Thank you for your generous support!
We are pleased to share with you that we have raised $16,000 thus far for the South Africa fundraiser. We thank you for all of your support!
Below is a thank you video from Pastor Ohm!
South Africa Fundraiser : Week 3
Reflections…
Hello,
This week we (South Africa Fundraiser Team) have put together reflections on how this project has shaped us personally. We hope that our reflections can help you gain insight on what this project meant for us.
Taebin Kim
Being involved in this fundraiser campaign has made me more thankful with what I have right now. I realized that having food, family, and a home where I can feel safe and comfortable is a blessing that others could only imagine. It has been inspiring to know that there are many people who have been giving all they have to serve others in need and spread God’s love. Throughout the campaign, I was reminded that our love should not be limited only within our community but should be shared with other communities. I hoped that the effort that I am putting for this campaign and support from our congregation may be helpful even if it may not be huge. I experienced that serving others can be exhausting physically, but at the end of the day, it makes you feel joyful and achieved. I hope that for those who are reading this can also feel joy of serving by supporting our campaign.
Charley Ngo
I am very grateful for the opportunity to be involved with this fundraiser and campaign. This experience has been eye-opening to me and has allowed me to see how this pandemic has affected people from another country. It has also made me see and appreciate all the blessings I have. I have been reminded that in times of crisis, it is the vulnerable that suffer the most. So the necessities I have started to consider rights, such as clean water and food are not readily available to everyone around the world. Through this project, I have grown to be thankful that I live in a place where we are able to practice physical distancing. I am thankful for this as I have learned that some people must constantly put themselves at risk of exposure to the virus in order to get just enough food to survive. I hope that through this project, I can expand God’s kingdom by sharing his love, offer people hope in this uncertain time and make our current situation just a little bit brighter.
Emily Kim
The experience of serving on this campaign has provided me with a new perspective on life outside of my bubble of privilege. I remember being very shocked to discover the level of disparity that exists in South Africa. Looking at the pictures of South Africa, in which one side of a road was filled with huge houses, nice cars and pools, while the other was littered with garbage, people and barely habitable shelters, was crazy to me. I am a strong believer in social responsibility and it was alarming to see an overwhelming absence of it in South Africa. There are literally starving people in the wealthy’s own backyard and yet the disparity, and by extension the hardships and struggles of the poor, still continue. It put things into perspective, realizing that my biggest worries and problems of not being productive enough or missing my friends, were trivial compared to those across the world, and even in my community, who are worried about when their next meal could be. I realized that at times like these it is futile to just feel guilty about one’s privilege. Instead, I focused on feeling grateful for all the things I take for granted in my life and utilized any opportunity to give and serve to do so. My hope is that our community can make the most out of this opportunity in South Africa to give and serve our fellow brothers and sisters of Christ that are in need of support.
Overall, this experience has been a rewarding one for all of us involved. We are grateful to have had an opportunity to actively serve both our community and beyond. In times where the weak and poor are suffering, the onus falls on those who have much to shoulder their burden and provide relief. Therefore, we, the South Africa Fundraiser Team, sincerely hope that the members of our community give what they are able, this Sunday, May 24th, to support those in South Africa through Rev. Ohm’s ministry.
Special Offering
“All a family needs is $20 to survive for 2 to 3 weeks.”
– Rev. Ohm
Just $20 is enough to support a small household for 2 – 3 weeks. Putting into perspective, in Canada the amount of money that could be spent on buying a nice meal for 1 person, equates to keeping a household alive in South Africa for 2-3 weeks.
On Sunday, May 24th, our church will be collecting special offering to support the ministry in South Africa. While we recognize that this situation is difficult for everyone, please donate to this special cause if you are able.
Thank you,
South Africa Fundraiser Team
South Africa Fundraiser : week 1
South Africa Fundraiser : week 2
South Africa Fundraiser : week 3
South Africa Fundraiser : Week 2
“The Power of Prayer”
Hello,
As we introduced last week, Pastor Ohm and African Leadership have been working diligently to support those who are suffering due to COVID-19 and the national lockdown in South Africa. He has been asking for prayers and support since the beginning of this lockdown and many churches around the world have responded to his request, both financially and spiritually.
Throughout the month of April, Pastor Ohm (and African Leadership) was able to provide essential supplies to 864 households in Khayelitsha, Cape Town with the following items:
- 7 kg of potatoes
- 5 kg of rice
- 2 L of cooking oil
- 5 kg of corn powder
- 1 kg of flour
- Hand sanitizers
With help from the residents, teachers and staff from youth churches, and local leaders, African Leadership has been able to aid those in need of help. In the midst of this crisis, they were able to provide essential supplies to those in need even without support of the local government. Considering the overall population in Khayelitsha (which is around a million people), there is still an overwhelming number of people unable to get any support.
Pastor Ohm is asking for our continuous support to help more people, as this pandemic is expected to continue until August or September. This means that for another four to five months, food supplies will be required in order to help those in desperate need.
During this time of uncertainty, it is important to share our love and hope through prayer. Pastor Ohm has asked us to pray that those who suffer may not lose their hope and find peace in the Lord during these times of financial and physical difficulties; he has also asked us to pray that many people can join his ongoing campaign so that extended support for the food-sharing ministry can be provided.
This week we ask you to spend some time praying for the people of Khayelitsha and South Africa who are currently suffering. May God’s guiding hand be with them and also with those who are supporting them.
$20 will be able to provide for essentials for one family for about 3 weeks.
Just $20 is enough to support a small household for 2 – 3 weeks. Putting this into perspective, in Canada, the amount of money that could be spent on buying a nice meal for 1 person, equates to keeping a household alive in South Africa for 2-3 weeks.
On May 24th our church will be collecting special offering to support those in South Africa. While we recognize that this situation is difficult for everyone, we ask that if you are able to give to please do so.
Thank you,
South Africa Fundraiser Team
South Africa Fundraiser : week 1
South Africa Fundraiser : week 2
South Africa Fundraiser : Week 1
“For the Kingdom of God”
Hello,
As you may remember our church has decided to support South Africa throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Our church is partnering up with the African Leadership Initiative, which ministers to the local community in Khayelitsha, South Africa and beyond. Founded in 1996, African Leadership strives to educate and serve their community through the teachings of Christ and the Bible. They are currently invested in multiple ministries including: Teaching, Healthcare and Evangelism.
To shed some more light on these different endeavours, here is a brief overview of the work that the African Leadership Ministry has accomplished thus far.
Teaching Ministry
- Preschools
- runs 27 preschools in Khayelitsha
- focuses on academic and social skills
- provides two meals daily
- training conferences for local teachers on Christianity
- runs 27 preschools in Khayelitsha
- Children’s church
- 70 children’s churches in Khayelitsha
- reach over 7,000 children under age of 12
- most kids live in informal and food insecure households
- Schools
- enter local classrooms to share God’s word
- building teacher’s college, educating teachers on Christianity
- seminary
Health Care
- building public hospitals
- raising awareness of sexual violence in society and supporting victims
- mental health care through spreading gospel of Jesus and love of God
- schools for people with disability
Evangelism
- food
- essential supplies
- toys for kids
African Leadership also receives support from other churches outside of South Africa, including Korea, Canada, Germany, USA and Switzerland, who provide the ministry with monetary and kind support for various issues.They are also involved in missionary work and often guide missionaries in fields regarding preschool ministry, school ministries, construction, and evangelism.
St. Tim’s has been actively involved with the missionary work that has been carried out by African Leadership.Our church has sent missionaries to work with African Leadership on 12 occasions over the span of 2 weeks. In fact, some of you reading this very email may have been directly involved in any one of these 12 missions. Apart from missionary efforts our church (both the ESM and KSM) has also been financially supporting African Leadership since 1998. As you can see, our church has a long lasting relationship with this initiative and we hope to continue the support that we have provided throughout this trying and unprecedented time.
Unfortunately, in times of trouble it is the poor and weak that are affected the greatest which is the case in South Africa. Starvation, inadequate health care, deplorable living conditions are just some examples of the struggles that many are currently facing. South African Leadership has specifically reached out to our community and has asked us to support their ministry efforts in keeping the sons and daughters of God in South Africa safe and healthy.
“All a family needs is $20 to survive for 2 to 3 weeks.”
– Rev. Ohm
Just $20 is enough to support a small household for 2 – 3 weeks. Putting into perspective, in Canada the amount of money that could be spent on buying a nice meal for 1 person, equates to keeping a household alive in South Africa for 2-3 weeks.
On Sunday, May 24th, our church will be collecting special offering to support the ministry in South Africa. While we recognize that this situation is difficult for everyone, please donate to this special cause if you are able.
Thank you,
South Africa Fundraiser Team
South Africa Fundraiser : week 1
South Africa Fundraiser : week 2
South Africa Fundraiser : week 3