Monday, March 27, 2023

Community Health Evangelism (CHE)

 

Previously in the Bahamas, the CompassionLink team partnered with the Assemblies of God in the Bahamas for an agricultural project.



Now they continue this partnership with a focus on Community Health Evangelism (CHE).

CHE integrates evangelism, discipleship, and church planting with community health and development. Through CHE ministries, people become followers of Jesus, and whole communities are lifted out of cycles of poverty and disease. 

Below, Pastor Ashton Brown shares the impact of CHE training in the Bahamas.



Ashton Brown, presbyter for Eleuthera, Bahamas, shares the impact of Community Health Evangelism (CHE) training in the Bahamas.


Thursday, August 25, 2022

CompassionLink - We're more than you think!


CompassionLink is a community health development ministry that offers sustainable solutions for communities in need.

Our goal is to equip the global church to reach their communities for Christ with their own resources and expertise.


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Your gift matters! 

If you believe in what we do and like to support us financially, please give here.

Thank you!

 

Friday, April 8, 2022

The Compassionate Edge ~ March 2022

Hello Friends,

Stuart and I are grateful to be a part of a global ministry that reaches beyond borders sometimes into places others cannot go! CompassionLink has a heart for healthy communities developed from the inside out through trained, committed disciples. For that purpose, Stuart and I participated in CHE training - Community Health Evangelism - just recently.





COMMUNITY HEALTH EVANGELISM (CHE) is a Christ-centered approach to health and development. CHE conforms to our AGWM commitment to indigenous church principles and is all about people taking responsbility for their own physical and spiritual well-being. The goal is changed lives that will affect others, who affect others - making possible a community that is changed from the inside out. 

COMMUNITY MATTERS
 to God. A long time ago, God called a people to covenant with him; to form a community dedicated to one another and to God. Out of this community, God sent the Savior and blessed the nations. Think about it, we are the blessed recipients of God's community development efforts! In Christ, we are a part of the community of faith, dedicated to one another and to the well-being of our neighbor. This is what CHE is all about.

COMPASSIONLINK: We care about people and their communities. Christ's love compels us to disciple, train, and find sustainable solutions for community health and wholeness. Because a true disciple nurtures the whole person God created - physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Along with CHE, look at the many ways CompassionLink has impacted global communities.

DISABILITY: We inspire people with special needs to find their place in the body of Christ. We work with local churches to educate those ministering to persons with disabilities.


HEALTH INITIATIVES: We find the root causes of poor health and look for solutions with community leaders. We train families in infant resuscitation, diabetes prevention, mental health, nutrition, and eye care.


WATER: From wells to solar disinfection and filters, our goal is clean water for all. We work with communities to develop local solutions for clean water.


SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: We address critical food and health needs in communities. Together we find solutions for farming and alternative food preparation with materials and personnel locally available.


AQUAPONICS: We raise fish and plants together, harnessing natural synergies to produce sustainable harvests and help combat nutritional needs.


Looking forward to your partnership in God's global mission,

Stuart & Wendy

GLOBALLY ASSIGNED / GLOBALLY ENGAGED
SERVING THE WORLD


LET'S GET TOGETHER SOON:
Stuart and I will be itinerating these coming months to connect with our supporters, gain new partners, and raise funds for the next 4 years. We'll be happy to travel your way or Zoom our way into a small group or even send a video!

CONTACT INFO:
Stuart: sbrown@compassionlink.org  417-920-4150
Wendy: wbrown@compassionlink.org 417-242-9437


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Wednesday, March 24, 2021

THE COMPASSIONATE EDGE MARCH 2021

Hello Friends,

Ever notice how something can have both a positive and negative effect? Take for example pressure (or stress). Just enough can help our physical, mental, or spiritual muscles to grow. Too little can cause atrophy. And, as we all well know, too much stress can cause damage.

2020 was a pressure-packed year. At times, I felt frustrated and overwhelmed by it. But other times I've appreciated how we as a ministry (and a ministry couple) have grown because of it.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: A global pandemic challenged us to do ministry differently this year and I appreciate how CompassionLink rose to the challenge. In February, CompassionLink hosted a virtual missions trip (VMT) to Siberia. Registered participants from all over the US received an experience box (full of culturally relevant materials) and evenings filled with teaching and training by our host missionaries in Siberia (via Zoom) and our wonderful colleagues at CompassionLink.

WHERE COMPASSIONLINK THRIVES: Blessed to manage a huge compound in Costa Rica (that used to be the Royal Ranger campground), David and Amy Cartwright are all about equipping national pastors with Bible training and church planting tools. Likewise, the Cartwrights desire to empower indigenous pastors with sustainable community development techniques to help them be self-supporting. Of course, this is where CompassionLink thrives. For the last few months, Stuart has been working closely with the Cartwrights to make this a reality. Please pray for this continuing work and the opportunity to travel there soon. To learn more about what the Cartwrights are doing, click here.

Gardens are as varied as the cultures they grow in. 
Stuart and the sustainable development team help find creative solutions for all sorts of growing conditions.


ONGOING TRAINING: Recently, Stuart participated in CHE training. CHE (Community Health Evangelism) is another exciting and proven ministry strategy that integrates evangelism, discipleship, and church planting with community health and development. To learn more about CHE’s impact and purpose click here.


Tilapia eggs going into the tumbler are just a part of the circle of life.

PREPARING NEW MISSIONARIES: As IM's regional trainer, Wendy welcomed our new missionaries to International Ministries during our spring candidate orientation. At AGWM we expect our candidates to be fully versed in our core values and competencies, but we also recognize that this is a life-long process that only begins at orientation. Wendy continues the teaching throughout the year so that our missionaries are continuously equipped.


A YEAR OF LONGING: Lent is the season of longing and waiting. Giving up something to focus more intently on something (or someone) else. March 2020 began the longest season of Lent I've ever experienced, if you know what I mean. As I look back on the past year I wonder: How well did I wait in the longing? How steadfast was I in the discomfort? How patient was I with the disruption? I won't answer out loud, but God knows where I shined bright and where I stumbled in the dark.

In 2017, Stuart and I experienced a deadly and devastating earthquake in Mexico City. In a matter of minutes, hundreds of people lost their lives, and thousands became displaced. People didn't complain about staying home; they had no home to go back to. For months, many had no job to go back to. And too many others had no mothers or fathers or children to go back to, ever. 

Sometimes our fasts and sacrifices are intentional, like participating in Lent. Other times they are imposed, like during a pandemic or the aftermath of an earthquake. In either case, we have a choice in how we'll respond. We can face the challenge, grow through it with grace, and produce the fruit of the Spirit or we can curse the darkness, shrivel up with selfishness, and die on the vine.

Jesus calls his disciples to do hard things. As a US-born Christian, I find myself in the unenviable position as a citizen of two competing kingdoms. One calls me to love my country above all else and fight for my individual rights and one calls me to love God with my whole heart and lay down my rights to love my neighbor as myself. Why do I struggle with such an obvious choice? Only one kingdom will reign forever.

Like a roman centurion, the season of longing remains vigilant. The cross waits for me. Yet the dawning sun pierces the horizon and bids me to wait in hope.


Stuart & Wendy

GLOBALLY ASSIGNED /GLOBALLY ENGAGED

SERVING THE WORLD


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We, at CompassionLink, are a team of experienced, educated, and equipped missionary personnel who partner with missionaries, community leaders, and ministers across the globe. In a nutshell, we serve those who serve; we equip those who equip; and we train those who train to establish a strong indigenous church worldwide.

The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose . . . 
We are God’s servants, working together (1 Cor 3:8-9 NRSV).