The Crying Need
AIDS has taken more than 22 million lives in sub-Saharan Africa leaving millions of children behind. South Africa has the largest AIDS-infected population in the world, and the largest number of AIDS orphans (3.4 million). Every hour in South Africa, 46 people die of AIDS, and 12 children become orphans.
These orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) are left alone and, with their siblings, struggling to survive, often resorting to begging and crime. They are objects of abuse, drop out of school, often lose their family’s possessions, and almost one-third battle with HIV themselves. It is a big sad situation. But what an opportunity for the Lord and His Church!
Needed – Compassion & The Gospel
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans … in their trouble …” James 1:27. Throughout the Bible, believers are commanded to care for orphans, the weak, and the poor – those whose plight calls us to sacrifice where they can never pay us back. This is what God did for us in providing us such a great salvation! Compassion ministry should be a core virtue in the life of every believer.
Perhaps the greatest stewardship of the Body of Christ in the next decade will be reaching the 40 million orphans of sub-Saharan Africa with the gospel. Our task is to seamlessly combine the gospel and compassion ministry into one, as Jesus and the apostles did, followed in more recent centuries by Whitefield and Spurgeon.
In South Africa church leaders and missionaries are now partnering with African churches to help them care for these orphans and reach them with the gospel. YOU can help us and become a part of the Thandanani Projects!
What Is Thandanani?
Thandanani, from a Zulu word meaning "love one another," is a network of US and European church-planters and South African church leaders who are partnering with small evangelical African churches to strengthen them and help them care for orphans and compassionately reach them with the gospel. The churches we are helping are collectively known as the “Thandanani Projects.”
We are not starting orphanages since we believe that the need is too big. Orphanages can’t handle the demand, are too expensive, are too impersonal, and are no longer favoured by the government. We are aiming to develop home-based care in households with 6-8 children.
The Thandanani Projects involve anything needed to get strong African churches regularly caring for orphans: pastoral training, church-planting, church-strengthening by providing training and materials, capital investment in land and buildings, and project-based support for orphan-care ministries.
How Can You Get Involved?
There are several ways to get involved.
- Firstly, you can PRAY for God to give wisdom and direction to the team as they develop plans and commence ministry in the targeted areas of KwaMhlanga (1 hour’s drive northeast of Johannesburg) and Lawley (30 minute’s drive southwest of Johannesburg)
- Secondly, you can SERVE. We need men and women to serve as discipler-trainers in matters ranging from Bible, theology, and ministry to Christian education and counseling, to family, health, and hygiene, to skills-training and job creation, to construction and farming. Go to www.biblicalministries.org for information on Biblical Ministries Worldwide. If you’re curious about how your training, gifts, and abilities could be used by God on the Thandanani team, short-term or long-term, you can write to us in South Africa:
- Thirdly, you can GIVE financially to Thandanani, knowing that 100% of your gift will go to the development or operation of an orphan care centre. Unlike most other ministries working with orphans, every cent you give toward an orphan project, a church, or a pastoral student goes to that project. All Thandanani personnel receive their income from elsewhere.
BrownRSA@gmail.com
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