COMPASSION MINISTRIES
Reaching the Economic Inequal, Orphans & Widows
Compassion Ministries is a relief and development organization which was started in 1984. It has been established as a non-profit company that the church uses to meet the needs of people—spirit, soul, and body—by ministering food, clothing, shelter, safety, and self-respect. The organization was born out of a relief intervention program initiated by Pastors Tom and Bonnie and the church in 1983 to provide food and drought relief to Mozambican refugees. Over 144,000 refugees were assisted and 38,000 people churched from a total of 65,000 who had given their lives to Jesus.
Over the years Compassion Ministries has been active in sustainable development programs aimed at empowering marginalized sectors of society—ranging from agricultural development, small to medium enterprise development and micro-financing, emergency relief, AIDS/HIV work, an AIDS orphan foster-care program, and much more.
The Answer from Celebrate International on Vimeo.
Some of their most notable projects are the Mari Mari projects which resettled 150 street people on land given by the government where they are equipped to sustain themselves through small scale farming using the zero tillage method of farming—that is, without plows or animals that can degrade the soil through over-plowing and over-grazing. Using very little tillage they get a greater return on their crops.
Our desire is to see people fulfill their God-given purpose to become self-sufficient by teaching them agricultural methods, animal husbandry, and environmental skills. They have also drilled boreholes, laid pumps for irrigation, and been assisted by micro-financing loans. They have even supplied their produce to HJ Heinz Company in Zimbabwe. We believe that “personal capacity building” is the best approach to sustainable development.
Compassion has also designed a fostering program that helps to place orphans and vulnerable children in family situations. It cost about $25 USD a month per child for food, clothing, and education that ensures a future for these children, who find themselves in this horrific situation, through no fault of their own. This program continues today, and has seen these children steadily strengthen and progressively overcome in the face of once hopeless personal situations.
Ivordale Celebrated Children’s Home
We have built a Children’s Home that houses 29 children. The children are treated to quality care, full education, and regular medical check-ups. We built this orphanage to be the prototype for similar caring units we desire to build throughout the country. With Project Relocation, we will be expanding our orphan care from two structures to a compound able to house over 12 homes full of children.
Celebration Churches International funds all aspects of Compassion Ministries. These programs are time consuming, expensive, and labor-intensive, so we are designing them to survive more than one generation. As with all our programs, our greatest challenge is to do something that will perpetuate itself into future generations. Through the program, we are not only building dreams, but also building people who are becoming productive members of the Kingdom. We encourage you to be a part of this exciting adventure that will impact generations to come.