we be church

[Sore Thumbs] The Haves & Have Nots Edition

Every week I link to resources and sites that stand out and which are worth pointing people to, hence the name sore thumbs, “it stood out like a sore thumb”.

Simon Pettit on Remembering the Poor (mp3)

At the Brighton Leadership conference in 1998, Simon Pettit preached ‘Remember the Poor’, a sermon that has since shaped the way that Newfrontiers churches think about Social Action. “Whether it’s the church in Africa, or in Harrow, we need to get an understanding that when we care for the needy, when we preach good news to the poor, when we seek to develop the God-given creativity of poor people, when we equip people with the skills they need so they can make godly choices for themselves and for their families, when we promote enterprise with financial help; those aren’t just the work of aid agencies or the government, that’s part of the apostolic calling of the church of Jesus Christ.” (Listen or download the the Talk)

Farming God’s Way in Zimbabwe

“Zimbabwe is a nation in crisis. Poverty is rife, chronic malnutrition is widespread and aid agencies are warning that 5 million people, almost half the population, face starvation by early next year… It’s a bleak picture, yet in the midst of this humanitarian catastrophe the church in Zimbabwe is declaring hope and truth. Churches have united to run a campaign to ‘Feed the Nation’ through Farming God’s Way, a method of farming developed within the Newfrontiers churches that results in yields which are typically 10 times higher than conventional farming methods.” (Find out more about Farming God’s Way or Give to the Zimbabwe Crisis Appeal via Newfrontiers)

African Innovation

“AfriGadget is a website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. A team of bloggers and readers contribute their pictures, videos and stories from around the continent. The stories of innovation are inspiring. It is a testament to Africans bending the little they have to their will, using creativity to overcome life’s challenges.”
Living in African I can remember playing Lego with some of the local lads and marveling at what they would create it topped anything I could do. Likewise the AfriGadget site is full of wonderfull African innovation. (discover some great African ingenuity)

[Sore Thumbs] The Afrocentric Edition

I thought it would be good to link to a few things that stand out every week and which are worth pointing people to, hence the name sore thumbs.

Broadband in Africa

“By December 2007 terrestrial broadband networks were now available in every capital city in Africa, some 50% of main cities, 10% of secondary cities and 2% of towns…” (read the article on the White African blog)

EveryBlock

“EveryBlock filters an assortment of local news by location so you can keep track of what’s happening on your block, in your neighborhood and all over your city.” A web service currently only for the major cities in the US it’s a good way of researching civic atmosphere of your local community… (use the web service)

Get Better at Contextualization

“Contextualization and church planting aren’t anything new. These have been practices of the missional church for centuries, and in comparison to what is passed off as contextualization today, our early planting fathers put us to shame…” (read article on The Resurgence blog)

Mass Baptism

“People pressed as closely as they could on one another, in five (?) lines. They estimated they baptised about 700 people that day.” An beautiful photo story of hundreds getting dunked in Pemba Bay, Mozambique. (see the sideshow)