TONY'S NEWSLETTER
JULY 2009
Dear Partners in Mission ,
The impact of EAPE, which your gifts make possible, extends far and wide. Allow me to cite just one example of the many cases where, together, we’ve been able to undergird a ministry that is impacting needy people.
Fifteen years ago, a Scottish minister friend of mine, Kerry Dixon, visited the Philippines and was blown away by the poverty he encountered. Kerry and his church congregation began to send crates of second-hand clothes and other much needed items to the Philippines , and soon Kerry was coordinating the informal beginnings of a child sponsorship program under the name Signpost International.
Since then, Signpost’s work has spread to the poorest parts of Brazil, Burundi, Rwanda, Russia, Tanzania and Uganda, changing thousands of lives through child sponsorship, the provision of low cost housing, wells and sanitation, building and equipping schools and colleges, paying for medical assistance and operations, job creation, and care for street children and orphans.
In 2003, Kerry and his team were given an abandoned church building in the inner-city of Dundee to use for their administrative headquarters. Before long, Signpost turned the place into a Christian community center, offering counseling services, parent and toddler groups, youth groups and learning support for people in need.
Because of the recent downturn in the British economy, Signpost International had been struggling to keep both their local and international ministries going at optimum levels. However, a few weeks ago EAPE sent me to Scotland to speak at major gatherings of Christians in the cities of Glasgow and Aberdeen , where I challenged individuals to sign up with Signpost’s child sponsorship program, and encouraged congregations to take up large offerings to support Signpost’s community outreach programs in the city of Dundee . Happily, as a result of these EAPE-sponsored events, things are back on track.
This was the third such tour we’ve done for Signpost International and it is fair to say that without them, this highly effective ministry would have had to undergo major cutbacks in its programming. We arranged my schedule so that Signpost paid nothing for my Trans- portation, we paid our own hotel bills, and we covered the costs for one of my books to be given to everyone who signed up to be a child sponsor. Your giving made this assistance available to Signpost International, which in turn continues to care for the spiritual and physical needs of many who otherwise would have been left to suffer.
Signpost International makes Jesus known in dark places, and much that they do would not go on without your support. This is just one of many important reasons why you must not let up in giving and lifting up prayers for EAPE. A lot of good things are happening because you care.
Sincerely,
Tony Campolo
P.S. We are grateful to those who support EAPE each month with online contributions. If you would like to make a convenient and secure credit card donation to undergird our ministry please click HERE. Thank you!
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