SfK Ministries

SfK Ministries

Monday, September 11, 2017

Newsletter - September 2017

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be open handed toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."
(Deuteronomy 15:11)


 
Lausanne Consultation on Wealth Creation for Holistic Transformation, held in March 2017, published the Wealth Creation Manifesto and has now published its first article out of a series of seven articles. The first article is titled Wealth Creation and the Poor. Jeffrey had the privilege to be part of the sub-group that produced the following article.
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Wealth Creation and the Poor

 

God has always shown a concern for the poor. It is clear in laws, commands, and prophetic actions in the Old Testament. Jesus and the New Testament affirm this. Jesus even emphasized the critical importance of concern for the poor and needy from the very outset of his ministry (cf Luke 4:18-19). Thus, as the Wealth Creation Manifesto states, ‘wealth creation must always be pursued with justice and a concern for the poor.’
The church has for 2,000 years practically demonstrated love for the poor, albeit primarily through charity responses. The report gives some glimpses of these interventions.
Poverty can be seen as the absence of shalom (peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, and safety) in all its meanings. It is not just a matter of money; it can also include spiritual and social poverty. The report also discusses the difference between absolute and relative poverty, as well as various causes to poverty.
From the Manifesto: ‘Wealth creation through business has proven power to lift people and nations out of poverty.’ 
History clearly shows that increased production of goods and services lift people and nations out of poverty. There is biblical support for this strategy. This kind of wealth creation is correlated with life expectancy, less diseases, higher literacy, and healthier environment. Aid alone cannot achieve this.
The church has most often ‘responded to poverty and suffering through charity and aid for temporary and short-term relief. Yet, more often than not, that response has not addressed long-term needs, such as employment, and even worse, these interventions have hurt detrimentally instead of helping.’
Historically, the church has mainly been involved in wealth distribution, and overlooked the importance of wealth creation. ‘Imagine the increase in impact if the church fully embraced its mission to create wealth in addition to the distribution of wealth.’
Our individual response to poverty is reviewed from various aspects, whether we are rich or poor.

MINISTRY UPDATES
 
  • Freedom Business Forum, Chiang Mai, Thailand (August 20-24) - was the first event of its kind for all freedom businesses that aim to give hope and freedom to those who are trapped in modern slavery, including human trafficking. It was an informative and inspirational session. Jeffrey provided consulting services for two businesses and mentoring services for one freedom business. He also made a lot of contacts for future collaboration. 
  • SfK Shared Accounting Services is up and running! Under this SfK SAS, missional businesses can use a cloud-based accounting application for easy input and receive reliable financial statements on a monthly basis. It will be fully launched after a trial run period of three months.
  • SfK Webinar Solutions is now up and running! This tool will be used not only for effective conference calls, but also for global training. It will be an important part of the Online Training Program for missional businesses.
  • SfK Korea board of directors resolved  to launch the SfK BAM Fund I as of September 30, 2017. The fund will be operated and managed as a pilot for future funds. 
  • Cambodia Exploratory Trip - Jeffrey and Mr. Chan Jung Kim, a member of the SfK Korea board of directors, made an exploratory trip to Phnom Penh (September 6-9). They gave a presentation about BAM and SfK Ministries to groups of people, and met with many BAM practitioners for future collaborations. We look forward to witnessing what God has in store for Cambodia.


UPCOMING EVENTS & PRAYER REQUESTS
 
  1. Sept. 13-16, 2017:  TBN Asia Conference, Jakarta, Indonesia - TBN stands for Transformational Business Network and provides a gathering place for such businesses, impact investors and other service providers for one purpose of producing transformation impact in the lives of people they serve. Jeffrey will attend this conference to develop contacts, primarily in Indonesia. Please pray that the conference will bear much fruit for His glory and Jeffrey will meet people God has bestowed upon him.
  2. Sept. 11-15, 2017:  K-BAM Consultation - This gathering for Korean BAMers has been held for the past six years. Several people will share what God has been doing through them and how BAM is producing impact in many developing nations. Peter Lee, CEO of Skybay Thailand, an implementing member of SfK Ministries, will attend this event. Please pray that this gathering will be fruitful and God's people may develop contacts to produce Kingdom synergy. 
  3. Sept. 15-17, 2017:  BAM Conference, Dallas, Texas - BAM Global Think Tank is holding this conference in different cities in the U.S. It is attracting hundreds of people who desire to learn more about BAM and to get their initial footing right before they dive into BAM. One of SfK Life board members will be a plenary session speaker and a few other directors are attending this event. Please pray that the conference will enlighten, inspire and challenge many people to serve in the BAM field.
  4. Sept. 18-27, 2017:  SfK MBA Chiang Mai 2017, Thailand - A total of 13 people will be trained under this intensive BAM boot camp training program. Three members of SfK Kingdom Fellows will serve as lecturers for this training program: Jeffrey, Peter and Dr. Son.
  5.  Sept. 28, 29, 2017:  Exploratory trip to Vientiane, Laos - Jeffrey plans to visit and meet with the leadership of Laos churches to discuss how SfK Ministries may be of service to them. Please pray that the meetings will be productive and Jeffrey will gain insights to this un-reached nation.
  6. Oct. 30 - Nov. 10, 2017:  SfK MBA Kigali 2 2017, Rwanda - A total of 12-15 Rwandan entrepreneurs will be trained under this intensive boot camp BAM training program. A total of four Kingdom Fellows will be serving as lecturers for this program. Please pray that several trainers will be produced from this training program for future training of Rwandan entrepreneurs. 
 

 
Until our next update, I pray that God will bless you, your family and your business abundantly to become greater blessing to others in need.
Shalom!

 
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