Why do we have livelihood groups and why should one support them?
These are good questions and before we can answer them we need to define what a livelihood group is. Let us begin by defining the two words that make up the phase “Livelihood Group”
Livelihood:
- a means of securing the necessities of life.
- the way you earn the money you need to pay for food, a place to live, clothing, etc.
- means of living or of supporting life
- means of support or subsistence
Group:
- a number of people that are located, gathered or classed together.
- a number of people that are put together or considered as a unit:
- a set of people who have the same interests or aims, and who organize themselves to work or act together.
- several people that are connected with each other
We can see that “Livelihood Groups” are set up to help people who are together and create opportunities to earn funds to purchase what they need to live.
These are folks who are working to provide the basics of life for themselves and their families.
To answer the questions above: we create and support the livelihood groups because these folks need to earn money so that they can support themselves and their families.
When someone does not have money, there are only a few ways for them to get some.
1) Beg for it and wait for a handout
2) Steal it and
3) Earn it by working
We had been asked for money at almost every church we visited in the beginning. The church leaders had learned that if they asked the “wealth west” would provide – and for a while they did – but then the funds dried up and some groups left the country. But only knowing how to ask (beg) and wait was their only option – as they could not steal it and jobs were hard to come by.
God began to work in my heart and He was telling me we needed to do something about the economic needs of the people.
At the same time, we were starting to plant churches but the folks in attendance were often unemployed a good part of the year. How could they support the church? We were creating a dependency on the west to again provide for them.
We wanted our churches to be thriving and a center for help in their communities to do that the folks in attendance need to have a more stable income. Through the churches, good stewardship principles are taught and that means that the people as they have funds are supporting the ministries in the church. (At once church the workers tithed their funds and remodeled the kid’s area, another was able to pay to the refurbishment of a trailer that they are using for their meeting location {see photo below}, a third example was when one pastor in North Macedonia was about to have their first baby but did not have any items needed to care for a baby – the churches in Bulgaria took up an offering to get the items needed for the new baby.)
You see when supporting the livelihood groups by purchasing products that they make or by donating to our development fund you help us help the participants to become more and more independent and able to care for not only their families but their church and communities as well.
You see being a Christian is more than saying yes to GOD it is also living for God and being His hands and feet to a world in need. It also means being smart to help people learn how to care for themselves and those around them.
Yes, sometimes we need to give to help them get started like with our development fund. Without the funds, we use to invest in getting a group going, it is hard to start a new one. But once that group is up and functioning funds from sold products are reinvested back into that group. We jumpstart the process and watch it grow.
I hope you will consider supporting us and helping us expand our impact on the hurting around the world.
To give to our Development Fund (Tax Deductible) click here. To shop online Click Here
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