20May 2012 by Nigel Ring

Foundations for Farming in India

Agriculture, Foundations for Farming, India, News, Poor
In March 2010 Mark Devaraj travelled from India to Zimbabwe to be trained in Foundations for Farming. He already had an agricultural qualification and the vision of the leaders in India was to have a ‘champion' who could train others as a means of blessing communities and opening them up for the gospel. Recently Mark had a visit from the originator and visionary of Foundations for Farming, Brian Oldreive. Mark has given me an update. The last 12 months After returning from Zimbabwe a year ago, I immediately planted a series of well-watered gardens to try growing maize using Foundations for Farming methods to see how it worked in our soil and climate. The results were really encouraging, and I went on to plant a larger area of about an…
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16Apr 2012 by Nigel Ring

Good Practice in Education – pt 2

Education, Equipping, Good Practice, Poor, South Africa
In part 1 of this report about the multi-cultural Dihlabeng School, situated near the border between South Africa and Lesotho, Margaret Grant, the Founder, Visionary and Principle, shared about the History and Vision. Now she shows how effective the school is at fulfilling this vision, how she has obtained funding and some of the lessons learned from her experiences. This report, taken from my book ‘The Poor deserve the Best' (see side panel), is one of thirteen I included with the intention of being a practical help to others who may be considering starting similar ministries. What is the fruit of the ministry? The school has been in existence for ten years and so there have been a fair number of learners who have passed through the school and gone…
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10Apr 2012 by Nigel Ring

Good Practice in Education – pt 1

Education, Equipping, Good Practice, Poor, South Africa
Examples of Good Practice In the last section in my book The Poor deserve the Best (see side panel) I have included reports from various development ‘sectors' to illustrate good practice and to give key considerations for others who may be considering starting a ministry in the same sector. This and the next posting was included in the Education sector. Margaret Grant, Founder and Principal of Dihlabeng Christian School in the Free State, South Africa, shares from her own experience. The Vision Dihlabeng Christian School was started in January 2000 as a part of Dihlabeng Christian Church's desire to bring hope to the hopeless by working with the materially disadvantaged and those from the poorer part of the community. The school aims to provide children with an excellent primary school…
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26Mar 2012 by Nigel Ring

The secret ingredient

Christian ministry, Development, Equipping, Good Practice, Poor, South Africa
Gospel Impact As I travel to churches helping them think through the key issues to launch a ministry with the poor I invariably contrast what the church has to offer compared to secular NGOs and aid agencies. There are areas of similarity and areas of contrast. The biggest contrast is that we have a ‘secret ingredient' - the Gospel. We are able to approach the ministry God has laid on our hearts knowing that we go into situations in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Angela Kemm I first met Angela in 1987. Working out of what is now called Jubilee Church, a Newfrontiers church in Cape Town, South Africa, Angela regularly stepped out of her comfort zone and went into the communities living in tents and…
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19Mar 2012 by Nigel Ring

Impacting communities through Social Enterprise

Equipping, Jubilee+, Newfrontiers, Poor, Social Enterprise
Community Engagement There are three strands to the way in which the church can exercise community engagement to bring about change in the social environment - Social Action (hands-on involvement), Social Justice (advocacy) and Social Enterprise (transformation through business). The last, Social Enterprise, is the one most likely to produce lasting personal and community transformation with financial sustainability. It was thus with great interest I attended a half day conference on this important topic organised through the Jubilee+ Initiative of the Newfrontiers family of churches on March 16th. This was then followed on 17th by the Everything Conference which, on occasion, touched on the same subject. What is Social Enterprise? Social Enterprise is attaining a growing profile in the UK. Increasingly businesses are being launched or re-aligned to help those…
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30Jan 2012 by Nigel Ring

Kenya drought – January update

Kenya, News, Poor, Relief and Development
When did it start? In November 2010 I was contacted by Edward Buria with a plea for help. Drought had once again hit Kenya and the Horn of Africa. In Kenya alone 5 million people were threatened with starvation. Could Newfrontiers churches raise some funds for food and water? Following an appeal, £260,000 has so far been raised to help alleviate the problem. Recent visit Recently I travelled with John Buria, Edward's brother, and his relief team into Turkana and Samburu to see what the situation is currently like and to learn about the intervention the Newfrontiers churches have brought over the last 15 months. After a long hot journey (temperatures around 40 degrees) we reached a remote location west of Lake Turkana, 17 hours by road from the Newfrontiers…
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