By Brooke Helder, GACX Content Creator
When my friends and I visited Cartagena, Colombia, our daily breaks for gelato were a high priority. These wonderful breaks were also one of our most time-consuming activities, deciding what flavor matched our moods, the weather, and activity levels.
If we had walked a lot that day, something full of chocolate and nuts was a must to fill up on calories and protein. If it was especially hot that day, we all chose the mango flavor for a refreshing treat. We even tried the tomato flavor on our last day as a final adventure.
The variety of flavors met our daily wants and was a part of our trip that we remembered with laughter and delight.
Renew World Outreach is the gelato shop of the ministry world, having tools and resources to meet the needs of many organizations. Renew World Outreach (RWO) uses technology as a ministry tool, focusing on unreached and remote people groups to address specific challenges. These challenges include limited electricity, lack of internet, persecution, orality, etc. In addition to technological tools, Renew World Outreach has discipleship, evangelism, and church planting strategies to manage its 400+ active partnerships. From their experience working with so many partners, RWO has developed a library of best practices and strategies, including a catalog of discipleship materials in more than 4,000 languages, to benefit their partners.
Renew World Outreach, a member of GACX collaborates with many other members in the global alliance for church multiplication (GACX).
One of their long-standing GACX collaborations is with the Jesus Film Project. Larisa Edmond, Director of Partnerships at RWO, describes their relationship with the Jesus Film Project as “like family” as they constantly work together. They utilize each other’s digital media tools, such as WiFi devices and solar-powered projectors, to accelerate content, and RWO even has an inventory of JFP equipment in their offices. Together, they are developing training for others on how to use JFP’s equipment or RWO’s materials.
Renew World Outreach also partners with GACX members, Biblica, Indigitous, and Media to Movements. These collaborations have developed church live streams to stay connected with individuals in Ukraine, written and filmed content for new media courses, and advanced software design for various ministry projects.
One of their newer GACX collaborations is with DOOR International. In the last year, RWO partnered with DOOR International in Kenya. RWO’s founder, David, met with six or seven deaf groups in Kenya, realizing there was no digital strategy for the deaf in these language groups. Using RWO’s expertise and DOOR’s knowledge of the deaf community, they empowered these groups with an offline WiFi device, a livestream pocket, and cell phones that deliver watchable content.
“That’s something that hasn’t been done before. We got a clear word from the Lord about being more involved with the deaf community and deaf ministries. They’re unreached, and they’re neglected. There has been a lot of tears and a lot of co-learning.” reflects Edmond.
Renew World Outreach also partnered with GO Movement, another GACX member, to distribute digital cards with the Bible in multiple Asian and African languages. Attendees of GO Movement’s gatherings are sent home with a digital Bible to distribute to others on their cell phones.
Gelato is memorable because it has so many mouth-watering flavors. I can still remember them. RWO offers variety too. And people worldwide are savoring the richness of God’s word because of the unique tools and resources RWO offers. Would you like to have a taste of their “gelato shop” of ministry tools? Contact them at renewoutreach.org.