This past Christmas Eve, Stones Crossing Church contributed over $27,000 to provide access to clean water for the people of Chadirac in the mountains of Haiti. I want to give you an update on the progress of this project.
Background: Stones Crossing Church has entered into a strategic partnership with 410 Bridge united in the common vision of seeing communities in Haiti transformed through connecting churches to communities so that we can serve one another in the context of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We sensed God’s hand clearly guiding us to make a 5 year commitment to the community of Chadirac.
Priority 1: The vast majority of sickness the people of Chadirac experience is directly connected to unclean drinking water. It is estimated the population of Chadirac is 13,700 people with approximately 60% children. Providing a consistent source of clean water would significantly alter the quality of life for this community. Potable water was identified by the Leadership Council of Chadirac as the first priority.
Project Details: Through the strategic partnerships of 410 Bridge and Water Missions International, the water project will tap a spring centrally located within the community. Below is a picture of the spring as it is currently.
The project includes the construction of two 50,000 liter cisterns that will collect the water and have three outflows. The first outflow will be for a non-potable water, coffee washing station. The second outflow will fill a wash basin for clothes washing and watering for livestock. The third outflow will source a 15×15 building, housing a solar-powered(chlorinated) water treatment and storage system. The structure, once completed, will require minimal maintenance.
Once the specific site of land for the water treatment station has been officially deeded to the community of Chadirac, funds will be released and construction will officially begin in April.
Vision for the Future: Our vision as a church is to partner with the Chadirac Leadership Council to continue to develop access to clean water, quality education for the children on the mountain and provide pastoral training for the churches in Chadirac. Our ultimate vision is simply to build relationships with the people of Chadirac for the sake of eternity.
How You Can Help:
- Pray for the people of Chadirac! We believe we can have a great impact, but it will only be facilitated by the grace of God. Pray that God will grant us success with the water project, so that our spiritual influence with the people will grow.
- Go to Chadirac! We are in the process of planning a Fall trip to Haiti. We would love to send a team of 10-12 people. The goals of this trip will be to build relationships, provide pastor/church leader training, possible construction, agricultural labor and a Bible school for the children of Chadirac. We have scheduled a Haiti Mission trip meeting for April 29th. For more information, contact Tim at tsutton2@iupui.edu.
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago at 3:29 pm. Add a comment
This week, I heard the story of 17 year old Brittany Bevin from Louisville, KY. She was killed in a tragic car accident. Her goal in life was to be a missionary because of her heart for people. About a month before she died, she had opened her first checking account. On that account, she had written only one check and that was to Compassion International. That was just the kind of person she was.
She also kept a spiritual journal. This was one of her last entries before she died:
God, you hold the only peace that can fill the deepest hole. Every week you bless me so much and teach me lesson after lesson. I know that once again you are showing me your love. I cannot fathom how You feel when one of your children suffers, but I have had a glimpse of your heartache. Please fill me with your wisdom that I won’t just watch others suffer, but that I will be able to say what they need to hear. As a new week approaches, my dangerous prayer is that you will place broken hearted people in my path and fill me with you, so that I can let your love heal their pain.
Brittany gets it. I am praying that our church would get it as well.
Can you imagine what would happen if we all prayed Brittany’s prayer every morning?
Posted 3 months ago at 9:39 pm. Add a comment
This Sunday, we are launching a new series of messages called A1:8-Live Your Mission. First and foremost, this series is about living the Gospel. It is also about spreading the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ giving His life on a cross as payment for your sin and mine. Many of us understand the Gospel as the thing that gets us into heaven, but the thing that keeps us in(we assume) is our own effort and performance. And so, when it comes to a topic such as sharing your faith with non-Christian friends, we often despair, adding it to the list of things I know I should do to be a faithful Christian, but really never getting around to actually doing. We view it as just another thing we have to do. I have to admit, sometimes I fall into the performance trap of trying to please God by my own effort, relying on my own religiosity. The truth is, trying harder is not the Gospel! Obeying a list of religious rules and regulations is not the Gospel!
What if our perspective toward the Gospel is incomplete?
What if the Gospel is more than just that thing that gets us into heaven after we die?
The Gospel is what ignites the Christian life. It is the fuel that keeps us going and growing as Christians. The Gospel is Jesus doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Sharing the Gospel is not something we have to do…it is something we get to do. And when you experience the Gospel, sharing it is something you want to do! The Gospel liberates us, transforms us, and defines us as Christ-followers. It is the source of our joy!
Pastor and author Tullian Tchividian rediscovered the Gospel for himself after going through a very difficult season in his pastoral ministry. He writes in his book, Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything: “The Gospel enables me to see…
- because Jesus was strong for me, I was free to be weak;
- because Jesus won for me, I was free to lose;
- because Jesus was Someone, I was free to be no one;
- because Jesus was extraordinary, I was free to be ordinary;
- because Jesus succeeded for me, I was free to fail.”
Notice the freedom we have because of the Gospel. Notice the freedom we have because of Jesus. The starting point for living on mission is correctly understanding the Gospel. And once we understand it, we are free to live it and empowered to share it.
What is God teaching you about the Gospel?
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago at 5:42 pm. Add a comment
