We are excited. We are encouraged. We are inspired. For six months Covenant Kids Congo powered by World Vision has encouraged the Covenant to “pray. hope. act.” on behalf of our brothers and sisters in the Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have toured the country urging you to partner with us in answering the call to obliterate extreme poverty in the Gemena region. You have responded to the call in ways that simply humble us. On behalf of our Congolese friends, we are thankful for your partnership.
Your response has catapulted us to over 5,000 child sponsorships in just five short months! We are amazed at what you, The Covenant, have produced in such a short season, and we are confident that as we round the bend and move into the second leg of this yearlong race, we will see you at the finish line to truly celebrate the goal: 10,000 sponsorships in year one!
Your sponsorships, to date, have created the resources for very significant ground laying work around water testing, and finding efficient and clean water sources for capping and wells. You have also supported us laying the foundations for sustainable efforts through leadership development in Gemena proper, as well as volunteer training, which has resulted in cross tribal collaborations and community building that will allow for people in the region to work well together for Ledia: building a better community.
There is much to celebrate, and yet, we know that to make it to the year one finish line, where we can truly celebrate the sponsorship of 10,000 children sponsored, we must redouble our efforts to acquire an additional 5,000 sponsorships. To give more of our churches opportunities to participate, as we continue to drive the child sponsorship project, we are planning to bring alongside it other opportunities and ways in which churches can support Covenant Kids Congo powered by World Vision. Through programs like 30 Hour Famine, summer camp offerings directed towards CKC, as well as with Team World Vision to run for clean water, our hope is to engage more of the Covenant in this ministry in ways that fit into the culture of the church and the ministry projects that churches are already excited about.
We also want to place a laser like focus on the support and treatment of Covenant churches who are saying, “We have already had a Hope Sunday. Now what?” Our dedicated team is putting in every effort to create meaningful, helpful, and purposeful resources to help keep Covenant Kids Congo infused in the life of your church. Whether it be through a letter writing dessert activity in which those who sponsor children can write letters to their children and fellowship with others who have sponsored children, joining our Easter campaign to share stories of hope and resurrection, or creating a prayer service solely dedicated to the children of Congo, we are here to help you ramp up for year two sponsorship opportunities and engage in other programming that will keep CKC alive in your church. In addition to our CKC team, we can also connect you to one of our pastor advisers across the country to help you plan and discern how you may be further involved
During the month of April, we will be placing very special interest on small church outreach, as we launch our “Stronger Together” initiative. In April and May, we will be present at conference level annual meetings to display our resources and be available for questions and conversations. In June, while we will be at the ECC Annual Meeting to serve Detroit and that will be our primary focus, we will again be present to engage in any discussions churches wish to have with us to move Covenant Kids Congo forward. We want every church in the Covenant to give their congregants an opportunity to pray for a child and consider child sponsorship. We want to be in it together.
Thank you for all you have done to move this ministry past the halfway mark, and remember that we are “Stronger Together.”
