Being Here For Good for Our Global Partners During COVID-19 Chase Oaks Church is dedicated to being here for good in our community and around the world. We believe in the importance of building up communities by providing employment and educational opportunities and planting churches to bring the Gospel to some of the darkest places. Over the last several years, we have worked with our global partners in Kenya and Egypt, areas that have been hit hard as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the Global Outreach Fund and the continued support of those in our church and community, we have been able to meet some of the needs of our global partners in these hard-hit areas. Here are some of the ways we are working together to support our global partners to be here for good around the world. Building Partnerships Around the World to Be Here For Good Being Here For Good in Kenya In 2012, Chase Oaks Church started working with churches and schools in Nairobi, Kenya. Along with the nonprofit Bright Hope World, we have formed a partnership with Mathare Community Outreach (MCO), a church that has already built and is running two schools in the slums around Nairobi. MCO is doing great work caring for children and meeting needs of the poorest of the poor, but the resources of MCO are limited. To help Mathare Community Outreach meet the needs of their community, we are working alongside leaders to provide a high-quality education along with student camps and retreats and to support case workers that provide care for children in the school system and orphanage. Being Here For Good in Egypt In June of 2019, Chase Oaks Church sent a team of five to Cairo to see some of the partners Bright Hope World had been working with for several years. While in Cairo, we saw amazing people sacrificing a lot to make a huge difference in the lives of other poor in their own country. With the economic strain due to instability and persecution, there are more than 20 million people in greater Cairo trying to survive—many of which are day laborers searching for the daily sustenance needed to support their families. With Bright Hope World, we are partnering with mission-minded Christ-followers and leaders in Egypt to provide vocational training, support local churches and ministries that give out small business loans, assist refugees, and help a partner that mentors people through an addiction program. Our sacrificial giving and our partners’ sacrificial work will have a very significant impact on the people to whom they are ministering, and we are very thankful to support their work in Kenya and Egypt. Assisting Our Global Partners During COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of economic strain on cities and countries across the world. While the number of global COVID-19 cases continues to rise, people are struggling to support their families and are lacking access to educational opportunities. As countries go into lockdown mode to prevent the virus from spreading, the struggling communities are facing financial devastation as micro-loan programs have been destroyed, schools have closed, and church meetings have been banned. Unlike in America, when schools and churches are shut down, teachers and pastors do not receive income, meaning there is not enough money to feed their families on a daily basis. As a result of the specific needs our partners are experiencing in Kenya and Egypt, we are coming around them the best we can to fight this pandemic together. Supporting Struggling Families in Egypt In Egypt, one of our partners, “NB,” let us know what he was doing to provide for the struggling families in his community. Not only are our partners supplying food and money to those without income, but they are also providing encouragement and hope as they bring the message of the Gospel to Egypt. Here is what "NB" said about the amazing work he is doing in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic: "We [have] helped around 200 families with a bag of food and [in] the bag there [is] a small booklet about receiving Jesus as Savior. Plus, we gave a small amount of money; we meet the families either in the street in front of their homes or they come to our office one by one. To any family that has kids, we gave [a] special bag to each kid to bring some joy and encouragement to their heart. Also, we started reaching out to needy pastors...We helped about 50 pastors, and we hope to help some more. Thank you for standing with us during this difficult time." Using our Global Outreach Fund to which so many generously give, we are able to donate $10,000 to our global partners in Egypt to support the struggling families “NB” describes in his letter. This money will help them purchase food and other necessities for families in need, which will also open the door to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout this community. Supporting Teachers in Kenya In Marthare Valley, the schools are closed due to the lockdown put into place by the government. Since the schools are closed, school fees are not being paid, resulting in teachers not receiving any income. This puts families at risk for poverty and hunger. Also, many of the children who are not in school are living in very dangerous circumstances. They are extremely vulnerable if COVID-19 spreads to their community because it is difficult to practice social distancing in their small neighborhoods. The Moriah Discipleship Centre, located in Maseno, Kenya, has a program that takes students away from the Mathare Slum in Nairobi after their senior year of high school. While in the program, the students learn practical skills, spend time in God’s Word, and participate in community outreach. Due to this discipleship program, many young lives have been transformed. However, COVID-19 forced the discipleship center to shut down on March 26, and our global partners are unsure if and when they will reopen to continue with this program. To support the teachers in Kenya during this difficult time, our plan is to give $5,000 per month to provide income for the teachers while the schools are shut down. We hope this eases the burden their families might be carrying during this pandemic. Pray for Our Global Partners In America, things are chaotic, and there is a lot to pray for in our communities, but please keep our global partners in your prayers as COVID-19 continues its spread across the world. Thank you for your prayers and support of our global partners! Join us in our Here For Good movement and make a difference in our community and around the world. If you would like to support our global partners, you can make a donation to our Global Outreach Fund. Thank you for your ongoing generosity during this pandemic!