DAVIS CUSCO MISSION SHARING THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST WITH THE CITY OF CUSCO, PERU JULY AUGUST 2016 SEED PLANTERS JULY 2016 COMMUNITY OUTREACH CAMPAIGN "All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of yesterday." - Italian proverb. This could not be more true about the work that our amazing US volunteers do each year for the July mission campaign! They come down for a week, sacrificing comfort and diving into the unknown, to work very hard planting seeds that grow into Bible studies and future church members here in Cusco. We ve already seen some flowers blooming from the work they did a couple of months ago. This year a group of 30 joined us from congregations in Alabama, Missouri, North Carolina, and Tennessee. There were three distinct outreach projects that the groups were assigned to. Most of the women worked each morning with a group of 10 young ladies who live in a abused women s shelter together. These girls are ages 12-16 and were victims of rape, now caring for their young babies. We taught them three different classes each day: baking with our church member Consuelo (something unique they can sell to make money once they no longer live in the home), personal finances with Ryan (learning how to manage their money wisely), and health with Corinne (first aid and general care classes for their children.) To end each morning, one of our young women from the church gave a devotional for the girls! In the afternoons, we worked with a different group of impoverished mothers and children. These families are often unable to properly feed their children who are malnourished and have anemia. So, the children spend half of their day in a special daycare which also serves as a nutrition center. We taught these mothers the same three classes while the campaigners cared for their children. Most of the men worked on the the third outreach project which was construction of a roof for the girl s home and installing new electricity, walls, and sidewalks at the daycares. We also had a small crew of evangelism workers who got out into the community and set up Bible studies, as well as a group who painted a beautiful mural for our kids classroom. We ended the week by inviting everyone to a big carnival with games and face painting at the church building. Since the campaign, our church members and mission team have continued to regularly visit the mothers at the daycares and the women s shelter. As we work to establish friendships with these families, we are beginning to notice a wonderful reception. Soon, we will even have a weekly group Bible study set up at the shelter for the teenage girls and their kids! A special thanks to Joyce Greenup and Martha Ivester for all of the handmade scarves, hats, and blankets, and to Neal and LouAnn Harper for the homemade teddy bears - these made for a nice surprise at the end of the week that the girls and their kids absolutely loved! To all of you campaigners: Thank you for caring enough to come all the way down to Peru to plant seeds with some special people who are really seeking God in their lives!
As of this month, we have official embarked on a new (and very exciting!) chapter in the Cusco work. As many of you know, since its inception, the Cusco mission has been guided by five over-arching goals: Goal 1 Bring the lost of all socioeconomic classes to faith in Jesus Christ while targeting middle-class heads of households in an effort of reach whole family units that can impact the city. Goal 2 Incorporate these new believers into one dynamic, self-sustaining, self-leading congregation of 300 to 500 members. Goal 3 Raise up national leadership composed of elders, deacons, evangelists, teachers, and ministry leaders. Goal 4 Secure a permanent church building attractive to all classes of people at an accessible, centralized, well-known address that takes into account the particular needs of the city. Goal 5 At an appropriate time, plant at least one additional congregation before the entire team leaves the field. Over the past six years, God has richly blessed the Ayllu congregation, and we are well on our way to achieving goals 1, 2, and 3. So, our next challenge is to prayerfully begin work toward Goal 4, securing a permanent location for the Cusco church! Need for the Building We are currently packing the auditorium in our rented facility to capacity nearly every Sunday. Numerous studies show that when an auditorium reaches around even 80% capacity, church growth stops because people don t believe there will be enough space for them when they enter the room. They re also less likely to invite their family and family. Now that God has blessed us with such incredible growth, we must prepare for our next step, for a permanent, larger facility, so that the size of the building will no longer hinder evangelism in the city. Planting a large, established church may not be important in all international mission fields, but it is absolutely vital in the Latin American context. Culturally, Latin Americans have become highly skeptical of small house-church movements (or even smaller churches using temporarily-rented buildings) that set up quickly, collect member contributions, and leave town with the money. Also, because of their 500-year history with the Catholic church, the people of Cusco are accustomed to large Catholic temples that are the heart of each neighborhood. Following this essential cultural cue, we must construct a permanent facility in order to become established enough as a church for locals to take notice. There are dozens of documented cases of small mission-plant churches who either met in houses or only rented buildings that have long-since disappeared entirely. A permanent, owned facility is the key to longevity and a lasting return on the investment that our team and supporting churches have made in the work in Cusco. When we visit the Cusco congregation forty years from now, we want to find a thriving congregation that is planting other congregations rather than a church that has longsince disappeared from lack of permanence. (Continued on next page)
Before arriving on the field, the Cusco mission team did extensive training with Great Cities Missions, a ministry staffed by seasoned missionaries and experts in Latin American missions. In the Great Cities Missions Main Avenue Handbook, it states: The lack of a permanent building has often hindered church establishment in South America by the church of Christ. A cursory reading of missionary newsletters from the past four decades paints a common portrait of churches that have failed to grow beyond 40 or 50 members. Multiple moves provoked by inflation, terminated rent contracts, inadequate space, high rent, and limited building access hinder the stability that is necessary for congregational growth and development. Long-time missionary to Brazil and Director Emeritus of Great Cities Missions, Gary Sorrells said: [Latin American mission works] must solve the space problem in the urban setting. It is a myth that [native church members] must solve this problem on their own using only [their] national resources. They can be successful at winning people to Jesus and even training their converts, but, in the urban area, unless they solve the space problem, they will not leave a church that can grow to the size and strength that will produce a national [local] leadership. Right now, our church membership is financially diverse but not yet to the point where it can become self-sustaining. In the Latin American cultural context, this building will bring us the legitimacy and permanency needed to attract members and future leaders of all socioeconomic classes to Christ, a diversity that is crucial to making the congregation financially self-sufficient. Next Steps 1. Peruvian Participation This project will require time and money, as well as a prayerful selection of the perfect property. Since Peru is a third-world country, our members do not have the financial ability to achieve this project solely on their own. However, our goal is to have 100% participation from the members of the Cusco church toward this project. That means that each and every one of the members of the Iglesias de Cristo Ayllu have committed to giving sacrificially toward the project until we reach our goal. The local members of the Cusco church are incredibly excited about this new chapter in the life of the church. For months now, they have been dedicating themselves to prayer and fasting just like the first-century church did 2,000 years ago. Our mantra in the congregation right now is that this building is not the goal; it s only the beginning. The building is nothing more than a highly-effective tool to reach the city of Cusco with the Gospel. 2. Property Selection We have begun the process of searching for properties in the city that fit the vision of the Cusco work. For the Cusco church to continue to thrive, there are three key criteria we must consider for our permanent location: Location. We desire to remain within the centralized, bustling Cusco district where we currently rent. Since nearly all of our members walk to church, a big move across the city would inevitably lead to a loss of members. This district is also ideal because of its proximity to middle- and upper-middle class residential areas, hospitals, the mall, universities, and businesses. Visibility. Our ideal property will have a large street-front presence which is key in the Latin American culture where the best advertising is by word-of-mouth. Easy accessibility from the main avenue, including sidewalks and bus lines, means a constant stream of walk-ins inquiring about Bible studies and worship services. Size. A foundational goal in the vision of this church plant is to have a membership of 300 to 500 within 11-15 years of inauguration. This means that we must have an auditorium large enough to accommodate this number and future growth. In addition to the main auditorium, we will need space for classrooms, offices, a kitchen, and fellowship areas. We estimate that we will need a lot size of at least 6,500 square feet in order to accomplish these goals while planning to construct two to three stories in order to utilize the space efficiently. (Continued on next page)
The Cusco church needs YOUR help! Securing of Funds Before we can select a property, we must secure the necessary funds. Our goal is first to secure a commitment of 50% from our supporting churches and key donors while launching the public campaign to raise 40% from individuals and non-supporting churches. We have a goal of securing 5% of the funding from various foundations. The remaining 5% of our goal will be fulfilled by the Cusco church through our weekly offering and separate giving challenges. As partners in the work, our supporting congregations are prepared to help us achieve our goal of a self-sustaining, self-leading church in Cusco. But ultimately, that won t be enough. All of the congregations that support the 50% Supporting Churches and Key Donors Cusco work are also heavily involved financially in worthy mission efforts across the world. That means we need your help. Peruvian Members Individuals and Churches Foundations 5% 40% As part of our multi-faceted fundraising strategy, we re formally launching the One Brick at a Time Campaign and inviting you to get involved. There are thousands of individuals in the nearly 40 congregations that support the Cusco work. You, as an individual, have been foundational in what has made the work here a success thus far. Through the One Brick at a Time campaign, we re looking to raise at least 40% of our total goal from individuals just like you. The concept is called crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is when a large group of people join together to make a huge project a reality. And the concept behind the One Brick at a Time campaign is simple. If 1,000 of us gave to this project monthly for two years, each person would only need to give $52 per month to easily reach and even surpass our goal from individuals just like you. If you would like more information about how you or your congregation might help with this project, please email us ASAP. We are also VERY excited to announce that Ryan will be hosting a series of Friends of the Cusco Church Saturday breakfast events during our upcoming furlough - and YOU RE INVITED! There are three events upcoming in October: Saturday, October 8 Henderson, TN area-wide breakfast at the Estes church of Christ Saturday, October 15 Memphis, TN area-wide breakfast at the Great Oaks church of Christ Saturday, October 29 Huntsville, AL area-wide breakfast at the Chase Park church of Christ We are also in the process of scheduling five more Friends of the Cusco Church events in other cities across Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Stay tuned to find out when we ll be visiting your area! Which opens the door to future church plants throughout peru Your Gift builds the Cusco Church One brick at a time
NOTHING LIKE FAMILY After almost two years on the field, Sarah finally got to show her family around Cusco in July! We welcomed the Tesh and Hinson families to Cusco: Steve, Cindy, Julia, Todd, Dana, and Emily were able to come down for a visit during the campaign week and then stay for a few days extra just to have some fun. It makes a huge difference for our families to be able to see firsthand the work we do on a daily basis and experience the culture we live in. One of our favorite things we got to do while Sarah s family was here was go to the Maras Salt Flats. Since pre-inca times, salt has been farmed in Maras by evaporating salty water from a local subterranean stream. Now, local families make a living by tending the saltwater pools and allowing tourists to explore the spectacular site of all 5,000 pools on the mountainside! We had an unforgettable time together during their trip, and the future grandparents and aunt definitely loved spending some special time with Sarah while she is expecting our little boy! Maras Salt Flats Sarah s parents, Steve and Cindy, and sister, Julia BABY DAVIS AND 2016 FURLOUGH As we mentioned in our previous newsletter, we are expecting our first child, a little boy, in December! Because of this and also the fact that Ryan is spearheading the mission team s fundraising efforts for securing a permanent church building, we will be taking an extended furlough this year. We plan to return to the States at the very end of September and spend October and November visiting with lots of congregations. In December we will be awaiting the birth of our son (!) and enjoying his first few weeks with our families. Then, in January we will be focusing on church visits again and will be bringing our new little one along on our trips. Finally, the first week of February, we each have the opportunity to speak on the Freed-Hardeman Lectureships in Henderson, TN. After these speaking engagements, we will be heading back to Cusco as a family of three! PRAYER REQUESTS This month we ask for your prayers for the newest members of the Ayllu congregation who were baptized in July and August - Rubi and Manuel! Rubi, Baptized 7/22 Manuel, Baptized 8/5 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Ryan & Sarah Davis cuscomissions@esteschurch.org DavisCuscoMission.wordpress.com Please send all checks or correspondence to: Estes church of Christ P.O. Box 191 Henderson, TN 38340 info@esteschurch.org I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10 Thanks for reading our newsletter and for your constant prayers and support!