| "I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW TIMELY THIS IS" |
| A few days ago I met with a leader in a small Christian university. I explained that the purpose of our organization is to help Christian leaders to have a biblical and effective approach to building ethnically diverse organizations. I then showed him some of the multi-ethnic training resources we've developed over the last five years. He looked up at me with a smile and said something like, "I can't tell you how timely this is. Our campus leadership has been talking about how we can do a better job in this area. These are exactly the kinds of resources that we need. I really feel this meeting was providential." |
| 20+ ORGANIZATIONS IN 40 DAYS |
 I'm in the middle of a fun (and busy) time of traveling to do training programs and meet with ministry leaders in over twenty organizations in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Florida, and Oregon. They range in size from small universities to some of the largest Christian organizations in the country. We have worked in some way with the majority of the organizations represented by red dots in this map. It is encouraging to see our efforts having an impact across the U.S. |
| A UNIFIED CHURCH. A TRANSFORMED WORLD. |
| Over the last six months our Board of Directors and some experienced ministry leaders have been helping us to re-evaluate the purpose and direction of our ministry. It has been a helpful process of seeking the Lord's will and strengthening our commitment to help build a unified church that can more effectively transform our world with the love of Christ. Please see the redesigned About Us section on our website for updated information about our purpose and focus. |
| E-LEARNING IMPACT EXPANDS |
| Our scenario-based e-learning sessions have now been used over 1000 times by individuals around the country. After all of the time and energy we spent in developing them, it's nice to see the investment paying off in the lives of an increasing number of leaders around the country. We appreciate your prayers for the session we are currently designing for Christian college faculty. This is the trickiest one we've done so far! Many universities have expressed strong interest in using the session when it is complete. |
| SHARPENING THE TOOLS |
| We continue to refine and develop our training resources as we observe the needs in the organizations we serve. For example, we recently redesigned our online ethnic diversity survey system. The new tool allows leaders to turn every person in their organization into an advisor who can help them with their efforts to promote healthy, biblical ethnic diversity. |
| FINANCIAL UPDATE |
| In our last update, I shared about some financial challenges that our organization is facing. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and contributions that have continued to sustain our efforts over the last six months. Please pray for the Lord to supply our pressing short term needs and for wisdom as we continue to pursue long-term financial sustainability. |
| NEWER SET OF WHEELS? |
We've put quite a few miles on my Toyota Corolla over the last few years as my team members and I have traveled to visit campuses and organizations. It looks like we need to invest several thousand dollars in the car to keep it dependable and safe (catalytic converter, oxygen sensor, tires, brakes, and tune up). If possible, we would prefer to sell the car and invest in a newer, more reliable vehicle for our travels in the years ahead. If you are able to make a special end-of-year contribution to help us buy a newer vehicle that would be a great help. And, if you hear of a good deal that is not too far from Columbus, please let us know. We are looking for a safe, reliable, mid-sized car with less than 60k miles. Thank you for your prayers, help, and partnership in our efforts!
|
