WILLOW Magazine, Issue 1, 2007 Off the Bench and Into the Battle by Susan DeLay Willow Creek rolls up its sleeves to get on the solution side of AIDS. One church’s journey. Zambia, Africa — Every day, Felista rises early in the morning. Using a pole, pushes her small boat across Lake Bangweulu where she will cut grass to sell for thatch roofs. She earns about $1 a day, but she will not have the strength to work much longer. Her frail body is gradually succumbing to the destructive power of AIDS. When Felista’s husband died, she was left to care for their seven children. The family of eight lives together in a tiny hut constructed of homemade bricks. Brutal heat, blazing sun and rats has rendered the roof almost useless. And the rainy season is approaching. The sheer breadth of the poverty, sickness, and desperate need in sub-Saharan Africa make it difficult to know how to respond, but these people are our brothers and sisters. The Bible says, “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles.” (James 1:27a NLT) But where do we start? What should the Church do? The Vision is Cast There is a battle raging in Africa, the epicenter of HIV/AIDS, and the Church needs to be on the front lines. Twenty-six million of 40 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are HIV positive. That’s 65 percent of the population. If Africa is where the fire is, what is the Church doing? Unfortunately, in many cases, the Church as a whole has not been a positive force in the war against HIV/AIDS. Seen as intolerant, the Church’s judgmental stance has contributed to the stigma of the disease. Awareness has moved secular society toward serving the under-resourced world. Celebrities like Bill Gates and U2’s Bono were in the war against AIDS. Where were God’s people — those called to be the hands and feet of Christ? Willow Creek has gone from doing nothing to becoming actively engaged. “In the spring of 2004, Lynne Hybels [wife of Willow Creek Senior Pastor Bill Hybels] caught a vision for what could happen if Willow got involved. “She was convinced we could do something — and we should,” says Warren Beach, director of Willow Creek’s Global Connections Ministry. Exploring options Willow’s Global Connections Ministry became the starting point. With a mission to serve, empower, and connect churches that are transforming all areas of life through the gospel, Global Connections had made great strides in responding to needs in Latin America in the 90s. Taking learnings from what God had done through Willow in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, they adapted basic principles to fit Africa. “Willow wanted to get into the game,” says Beach. “We just had to figure out how.” “We started with prayer,” says Beach. “We understood that the church owns the mandate of reconciliation and redemption (Colossians 1:16-20). What was God calling Willow to do in Africa? We could have just thrown money at the problem, but based on our positive experiences in Latin America, we knew that wasn’t an effective solution.” Willow holds to the precept that the local church is the hope of the world. That means partnering with local churches — building relationships with them, listening to and learning from them, being sources of encouragement to each other, equipping partners for battle, through financial resourcing or training, bringing African churches together into community so pastors can share what they’ve learned. As part of the 2004 Year End Fund Drive, the Willow Creek congregation raised $600,000 toward the fight against AIDS. “We went to the leadership at WCA’s affiliate office in South Africa, which had been partnering with local African churches since the mid-90s,” says Beach, “and we said, ‘we want to get into the battle and we want to engage with congregations in African churches, so direct us to the churches that are serving on the front lines.’” They did. Identifying local African township churches that were providing care and education, Willow chose to come alongside, hoping to increase their impact. “It’s about relationships,” says Beach. “It’s about building strong ties with fully engaged, trustworthy churches and organizations and equipping them for battle.” Willow wanted to be a source of encouragement for those already fighting the war. One of the most effective ways to do that was to bring the African churches closer together, create community among existing churches, and become a source of support and encouragement. “We wanted to be careful that, in our enthusiasm to serve, we didn’t serve inappropriately,” says Beach. “Part of the partnership process means respecting the advice and counsel of those who have been in the trenches.” Working through these established relationships meant serving appropriately without creating dependence — empowering and collaborating. Getting into the Game In Zambia, Willow connected with Bright Hope International. Bright Hope was caring for 170 orphans and vulnerable children in Samfya, Zambia by placing the children with loving families and caregivers approved by the church. Willow supplied additional resources that, in 2005, increased their ability to care for 500 orphans providing money for food and school uniforms. (In many places in Africa, a child cannot attend school without a uniform. A uniform costs approximately $40-45.) The partnership between Willow and Bright Hope also enabled those in Samfya to receive nutritional supplementation in the form of mealie meal (cornmeal). All the mealie meal is purchased and distributed locally. Sharing Resources/Stewarding Stuff At Willow, everyone got into the act. Children in Promiseland (the children’s ministry) learned about the plight of African children — kids their own age — who didn’t have food to eat or clothes to wear. They wanted to help. A soccer team held a garage sale and was able to raise $1,500 by selling their toys. As a whole, Promiseland kids raised $14,000.Elevate, Willow’s junior high ministry, raised $2,400 to purchase two dozen bikes for caregivers in Africa enabling them to get from place to place as they oversee their work. In the following year, 11,000 “Hope Packs” were provided (and assembled) by the congregation and distributed to every child in Samfya. Each Hope Pack contained school supplies, toys, hygiene products, a Bible, and mosquito netting that will make great strides in the prevention of malaria, a disease that kills between one million and three million each year. Through a 2004 gifts-in-kind drive, Creekers cleaned out closets, garages, and basements and donated gardening tools, sewing machines, computers, and tools. Companies donated medical supplies and computers. All of it went to resource people affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa. The unemployed are trained and provided with tools that can then help them provide for their families. In 2005, Willow Creek’s Year End Fund Drive raised $1.2 million to fight AIDS in Africa. “The contributions have enabled us to establish partnerships with additional churches and organizations and deepen our involvement with existing partners in Zambia and South Africa as well as connect with church networks in Malawi and Angola. We’re also exploring involvement with a large evangelical church network in Ethopia,” says Beach. Another partner in South Africa has mobilized the congregation to be a “safe place” for people to come regardless of their medical condition. It is estimated that more than 3,400 people will have received counseling and testing by early 2007. In Angola, a church is assisting 100 rural schools in bringing life-skills education, including HIV/AIDS awareness to its students. In 2006, the number of orphans and vulnerable children cared for in Samfya increased from 500 to 1000. Another partner is building an HIV/AIDS clinic right inside their church — the first to provide daily care, prevention training, testing, and counseling. In South Africa, a WCA Member Church is building a hospice center on the church grounds to provide love and dignity to AIDS victims in their final days of life. In Ethopia, a large evangelical church network, Kale Heywet, has grown to include 5,700 churches that are engaged in the fight. Networking With a Cause Willow Creek got off the bench and into the battle early in 2005. With donations and resources, Willow has reached into countries in Africa and made a difference. But the real significance lies in the networking and partnerships that have been created. Leveraging partnerships with various funding organizations has led to matching grants that have deepened the war chest and increased networking. Collaborating with other organizations allows a church to go beyond their own resources and tap into the power of many. What’s Ahead In 2007, Willow expects to expand their reach in the battle against HIV/AIDS by: Exploring available grants that can increase the power of the financial resources Participating in extension and comprehensive HIV/AIDS community development packages that address prevention, treatment, care, and education for kids Helping fund additional orphan care Engaging with other church-based projects in faith-based communities. Is it Enough? Sadly, the war against AIDS is not going well. “We’re losing the war,” says Beach. Of those infected with HIV, 85-90 percent don’t even know their status. Fewer than 24 percent of those who need medication get it. Only 10 percent of orphans receive public support. The United Nations AIDS division states that in order to halt the progression of AIDS and get ahead of the curve, $55 billion is needed over the next three years — approximately $18 billion per year. In 2005, only $8.3 billion was raised. Can one person — one church make a difference in a world so full of desperate need? Can we possibly hope to change anything by modeling Jesus’ example of compassion, mercy, and justice? Willow Creek believes the answer is “yes.” By partnering with local churches and organizations in under-resourced areas, any church can make a difference. In 2005, through care, education, nutrition, Willow directly touched the lives of approximately 6,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, the church will directly touch the lives of 65,000. Willow is off the bench and into the battle. And anyone can join the fight. Top