Do you feel an urgency to serve Jesus Christ in a way that is entrepreneurial, a roll-up-your-sleeves and get-things-done sort of approach, bringing glory to Christ in the public sphere? Would you appreciate the adventure of visiting a nation on the other side of tracks so to speak, but do you also see opportunities for missions at home in the US every day? Consider volunteering with EcoMercy International.
What is EcoMercy International?
EcoMercy International is a confraternal organization, that is "a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety" (Wikipedia). In our case our focus is charity, Christ-centered education and permaculture programs.
Specifically we are committed to advancing St. John Chrysostom School-Farm Co-op and Orthodox Christian parish schools in Eastern Uganda; and we are inviting anyone to help us, regardless of your creed or confession.
How you can help:
You can volunteer with us by both (1) creating a Facebook fundraiser for EcoMercy International and (2) talking to people about us and our mission, whether members of your local church or your friends and acquaintances.
Firstly, Creating a fundraiser is easy. Just go to facebook.com/ecomercy.org. Scroll down and you should see this on the left hand side of the page:
These fundraisers can be for our general needs or specific needs which we may publish from time to time. Feel free to reach out to me or Fr. Stephen Lunagula with your questions.
Secondly, regarding talking to people in person about our mission, you could do a presentation at your church, or you may find that opportunities to talk to people may arise informally, because people will ask you in person about your fundraiser that they saw on Facebook---"I saw you are supporting that school in Africa, how is that going?" This is where you can confirm your commitment in person to what you supported on social media and reiterate your request in a friendly manner. This can be difficult, but it can do a great deal of good. More about that further on. But first...
Why would you volunteer with us?
Volunteering for something tells a lot about who you are as a person and what you believe. People volunteer for very personal reasons.
The main reason I decided to help St. John Chrysostom School is that I want to give my life to an Orthodox Christian ministry that is offering Christ-Centered education to children inside and outside the church. To me, Church-led, Christ-centered education is a fundamental need of the Church. It's not tangental. So I see our efforts to accomplish this particular objective in Uganda as a way to work toward the same objective in United States, through a variety of models, not necessarily a large school.
And because of my participation in missions and international charity I can speak to any audience with an insight and ethos that I would not otherwise have. And I can praise the success of the Ugandan schools, thereby sparking a desire for Orthodox Christians to have Church-led education for our own children. If a priest in the farthest reaches of the global economic system, in a rural area can provide this, then why not us?
Your reason for volunteering may be slightly different because another aspect of our mission may be most interesting and personal to you, for example, our permaculture projects which are key to helping the schools thrive---or something else!
Side benefits of personal commitment:
Meanwhile, an unexpected benefit of making a personal choice to help with something you believe in is that you are also freeing yourself from supporting a host of causes that you do not believe in, and you'll have a polite way to say no.
For example, someone may ask you to give to a charity such as "Fireworks for 1st Graders,"---actually that might be a worthy cause. More likely they will ask you to support, "Condoms for College Students." You can tell them, for example, “Thanks for asking me, but I’m helping an organization called EcoMercy International to build a Farm-School Co-op in Uganda. Have you heard of permaculture?” Thus you have a way to re-direct them in a friendly, non-confrontational way to an Orthodox Charity that anyone in the public can relate to.
Is it okay for Christians support secular charities?
This raises the question, should Christians ever support a secular charity? I believe no, based on the following three Bible verses, though there may be passages or examples from the lives of the Saints, which can illustrate the point as well:
"Anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber" (John 10:01). Members of the Church, as the continuation of Christ's incarnated body on the earth, are the ones who are authorized to care for the sheep, the "least of these," because the door to the sheepfold is baptism.
Also, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). If an organization is ashamed of Jesus' name and of associating with the Church, then they cannot provide saving guidance.
And, finally, Galatians 6:10: "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Doing good to all men does not mean helping them through a secular charity or, expecting that the secular government will wipe the tears from every eye. It refers to your individual efforts as an Orthodox Christian to do good to others and this is only after you have prioritized assisting other Orthodox Christians.
Is a Charity worthy of support just because it's Orthodox?
In addition, there may be certain Orthodox Charities, which an Orthodox Christian could support, but would prefer not to. For me, this is again a great freedom that I have found in helping Fr. Stephen Lunagula. It frees me from feeling any guilt about not donating to Orthodox Christian ministries which may distort the truth of Orthodoxy---having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power---or which may guard the truth but simply have no plan to reach the community outside the four walls of their temple because they lack ideas and the energy to implement those ideas, hiding their light under a bushel as it were.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't donate to support your own priest wherever you live. You should, but you also have an obligation to bring to his attention the needs you see within the parish. And some needs are urgent. To neglect Christ-centered education for our children when they are young and most vulnerable is simply not sustainable for us as Christians. Why should the church not involve itself in education? Because it's too difficult? Framing Church-led education in the context of global missions can help move the conversation forward, giving one an opportunity to lend verbal support for the need locally as well as internationally.
Asking others to give
So are you ready to make a Facebook fundraiser? There's no pressure!
I guess the question is. Why would you not do it? Why wouldn't partnering with EcoMercy International become part of your service in the Kingdom of God, when it could be as easy as writing a quick Facebook fundraiser? Jesus Christ asks you to give your whole life to His service. If Fr. Stephen Lunagula and St. John Chrysostom School are in Christ, which they are, and furthermore assisting the poor through education and through demonstrating a model of food security for rural Ugandans, why not give part of yourself to helping this ministry?
To be clear, I recognize that there are different spiritual gifts and not everyone is geared to asking others to support a ministry, whether that is your local church or a confraternal organization. But not being good at something is not a good argument for avoiding it completely. Perhaps EcoMercy can be a way for you to practice speaking out on behalf of the Church, because you can do it on Facebook where various appeals are appropriate and commonplace.
If you would like to volunteer, but have questions, please reach out to me or Fr. Stephen Lunagula on Facebook or reach out to Fr. Silouan Brown of Orthodox Africa. It would be ideal for you to visit Fr. Stephen and his family in Uganda. But if you can’t visit, or can’t visit yet, friend the Lunagula's on Facebook.
A lifestyle
EcoMercy International is really an organization that seeks to challenge and quicken both the faithful and those who have may rejected Christian faith, but who want to do a good work in accordance with their ethic of environmentalism. As the scripture says, "let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). Our message of creative charity, building an Orthodox Christian School-Farm Co-op, is provocative, because our identity as Christians is provocative. The question is, what kind of lifestyle most aligns with and supports our identity and message?
We hear a lot about "lifestyle" these days. I get it. “Life" and “style" are desirable things! You can express yourself through personal choices and fashion your own “lifestyle.” But mostly this is just about trying to get you to buy things that everyone else is already buying.
How do I know that my own personal choices and wisdom will create the best lifestyle? Why can't being on a mission to care for the "least of these" in obedience to Christ be our lifestyle choice? Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” I’d rather trust Him than myself!
If you ask people to donate, some will donate and some will start conversations with you on Facebook or in person, whether at your workplace or your church, etc., all different kinds of people, and then this is your opportunity to give them "a reason for the hope that is in you!” (1 Peter 3:15). In other words, our opportunities for witnessing interpersonally, are proceeded by our public witness: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt 5:16).
Interpersonal witnessing
When someone sees what you're doing and truly gives glory to God, acknowledging Him (you'll be able to tell that their spirit is joyful)—then you can say, “Amen!" God has just connected you with that person. And you can immediately ask, would you be able to help us?
On the other hand, if someone says something such as, “We have so many things that we take for granted (here in the US), don’t we,” or, “I think it’s so amazing what you’re doing,” notice that, in both of these examples, no glory is being given to God. In this case I try to respond in a way that offers a different perspective.
The first example, “We have so many things that we take for granted (here in the US), don’t we,” is actually a subtle objection. So you have to “overcome" the objection. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” In my response, I don’t want to likewise use the word, “we,” as meaning those of us in the US. I want my “we" to always be those who are on a mission to serve Christ, wherever they are. I might say, “Actually I want to go to the mission in Uganda because I’ve always wanted to live and work and learn and worship all in the same place, no rush-hour traffic! I think it would be heaven! We’d love for you to come too. Truly what we most take for granted is our riches in Christ! Do you think you’d like to visit?” Notice how I ended by "closing," which in sales talk means asking for the sale.
And in the second example, “I think it’s so amazing what you’re doing,” don’t respond by saying that you're not doing anything---“It’s not me; it’s Jesus!” You might say, “Well, Christ carries the burden and connects me with the right people! Fr. Stephen has been great to work with. All I have to do is be faithful. Would you like to join us in helping the children?”
Can we do this?
What do you think about this plan of evangelism set forth above? Would you be willing to do it? Do you think if we all did this we could quickly raise enough money for al sorts of needs for these worthy schools in Uganda?---wells, rainwater tanks, uniforms, books, science laboratory equipment, dormitories, continuing education for staff members, etc.
Light and salt
There are really two parts to this plan of evangelism: Light and salt. The first part, light, is your public witness, which, thankfully, Facebook makes quite easy. You just create a fundraiser and invite all your friends. (And I’m no salesperson for social media, but the point is that most of us are already on it and we can use it for Christ if we want to—or not. Which would you rather do?) And you don’t have to make religious arguments or quote scripture. You just have to explain the need and how we plan to meet it. And then—this is key—if someone asks you more about who you’re with, don’t ever deny Christ. We believe Fr. Stephen Lunagula and the Ugandan Orthodox Church is part of the body of Christ.
The second part is your interpersonal witness. Your friends and family and anyone who sees your fundraiser will naturally be curious to see how serious you are about what you’re doing. They may actually bring up the subject in conversation. And this is when you need to demonstrate your loyalty to your purpose of helping the children for the sake of Christ—this corresponds with salt. You may have to reiterate your request and give a reason for your hope.
You have to have both light and salt in order to be an effective witness and to accomplish the physical things on the ground that we want so see happen, in other words, to move mountains.
Go reach out!
I just want to leave you with this one thought: You can’t go wrong by giving and asking others to give. Jesus said, freely you have received, freely give!
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