Scarcity of food. People do not have enough food to eat in some churches we planted (and sometimes even in our base). Most churches in rural areas cannot support a pastor and/or a missionary. As one solution we initiated on a small scale community development within Bicol, especially livelihood projects connected with church planting.
What we want to achieve with this project
(our goals concerning result, time, investments/costs)
Our strategy is to test out “on base” agricultural projects that can make families more self-supportive and don’t need much investment. In that way we gain experience and “know how” to run such an agricultural project so that we will be able to teach it to others. We plan to multiply the project (at least the applicable parts) into at least one of our planted churches every year.
As a side/effect we will become more self-supportive as a base and have available seedlings and animals to multiply this project with low starting costs.
How shall it be or look like at the end of the project (our dreams for the end scenario)
At least 2-3 staff shout have know how and experience to teach and supervise such agricultural projects in different locations. The pilot project that supports the base should run well and it should multiply at least once a year.
Long term vision
(our long term dreams)
People from churches we planted, that know about church planting and have the experience in such an agricultural project, will become missionary church planters in “closed” Asian countries officially working as community development workers.
Advantages
These missionaries will not be spoiled by urban life because they never had exposure to it – therefore they will be very adaptable und easier to support.
All their knowledge is not only head knowledge because they learned by experience and practice.
They don’t stick out in closed countries and are difficult to trace because they are simple rural people that never attended an “official Christian school”.
