GIVE

As explained in our history, this is a home-based ministry that became too big for us to conduct alone. For several years we financed projects with personal funds. A few years ago ministry funds became available from the sale of a piece of property. These funds are rapidly being depleted. While we continue to use our personal property, finances and time to supplement our effort, we could do a lot more if we had additional help. If you wish to assist us, you can give online or send a check to CHRISTWORKS MINISTRIES. Funds can be designated toward a specific project or we can decide the pressing needs at the time we receive contributions.

No money goes to salaries or significant physical facilities since we are an all-volunteer organization that has low overhead. The aim is to help others rather than increase our "holdings".

If you wish to contribute gifts-in-kind for projects (items that would be sent to project locations if funds are available), then contact us for a more specific list of practical items that could be used. Items that are needed vary dramatically and change quickly. Examples of what has been used in the past include specific types of educational equipment/references, medical items, astronomy equipment, farm equipment, musical instruments, and small office equipment. For every pallet or box that is given, shipping costs (unless it fits in a suitcase that we are taking on a mission trip) are several dollars per pound. Please do not ship us anything to use without contacting us first.

Some needs we could address right now if we had the funds:
    1. Haiti Earthquake Assistance. We work with a Haitian church and medical clinic through a ministry in Ohio. We want to assist them with money to ship items when it is feasible and help with a team that will visit, when enough infrastructure is established and it is safe to go. We can easily use 10K immediately to start things going.
     2. NEEPU. 40K to NEEPU would build a multipurpose library room for the Nyamabuga Primary/Secondary Foundation School (up to 500 students). It would be the only library for miles and miles. Very few schools have one. We have a number of books ready to fill shelves and a reading area if we can see it built. We have met the contractor and the NEEPU director regarding the work that has been done and how the library would proceed in a phased building project. We are confident the money would be used wisely.
     3.  Philippines (new project). 10K would permit us to start sending materials to a ministry that oversees over 100 schools and church projeccts. We know the person who directs the work, and plan to train teachers with AOBV within a year. Using the curriculum with this series of schools has the impact of affecting several thousand children and well over a hundred schools.

GO

When we say "go" we mean going yourself or possibly going with us. Several things, however, must be understood. As a matter of policy, we support indigenous mission work because we believe local people from an area are the best possible answers to practical and spiritual needs. With this in view, when we work with an indigenous ministry to disadvantaged people, we work alongside them and only with their invitation. For new groups or projects, we carefully pray about the needs of the indigenous group, discuss what we might be able to do with the leaders of the group, come to an understanding for a plan of action, and then proceed. Our projects require a personal relationship with the groups we help. We do not send money or material or go to assist people where we have not established a relationship. If we cannot love and trust each other in this manner, then a project is not possible. With this policy in view, the following information is important for people who want to "go":

1. We do not consider taking people with us unless we get to know them, they agree with our purposes, they are committed Christians, and they abide by our standards of conduct. With this foundation, we must also verify that they have been exposed to overseas travel to areas where health hazards are present and they are familiar with working among different ethnic groups. If we get to know someone in our locale who has a heart to help the disadvantaged and they agree with these conditions, then we can provide guidance. If this is the direction you wish to go, please contact us.
2. Going with us is not the only option if you want to "GO". We encourage other believers to prepare and train themselves to assist others. It begins at home where believers live and eventually expands to other places as God opens doors to assist other people outside their home. If the few of us in CHRISTWORKS can do the projects listed on the projects page after several years of experience near home, then others can do the same. A small church or group of believers can do even more but it takes patience and a process of learning for every individual. We have found that the Holy Spirit is very thorough as He has exposes us to different situations to teach us how to be a help to others. He can do the same for you, whether you are a part of CHRISTWORKS or not. We would be glad to talk with you or encourage you to establish your own pattern of good works using the strength of your relationship to Jesus Christ through your home, which is where it must begin. Please contact us for more information.
3. Going with another ministry organization that needs groups of people to go to disadvantaged people is also possible. We are generally home-based and our emphasis is to encourage individuals to help others but there are ministries that are much larger that have sizable practical projects for groups of people. We can recommend other organizations if you are interested. Even in this case, however, individual believers are of much greater value if they already have a practice helping others in the name of Jesus Christ in their own lives from their own homes. Please begin where you are.
4. We are specifically looking for mature believers that would like to use AOBV as an outreach tool in schools or communities in Canada or the Northern US. We have material sets for those lattitudes and an avenue to get small telescopes. The hardest thing is to find believers with a heart for for disadvantaged children that will learn how to use the kits and then go teach others. If interested, contact us about what you do, what you would like to do, and how AOBV might fit with your plans.

1. Edification, encouragement, and exhortation in personal relationships with Jesus Christ for key volunteers, board members, and the people in other ministries that we work with the most.
2. Fruitful contacts that lead to a relationship with other believers, who we can encourage and train to use their own homes, lifestyles, time, and money to do the work of the gospel.

• Pray for an effective and completed web site. We are almost there.
• Pray for God to raise a younger generation of faithful believers that would take much larger responsibility in Gertrude's ministry effort in Nyamabuga Village, Uganda. Pray for our direction regarding our next visit in 2010 or 2011. Pray for finances that can be given to construct a library for the school. 
• Pray for us to see the successful completion and publishing of Astronomical Observing from a Biblical View that is oriented for use by disadvantaged groups. Pray for wisdom: should we put the course in video form?
• Pray for fruitful contacts with disadvantaged groups that can utilize Astronomical Observing from a Biblical View, where we can train and equip teachers and ministries to use the curriculum and the equipment kits. We are prayerfully considering going to the Philippines, where the founder of a large group of Christian schools would like to use the curriculum.
• Pray for direction regarding a 2010 trip to Haiti with respect to what we can do to help and encourage other believers working there.
• Pray for a method of sending 1-2 pallets (an amount that is more than a few boxes but much less than a container) to various places that is reasonable, safe, and not subject to corruption at the final destination. This is an ongoing and significant issue that keeps us from sending more material to disadvantaged groups overseas.
• Pray for finances for travel and material that still needs to take place in Uganda and Haiti.