Nearly every community in America is being hit hard by the recession and there seems to be no end in sight. It is great to see many churches and ministries reaching out to help. But, imagine what the impact would be if Christians of different ethnicities in your community were all working together to help during this difficult time? Just think how much more effectively different ethnic groups could be served and what a powerful witness that would be for Christ.

Some might say that is unrealistic because of ethnic divisions but the example of the early church shows us that it is possible. The church was born in a time and place where there were enormous ethnic divisions, but they pursued unity even when it was difficult. For example, in Acts 6:1-7 we see how they overcame an ethnicity-related, divisive issue and continued to serve together as one community. As a result, "...the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly" (verse 7, NIV) We would, no doubt, see similar results if we followed their example.

In this newsletter I've included resources that challenge us to minister to the needs of our community as a unified Body of Christ.

Chad Brennan

P.S. Please pray for a new project we are working on called the ReNew E-learning Program. We plan to work with dozens of top experts (pastors, authors, professors, etc.) around the country to develop many interactive, e-learning training sessions covering critical topics for building and sustaining biblical, multi-ethnic community. If you have suggestions for experts we should invite to become paid content contributors or if you know of a foundation/ministry that you think might be interested in helping with the startup costs please hit reply and let us know.

Recession is Looming: How Can We Prepare?

"A few years ago, an inner-city Methodist church in Chicago answered this question not only by activating their neighborhood networks, but also by collaborating with a rural Methodist church. Farmers in the rural church grew thousands of fruit tree seedlings. Then the urban community networks planted these fruit trees in parking strips and backyards all over their inner-city neighborhoods to significantly increase the food-producing capability of the community for good times and tough times." more »

10 Tips for Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church

"In this one hour webinar Pastor Mark DeYmaz, author of Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church, shares some of his experiences and the reasons why he believes multi-ethnic churches are so essential.  His primary focus during the hour is to answer questions that came up in a previous webinar that he gave." more »

When recession hits, minorities really feel it

“Even before economists used that word to describe the current economic climate, black people — nationally and locally — experienced higher levels of unemployment and lower median income than their white counterparts. As Algernon Austin, a leading researcher with the Economic Policy Institute, puts it: “When white America is in recession, black America is in an economic depression.” The same is true for Hispanic communities, said Austin, who directs the Washington, D.C.-based institute’s program on race, ethnicity and the economy.” more »

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

“This book represents a powerful personal story; face to face experiences with the poor which changed the author’s life, plus, an insightful scriptural commentary. As happened with Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision; Richard Stearns’ heart has been broken with the things that break the heart of God. Now, Stearns is using his considerable CEO skills to serve the poor and oppressed. I highly recommend this book.” - John Perkins
more »

3culture.tv

The powerful, ~30 minute video on this website describes how one multi-ethnic community of Christians (Newsong Church) is impacting those around them with the love of Christ. The website also contains information about The Monkey and the Fish -- a new book by Newsong's founder and pastor, Dave Gibbons. more »

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