General Activities - Santa Cruz

At present, we have absorbed our on-going street ministries into the programmed activities of the Ebenezer Drug Rehab Foundation.  Youth ministries are presently on hold due to a lack of volunteers.

Ø      Ebenezer Foundation:  VLM has aligned itself with the Ebenezer Drug Rehab Centers to fight this horrible problem in Santa Cruz, which affects children as young as 8 years old.  We teach and counsel weekly in the Main Center in Santa Cruz; and on weekends in both the Women's Center near Cotocas and the Farm Project just outside of town.  The Center needs your help.  (Read here)

Ø      Mercy Ministries:  Our primary mercy efforts at present are helping with medical costs in things that are life threatening.  (Particularly for children; the aged & the diabetic)  Santa Cruz has grown substantually in the past 5 years.  As a city, we receive financial help from the national government for a population of 800,000 people.  We are now almost twice that size.  And the people who suffer the most are always the one's who can least affort help.

Ø      Life Improvement Efforts:  Again, VLM is focusing primarily on children and elderly widows with medical needs.  We have families that couold use sponsors.  A monthly donation of as little as $15 can cover the cost of medicine to lower blood sugar or provide high-nutriant powered-milk for a child.

Other:  Travel within the Country, as well as local outreach in public forums, is greatly limited at present by local political convulsions.  (See here)  We continue however to facilitate the training of small group leaders in cell and house church groups here in Santa Cruz.

General Activities - Northern Missions

At present, we continue to work at a distance with Pastor Ruben in Magdalena and Pastor Rodolfo in Baure concerning the following:

Ø      VLM Institute:  Unfortunately, the VLM 'Institute of Leadership & Advanced Sciences' has been temporarily closed due to lack of funding.  (The Magdalena Project has not received any dedicated donations in the entirety of 2010 or 2011)

Ø      New Church & Annex:  Two potential sites have been located for the new church and estimates for nearly all the construction materials and labor are completed.  Between 50 and 70 local people are now involved with the project; meeting in seperate homes and the finished Annex; trusting the Lord for the building of their future church.

Ø      Children's Evangelism Project:  We desire to hold-fast to Pastor Rodolfo's 3-year strategic plan to train teachers and initiate/implement the 'Feed My Lambs' project within the Province of Itenez.  Funds are primarily needed for the copying of study materials and for travel.

The blueprint of our strategic missions plan for the North is in development; but will require more on-the-ground orientation of the region before a viable, and strategically effective plan-of-approach to our challenges can be produced.  

I am sure however of the following basic policy objectives

1. Relationship-Based - Promote relationship before and above need (Treat others as equals whom we need as much as they need us)
2. Infrastructure Issues (natural & social) - Analyze, address, and improve quality of life issues
3. Ministry Platforms & Goals - Use education vehicles and socio-communal life-styles as platforms to present a Gospel centered in intimacy with God and each other.
1. Develop relationship with education and civil government functionaries
2. Raise low-cost, open-air church structures within remote communities and disciple those churches through on-going missions relationship (We urgently need a boat)
3. Discover, equip, and train spiritual leaders/pastors within communities; then move them to the front
4. Provide new testaments and faith materials to children
5. Provide bibles and critical study materials to adult believers
4. Core VLM Mission - Address 'Victim (Poverty) Mentality'  by what I term, 'Demonstration Theology'
1. Increase hope with the power of the Gospel
2. Sow a pragmatic, usable, Word-based, results-producing faith
3. Sow the Love of Christ by demonstrative example  (Faith with works)
4. Call others to imitate our Christ-likeness and measurable faith works (through like discipline & commitment)

SEE SUB-PAGES BELOW MINISTRY IN MAIN MENU FOR MORE