SfK April 2020 Newsletter
|
|
|
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
(Romans 12:12)
|
|
The following article is a blogpost found on the Business as Mission website. It comes from the March 27th, 2020 article by Mats Tunehag titled, "The Coronavirus Pandemic and BAM: Seven Things We Can Do".
...
The Coronavirus Pandemic and BAM: Seven Things We Can Do
March 27, 2020
by Mats Tunehag
(https://businessasmission.com/the-coronavirus-pandemic-and-bam-seven-things-we-can-do/)
The effects of the coronavirus are disruptive beyond comprehension. The situation is changing by the hour. The consequences vary from difficult to dire for billions of people, and nobody knows what the timeline is for this crisis.
Media across the world updates us constantly on the negative effects on businesses and on people’s lives, so this short article will have a different focus: what can we do?
But first let’s note that throughout history the Church has a track record of serving others in the midst of major plagues and catastrophes.
“The sociologist Rodney Stark has written (in The Rise of Christianity) that one reason the church overcame hostility and grew so rapidly within the Roman empire traces back to how Christians responded to pandemics of the day, which probably included bubonic plague and smallpox. When infection spread, Romans fled their cities and towns; Christians stayed behind to nurse and feed not only their relatives but their pagan neighbors.” ( Living in Plague Times – Phillip Yancy)
Why has the Church done this for centuries and why should we do it now? One fundamental reason is that we are to love God and our neighbors, and the two are connected. As Bishop Barron says: “Why are the two commandments so tightly linked? Because of who Jesus is. Christ is not simply a human being, and he is not simply God; rather, he is the God-man, the one in whose person divinity and humanity meet. Therefore, it is impossible to love him as God without loving the humanity that he has embraced. The greatest commandment is, therefore, an indirect Christology.” [1]
Many businesses are facing challenges with cashflow, lockdown, sales, having to let staff go, supply chain disruptions, bankruptcies, et cetera. So, what can we do now?
Let me suggest seven areas for action as it relates to BAM businesses and the global BAM community. We also invite you to add your suggestions.
|
|
|
Ministry Updates
As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to our lives in many ways all over the world. The ministry plans of SfK had to face the same challenge.
1. SfK has canceled its planned trips to Tunis, Tunisia (March 2020), Cairo, Egypt (April 2020), FBA Forum (April 2020), BAM Congress (April/May 2020), Phnom Penh (May 2020), Los Angeles, California for SfK Life In-person Board Meeting (May 2020).
2. All members of the SfK Missional Business Community, now totaling 17 in 15 nations, are going through tremendous hardships with cash flow.
Please click the following link below to watch a 4-minute video clip of one of
our members. https://vimeo.com/402438846/aa007b59be
3. Many missional businesses face the difficulties of meeting the basic life needs of people in the community they serve, such as foods and water. Most of them are daily wage earners and with the lock downs, they have no food to eat.
4. SfK Ministries is NOT a charitable organization that is engaged in making grants, but SfK Life Corporation, a Georgia non-profit corporation, has approved an "Emergency Relief Grant" to be paid to several members of SfK MB Community in light of their needs. |
|
|
SPECIAL CALL TO PRAYER
Please join us in praying for:
1) God's forgiveness and grace so that during this crisis we may see His goodness and awesome power at work.
2) God's mercy to us all so that the pandemic may come to an end, sooner rather than later, and His goodness and power may be proclaimed in the unbelieving world.
3) God's encouragement and comfort to the healthcare workers, volunteers and political leaders who are in the frontline fighting the battle against the coronavirus.
4) God's faithfulness in carrying out His promise of salvation so that all of us may remain "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."
5) Thankfulness for God's generous people who will joyfully share God-entrusted resources to people in greater need around them and around the world.
|
|
|
Upcoming Events & Prayer Requests
- SfK plans to hold a conference call with the members of SfK MB Community to continue assisting them. Please pray this online coaching and mentoring will be equally effective as the face-to-face meetings.
- SfK will accelerate the development of its e-Learning modules for online training. Please pray that this effort will be fruitful so that SfK's training ministry will be continued.
- May 2020: SfK Life will hold its regular board meeting via conference call in lieu of the originally planned in-person meeting. Please pray that the meeting will be as productive as the in-person meeting.
- May 2020: SfK Korea will hold its regular board meeting via conference call. Please pray that the issues to be discussed will benefit from God's guidance under a challenging time.
- A major strategic discussion is underway, which may involve mergers and acquisitions among several entities. Please pray that all discussions will be based on God's will, the Holy Spirit's guidance, and our conscious obedience to godly discernment.
|
|
|
Thank you for standing with us in prayer and support, particularly in the midst of this unprecedented pandemic, in equipping and empowering missional businesses in Asia and Africa so that they may continue to impact and transform the lives of people they serve.
...
May the good and faithful God bless you with His divine mercy and heavenly peace during this time of many challenges, and with His abundant life so that you may become a generous blessing to those in greater need around you and around the world.
|
|
Consider a charitable contribution in partnering with SfK
|
|
|
|
|
|
