BLC as a collective and many members as individuals have had a long term relationship with World Vision Malaysia. We even have and had church members who’ve worked with them whether temporarily or fulltime. So, it’s been a good partnership.
One of the key principles in which we work with is, “if someone else is doing a great job, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel, let’s support them”. And I think this has been a great way for us as a smaller church with minimal resources in terms of finance and people.
So apart from the entry level child sponsorships, we’ve volunteered, promoted, and participated in whatever we could. And it’s not just a one time thing and it’s over. Again, I want to emphasize, even if it’s a loose relationship, it’s a genuine one, and a real one. So, there are friendships involved so it’s not turned into a works based partnership and that’s it.
The future of partnerships between faith communities and specialized ministries to me, is about a integrated combo of relationship trust, shared vision, and mutual support. It’s a two-way street at first glance. But to take it further or deeper, once we see God’s Spirit moving amongst us and beyond us, it takes on dimensions more than the immediate two way street into an open field of amazing possibilities.
Together is a key word.
Agree. Faith communities and specialized ministries should not be seen as competing or as non-distinctive. Each party needs to extend their embrace to the other, working hand in hand for the shared calling.
Joshua, there is so much space intellectually and organizationally for this kind of cooperative effort to happen. What we need to do is exorcise the competitive spirit (or “demon”?) For some maybe we might need to talk about a moral crisis in terms of our view of ourselves as self-sufficient.
If we wanna get theological about this, how are we mirroring the Triune God?
Thanks Sivin. As a WV staff, we deeply value BLC’s friendship and are truly encouraged by the long-standing support, from the church as a whole, and from the members individually.
And as a BLC member, I’m really happy and proud that we look “outward” as well as “upward” and “forward” :).
To infinity and beyond!