are now writing a new story for these homeless vets.

Through a collaborative partnership between GCC, EnterMission, Center for the Homeless (CFH), and Miller's Veterans, a recently purchased building on 747 S. Michigan St. will be renovated into a place of safety and transformation for homeless Vets.

Amazing, eh?

The real catalyst at the middle of this great new work is Robert Miller, Former Superior Court Judge and retired lieutenant commander in US Naval reserves, who served in WW2 and Korea. 

Last December, while reading a story in the paper on homelessness, Judge Miller saw a picture of a homeless vet sleeping in a coffin-like box. The image shook him to his core. 

"When I looked at the picture...I didn't sleep much that night. I kicked the covers for three or four more nights and thought, I better find out what I can do."

Those sleepless nights birthed, Miller's Veterans, a new "platoon" of homeless vets who were living at the CFH. They've formed a drill team and began marching the parades, leveraging the community created to renew their spirits, help them regain self-respect, and give them a fresh start toward a new life.

That vision has blossomed into a vision for this new facility.

Two years ago, when GCC was building Monroe Circle Community Center, 70% of the labor was volunteer labor, both skilled and unskilled.  After a tour of the Community Center, lead by our Director of Life Mission, Jack Magruder, the quality of the work the people of GCC had accomplished in partnership with the people of Monroe Circle left Judge Miller almost speechless. 

So...it's building time again!

The GCC construction team, Granger Student Ministries, and Merge, under the leadership of Maribeth Roncz, GCC's leader of the CFH Team, are getting geared up to be the muscle and backbone behind this great new project.

It's time to add on to the Kingdom, bringing up there down here for homeless vets in MIchiana.

A few days ago, we sent off our "Letter of Intent" for partnership to Steve Camilleri, Executive Director at the CFH, and Former Superior Court Judge Miller.

It was Judge Miller's response email that made me laugh with joy.  These are his words.  I hope his heartfelt eloquence moves you the way it moved me.

"The poverty of the human language will not permit me to fully express the acceptance, approval and deep appreciation for your Letter of Intent to Partner and the extremely generous terms therein contained. I have just concluded a discussion and review with your good friend Steve Camilleri, speaking on behalf of the Center, who has gladly directed me to advise that his sentiments are identical, and even more so, if that is in fact possible. This isn't like we have to take your word for your proposal. Your work products scream of your talents and abilities."

If you're wanting to get your fingerprints on this, you can come to any Second Saturday starting this fall and join the party.  In addition, we'll have deeper opportunities throughout the week for those with the availability and certain skill sets.

BTW for Church Leaders: We often get asked about partnership and the tools we use to develop them.  If you'd like to take a look at the Letter of Intent, you can download it here.

Download Letter of Intent to Partner-CFH

GCC & Prostitution Part 3: Breakaway

This is where Raj, GCC, and Life Mission enter the story. 

As a few days ago, I wrote a post about our bottom up, grassroots approach.  The hope for the Domra community is not Raj, me, or GCC.  The hope for the Dommra community is in what Jesus will do through people like Rehka and Kumari.  However, that doesn't mean we don't have a critical role to play in unleashing that hope.

We are seeking to partner with the women in this community, in a way, that will allow everyone involved to give their strength and receive the strength of the others.  Here's what it looks like.

Rehka is an outlier, a breakout in the Dommra community.  What God is doing in her is leading her from slavery to freedom.  That is always the direction Jesus takes us, toward freedom.  The other woman in the community are watching her and wondering, "Is it possible?" 

So, as she moves forward, not only is she breaking out, but she is showing the other woman there IS A WAY OUT.  Exodus is possible!

We're going to add momentum to her breakaway by funding the first two years of Pharmaceutical college for Rekha as a component of this Kingdom initiative. She is becoming the symbol of hope for her people, a Moses.

This gift has engendered trust among the Dommra people.  Its the first time many of them have felt that ANYONE has had their best interest and transformation at heart.

From there, our team has formed the community into two groups, identified leaders, and conducted market survey, awareness and basic business training. Each of the interested women in the community submitted an application and a proposal for a small business.  We are providing the start up costs with potential for further expansion capital as they make progress and demonstrate integrity and success.   The community agreed wholeheartedly, and so it is full steam ahead!  

As of last month, a number of new businesses are up and running.  In addition, we're providing on going support and training through a pastor, Naveen Kumar and his wife, Princey, who have worked with us in other project areas. 

These women are experiencing both the proclamation and the demonstration of the Gospel. 

Every miracle begins with what we can do and ends with what God can do. I can't wait to see what God does with this miracle unfolding!

GCC & Prostitution Part 2: Kumari and Rekha's Story

Kumari and Rekha’s Story

“Since the day of the initiation, I have not lived with dignity. I became available for all the men. They would ask me for sexual favors and I, as a jogini, was expected to please them. My trauma began even when I had not attained puberty.”  

Kumari

With the massive increase of AIDS related deaths among the jogini, one woman named Kumari decided to try to do whatever was necessary to change her fate. She decided to leave this practice and wanted live a normal life and wanted to change the curse on her life and family.  Eight years ago, she renounced the temple prostitution and wanted her children to study and succeed in their educations.

Currently, she is the only one in her community who has saved a little money and bought a piece of a land. That has helped her to sell it to arrange a marriage for her elder daughter. She is [only] girl thus far who has been able to marry (mentioned above) in this community, and the younger sister (named Rekha) has finished High School and wanted to study Pharmaceuticals and a Para-medical course in order to help people in health care as a career. 

In order to accomplish this, she needs to pay $1,875 per year. Her mother sold another property and helped her to join a college. However, when the girls from that college came to know that she is from the Dommra community, they immediately disassociated from her and began to treat her poorly. This type of discrimination, though unfortunately common, resulted in her continual depression, and eventually in her withdrawal from the college

To date, the college paid back only one third of the money, but Rekha has successfully joined another college, and has kept her Dommra heritage secret thus far. Now she is getting ready to write her first year final examinations. She has to pay $1,200 to get the hall tickets so that she can write the exams and enter into second year studies. She is committed to complete the course and change the history of her family and community. If she completes the degree, she will be the first one to get a degree from the Dommra community.

Change begins.   Like yeast in the dough or the smallest seed. More tomorrow...

Prostitution and GCC

Raj just sent us an updated report on one of our on-going projects.  Over the next couple posts, I want to tell the story.  A story about Prostitution and GCC.   I have to share it. I've shared snippets of it before, but I want to unfold it in greater detail.

To understand this story, you must understand devadasi.

Devadasi is a religious practice in parts of southern India whereby parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple. The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty and requires the girl to become a prostitute for upper-caste community members.

Such girls are known as jogini.  They are forbidden to enter into a real marriage.  Andhra Pradesh  has identified 16,624 devadasis within its state. Although the practice of dedicating devadasis was declared illegal by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 1988, the practice is still prevalent in around 14 districts in that state.

Yadagiri Gutta is a town situated in the Nalgonda district. This little town of has a population of around 10,000 people. In this area, the people groups who regularly surrender young girls to jogini roles, as temple prostitutes, are mostly from the Dommra people group. However, the “real” tragedy of this community is that virtually all of the women in the Dommra people group are surrendered to being jogini at birth and therefore are not able to legitimately marry.

A Devadasi normally gets $ 2 to $ 5 a day. If she is young and good looking she may earn $10-$12.   Even though they are not married, they are the primary source of income for their families, including their own children and other relatives.  The men will demand good food, pocket money for drinking and unnecessary spending.  In addition, although they can never marry, they are responsible to find spouses for their brothers and their own sons to.  This also places a financial burden on them. 

Due to all of these reasons, they often borrow money from money lenders at ridiculously high interest rates, up to 120%.   That's right...120%.  Essentially, they are slaves to a debt they can never repay.

There are hundreds of lodges in this town. Normally, every day around 5,000 visitors come to this town. During the week ends, more than 10000 people come to visit the temple and the temple prostitutes. Apart from the temple prostitutes, there are also hundreds of “standard” commercial sex workers also living in this town. As a result, much of the town’s “central industry” revolves around the sex-trade, and so lodge owners, temple priests and even local police are reluctant to give up their financial asset base. In addition, the town has actually attempted to cultivate a reputation for catering to “business people”, and there is a high value on “upscale prostitution” in the community to continue to attract sex-tourism and a higher flow of capital from wealthier clients.

This entrenched system of injustice has become an lucrative revenue stream for the entire village. 

Most people in the village can't imagine anything different.  Most people don't want anything to change.

But, when Jesus and His people show up, entrenched systems of evil become the target of a Kingdom offensive.   The followers of Jesus can't stand still when they see prisoners who need to be free.

More later...

God Gave Us a "Mimi"

About five years ago, God gave us a "Mimi."  What's a Mimi?  A Mimi is a person who "adopts" you like a son or daughter, then shower you with more love and affection than you could ever deserve.  Has that ever happened to you?  It happened to us.  Her name is Maribeth Roncz, we call her, "Mimi."  She is a constant reminder of God's grace in our life.

This Friday,  Maribeth is Dancing with the Stars at the South Bend Center For the Homeless 20th Anniversary Auction.  The folks at GCC are contributing a lot of heart and muscle to this great event, which funds a big portion of the Center's budget.

The Center for the Homeless began 20 years ago, when a local hotel that more than 100 impoverished citizens called home burned to the ground in the middle of winter. Our community came together in an incredible way. Within one week, 17 busloads of resources and hundreds of willing volunteers were available to help.   Today, the Center has served more than 44,000 men, women and children, not only by providing them with a meal and a warm bed for the night, but also by linking them up with the nationally recognized programs that help them break the cycle of homelessness.

GCC has forged a transformational partnership with the Center. Maribeth run's point on that team for us, mobilizing hundreds of people annually on mission to serve the homeless.

Maribeth is also one of the featured dancers this year.  Let me tell you, she can bust a move and the buzz is spreading.  She made the front page of the local section of the South Bend Trib this past weekend.

Would you consider casting a vote for Maribeth?  

Each vote costs $37.  Why $37?  $37 pays for the care and training of one guest at the Center for one day.

It's $37.  One meal out.  One stop at the movie theater.   She's out there representing GCC.  Let's stand with her and let the whole community know the God's people care for the homeless.  (BTW, it's also tax-deductible.)

My wife said it well on her blog,

"Many of the guests at the Center are FAMILIES.  Not bums who "deserve it."  You would be amazed at the stories we hear about the people who never imagined it would be them to live there.  They are people like you and me who work hard, are educated, care about their families, but have been forced out of their homes due to various circumstances.

The unemployment rates in our area are through the roof-some of the highest in the nation.  These people can't get work.  They need a hand.  They need the love and care they get at the Center.  You can help."

Take a second to vote! Michelle and put our votes in! 

Chicken a la Carte

A friend of a friend sent me this video.  I received this while eating lunch.  Suddenly, my lunch looked very different.  Watch it and you'll know what I mean.  This film tells the the story of "the people who live on the refuse of men to survive."  I was inspired and convicted by the riches of hope and gratitude they experience in their poverty. 

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Elkhart Food Drop on NBC Nightly News

It's a beautiful thing to see God's people in action.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

On Wealth and Poverty

My friend, Mark Allen, sent me a quote from "On Wealthy and Poverty" by John Chrysostom last week.   

" . . . not to share our own wealth with the poor is theft from the poor and deprivation of their means of life;

(That's not original with Chrysostom; Socrates said as much long before him.  What hit me is the next phrase.)

...we do not possess our own wealth but theirs."

Thoughts?  Agree?  Disagree?

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Saint John (347-407) was known as one of the greatest preachers in the early church.  He emphasized practicality in his preaching, in contrast to the much of the allegorical interpretations that were popular in his day.  One of the central themes in his teaching was a call to those with affluence: to lay aside "conspicuous consumption" in favor of helping the poor.  A much needed message in our day.

Food Drop 09: That They May See...

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.    Jesus, Matthew 5:16

Word is getting out.  See what the community is saying...

South Bend Tribune

Elkhart Truth

Fox News

NBC News

I loved how some of the recipients specifically mentioned this as a "gift from God."  Even more, how they were surprised that the people of GCC showed up despite the weather. 

A little snow is not going to slow God's people down.

Hey, people of GCC, "Well done, good and faithful servants!"