Kingdom News from Around the World

Welcome to the first edition of RCE's Global News Edition! As a Center for Entrepreneurship engaged in research relating to Kingdom business, Global News achieves our objective and desire to disseminate information about what God is doing through Kingdom business around the world.

You'll find information on a variety of topics related to Kingdom Business. Articles may also refer to business innovations that assist people in the developing world (such as this edition's article on wheelchairs for rough terrain).

We know you will find these articles interesting! May they prompt you to praise and pray, may they pique your thinking and inspire you to look more and more to see what God is doing in and near you, and around the world today.

Send Us Your Stories!

We would like to get the word out about what your organization is doing to transform people and nations through business, so please send us your story for consideration in our next issue of Global News.

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Mobile Water Treatment Center Developed

Twenty-year old West Michigan company Extol is well-established in the business of custom assembly equipment and automated machinery. In an ongoing collaboration with Water Missions International (WMI), Extol’s most recent project is to develop a mobile water treatment center that can be instantly pressed into service in the event of a natural disaster. The long term vision is to provide units around the world staged for rapid response to urgent water needs.

Extol also supplied people to assist WMI after both the Tsunami & Katrina for installation at the disaster sites and have helped sponsor/install water systems in a couple of villages. Their website reports, "Extol is excited and honored to use our technical skills and abilities to make a Significant Impact at home and around the world."

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Portland Church Transforming Their Community through Business

Eastside Foursquare Church has decided that getting into the hotel business and using business to transform a community is an excellent and effective strategy!  The entire hotel and associated coffee shop cafe, located in an urban area near the Portland airport, are owned by the church.  Pastor Eric Bahme says that they "bought the hotel as a different model...a model that is self-funding."  Revenue generated from the hotel and an adjacent coffee house operations provide the means for other ministries.  

The church actually conducts worship services in the hotel conference center on Sundays.  The hotel provides safe clean rooms for homeless through the "My Father's House" ministry as well as "Freedom House," a faith based residential recovery program for people desiring to find freedom from addictions and life-controlling problems.  The hotel, which has record breaking customer satisfaction ratings for Choice Hotels, serves as the base for training and providing employment to the church and homeless in the area.

The community near the hotel says that crime is down, prostitution has moved to another area, and the homeless are being changed.

Pastor Eric and the Center for Entrepreneurship plan to collaborate to expand this concept to 350 locations over the next 10-15 years.

For the Fox News story click here:  http://www.eastsidechurch.net/page/page/3100196.htm

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Business, a Channel for Transformation

As a network of business people and corporate organizations, Transformational Business Network (TBN) uses an enterprise approach to tackle global poverty. TBN supports commercially sustainable small-medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries that create jobs, empower the poor and transform communities. Currently, TBN has 25 projects running that will create or support over 7500 jobs, in places like Madagascar, Kosovo, and the West Bank.

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"10 Consultants Transforming 10 Companies in 10 Days"

equip is mobilizing teams of businesspeople to travel to host countries and partner with local business professionals in transformational ventures. Working with business owners who share the vision of work as “100% business and 100% ministry,” equip seeks out ways in which medium-sized businesses can be re-purposed to align with God’s agenda of extending His kingdom and transforming the societies and nations. These businesses can create jobs, influence local communities, enter new markets and address many social ills, IF they understand their true purpose.

Go to equip's website for more information or look at one of many team reports. 

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Farmer to Farmer Program Brings Hope to Central America

By developing business partnerships, offering business mentoring and training, increasing access to capital, and advocating on behalf of the poor, organizations are making a difference worldwide.

For example, landless farmers in Nicaragua face persistent poverty and uncertainty for their families. A Partners Worldwide farmer to farmer mentoring program purchases land for landless farmers, then assists them with land financing, training on new crops and techniques, marketing of crops, and value- added activities. This allows the farmers to own their land, building not only sustainable incomes to feed and educate their families, but also land where they can build homes and provide decent shelter for their families.

Each participating farmer has access to financing for their land and crops, training on crop techniques, new networks and access to markets. This farmer to farmer program equips farmers to find sustainable solutions that can support their families, transform at-risk communities and alleviate poverty.

Click here to read more stories.

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Pray for Christian Business Leaders in Russia

Europartners, a branch of the International Association of Christian Business Men's Committees (CBMC) has many "clubs" throughout Russia and former countries of the Soviet Union. However, in recent years freedom of religion and conscience has deteriorated. By law, "only registered churches are now allowed to implement such activities as praying activities, evangelization, discipling, preaching and worshipping. All other organizations, including para-church groups (such as CBMC clubs) are forbidden to do it openly. [This means it is] harder to invite, evangelize and disciple [those in professional fields]." More...

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Uke Village, Nigeria: Sewing Centre Graduates 14

Victoria explained that she used to sell chickens for a living at the local market but could barely make ends meet. “I’m so happy that I’ve learned how to sew. It is an important skill. I was in despair because my chicken business was not doing well, and I had nothing else to do until I heard that Operation Blessing was providing free training in sewing for young women like myself,” said an excited Victoria, who hopes to open up her own sewing shop and train other young girls.

Fourteen women, including Victoria, recently graduated from 13 months of training at an Operation Blessing-assisted Sewing Center in Uke village (north-central Nigeria).

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Off-road Wheelchairs

There are an estimated 20 million people in need of a wheelchair; the vast majority live in developing countries. Worldmade is a global program to supply large numbers of appropriate wheelchairs through a network of wheelchair services all over the developing world.

Worldmade takes the core values of providing individually fitted, high quality, appropriate wheelchairs and combines this with the advantage of economies of mass production to reduce costs and meet demand. All wheelchairs are prescribed, assembled and fitted by trained local technicians through their local partner service centers.

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Ethnos Coffee Participates in the Global Social Venture Competition

Ethnos Coffee recently advanced to the semi-finals of the Global Social Venture Competition(GSVC). The purpose of GSVC is to actively support and promote the creation and growth of successful social ventures around the world. This year 157 teams entered representing 80 universities and 20 countries.

The goal of Ethnos Coffee is to create a partnership between people who desire quality products and poor and disadvantaged producers. These people are greatly helped when they share their products globally, which gives them hope for the future.

Regent MBA graduate Carlos Vargas, one of the Founders of the company, says "Ethnos Coffee donates 10% of profits back into global communities in which these poor and disadvantaged farmers, artisans, and artists live.  By investing in these individuals, through creating a market for their products, the world can be changed for the better." Regent Center for Entrepreneurship (RCE) assisted Carlos with his business plan.

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Open for Business At Urbana

Dr. John Mulford, Center Director, was among presenters at the recent Urbana 2006 missions conference, which had its first-ever track focused on Kingdom Business.

More...

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For More News on Kingdom Business...

To get a great perspective on preparing to go into Business as Mission, visit India or Bust,a blog which gives first-hand reports of a couple headed toward India. Here they record challenges, progress and reflections on the process.

Also, check out these Business as Missions blogs,

Center for Entrepreneurship blog

Business as Missions blog

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2007 Training and Conferences

A 6-week training course on Business as Mission will be held in the fall by YWAM's Business as Mission Resource Center. For more information, click here.

The date of the next Global CEO Network Meeting is October 17-19 in Washington DC.

AIMS Associate Training, June 18-22, provides intensive training in how to mobilize the church to reach the world's least reached people groups.

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