Tabitha, Greg, Inti (sponsored child) and Wess Stafford
This past week was life-changing for me. I spent five days in Ecuador with 9 other Pastors from across the U.S., leaders from Compassion International (including President Wess Stafford), leaders from Stadia and my 13 year old daughter, Tabitha. Stadia and Compassion are making it possible for churches like RiverTree (Northern Ohio), The Crossing (Las Vegas), Mountain Christian (Joppa, Maryland), Parkview (Chicago), Shepherd of the Hills (Porter Ranch, CA) and MANY others to impact the world in an unprecedented way. By combining new church planting with caring for children at risk, we are seeing thousands of people place their faith in Jesus Christ!
Village in Manta, Ecuador--now being transformed by a new church plant
In 2011, four new churches were planted in some of the most poverty stricken areas of Ecuador. In 2012, 12 new churches will be planted. In 2013, not only will we continue to plant churches in Ecuador, but we will also launch into several other countries that desperately need the hope of Jesus. Each of these new churches will care for at least 250 children sponsored through Compassion International ministries. For every child sponsored, 30 lives are touched within the community (family members, friends, neighbors), 30 to 1! As a result of just 16 new church plants, 120,000 lives will be touched in a credible way with the Good News of Jesus Christ. That’s why RiverTree partners with Stadia and Compassion!
Praying for new church planters
Global population recently surpassed the 7 billion mark. Why do we partner with Stadia and Compassion to plant new churches and care for children at risk . . . I’ll give you 7 billion reasons!
I just read a question this morning, “Are you a Church Person or a Kingdom Person?”. Made me proud to be a part of RiverTree after reading this.
Pastor Adam Barton,
Akron, Ohio
As a Rivertree Partner I believe very strongly in the vision to parnter with Stadia and Compassion and serve children in poverty. Based on the faithfullness of Rivertree and the other Stadia churches, my wife and I have worked with Compassion to fund the start-up of 6 CSP (Child Survivor Programs) at the churches being started in Ecuador. Since it looks like Stadia will start 12 churches there, we have contacted our Compassion representative and let him know that we would like to sponsor the other 6 start-ups when they are needed.
As Scott Todd says in his book “58: Fast Living”, 21,000 children die each day from poverty related preventable diseases, and we agree that is not ok. Our response is to help through the funding of the new CSP’s.
Thank you to Stadia, Rivertree and the other Stadia partner churches for starting these new churches and making this opportunity available.
We look forward to serving together with you.
I am so excited and so honored to be part of this cooperative project between Stadia and Compassion International. To have the opportunity to go as a full-time missionary to Ecuador to research and document the church planting process being employed by Camino de Santidad and to serve churches such as RiverTree as a vision trip facilitator is an amazing gift, and I look forward to the partnership that I’m sure will grow out of it.
“Together we will…”