HOPE
HOPE is our distinctive approach to development - which involves raising up local churches who will take up the mantle of meeting the needs of hurting people on their doorstep.
Through our HOPE (Holistic Outreach Partnership Empowerment) programme, Samaritan's Purse comes alongside local churches and provides them with envisioning and training that enables them to solve the problems facing their community.
There are three distinct stages to this programme:
1) VISION CASTING - Spending time with both church leaders and volunteers, helping them to grasp a Biblical vision for not only meeting spiritual needs by sharing the Gospel but also demonstrating God's love by helping to meet physical and material needs of those in their community.
2) RESOURCE GATHERING - Helping the local churches identify what resources (whether gifts, skills, finances, or physical resources) they have available to meet the needs of those around them and grasp hold of the opportunity to step out and meet those needs.
3) PROJECT STARTING - The local churches, along with others in the community, implement projecs that will make a difference - like a small loan scheme for unemployed women, or caring for AIDS orphans in the community.
The result of this is not vulnerable children and families being looked after, but also the local churches themselves being strengthened in the areas of leadership, mission and discipleship - with stronger ties between church and community.
Where we use HOPE
Right now, Samaritan's Purse is adopting this process with local churches in Swaziland, Belarus and Central Asia - having already successfully implemented a HOPE programme in Kenya.
However, in all of our development work, we are increasingly applying the principles of HOPE - looking to work with and through local churches, empowering them to be the ones that make a difference day-to-day to hurting people on their doorstep.
Your church can get involved in supporting HOPE through our Church Partnership initiative.
Read our story of HOPE in Kenya to see the impact that this approach can make.
Download our HOPE Swaziland newsletter to see what is happening in this country.
