We exist to help the local church help orphans and vulnerable children through release-based orphan care. We coordinate international partnerships between care communities, individuals, and non-profits. We value sustainability and self-reliance and believe that the Gospel, fully manifested in word and deed, is the ultimate solution to the orphan crisis.

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 SW MI Africa Team Meeting

February 2, 2010 - 4:32pm — Kyle Douglass

Members of our three Southwest Michigan Remote Care Partner churches got together in Lawton, MI, on Sunday, January 31, 2010 for the first meeting of 2010. Connections Community Church in Schoolcraft (www.my3c.org), New Hope Fellowship in Lawton, and Life Point Community Church in Portage (www.thatissochurch.org) were all represented.

Ted Manning from Connections started the meeting off with a new prayer experience for the group. He asked us to pray "Ugandan style", where everyone prays out loud at the same time. Though it was obvious we needed some more practice, it was a great way to step out of our boxes and learn from our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The team had a short devotional from Habakkuk and discussed the difficulty of sometimes seeing violence and injustice go unnoticed by God. God's message to the prophet was "be patient", He will soon make it right. Also, there were some unnerving parallels between the attitude and actions of the Chaldeans, who the prophet was complaining about, with that of the rich West. We need to be careful to find ways to use our wealth and power to love others rather than continually serve ourselves.

While enjoying lunch, we watched various segments of the Glory of Christ Primary School Christmas Party DVD our Uganda friends had sent us. It was thrilling to see the results of the churches' efforts on tape. The kids received a real feast, school supply gifts, live music and watched the Christmas Card DVD that we had sent them in December. We will soon be posting that video in our media gallery. We also received updates on the various projects and OJM's adoption advocacy efforts in Haiti.

Finally, we picked out our next group read, which is When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. The book can be purchased at Amazon.com or several other bookstores. They also have a website (www.whenhelpinghurts.org) with more information about the book.

Haiti Orphan Crisis Prayer Guide

February 1, 2010 - 1:40pm — Kyle Douglass

The following was prepared by the Southwest Michigan coalition called the Haiti Orphan Response Team as a guide to supporting relief efforts with prayer:

Please join us in urgently seeking the Lord for the rescue of orphans in Haiti in light of the current crisis.

Guidelines for prayer:

  • Listen for the voice of the Lord and let Him lead you in prayer. John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
  • Pray as the Spirit leads you. Romans 8:26-27, “. . . for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words”.
  • Pray the scriptures that address this situation, specifically for the defeat of all evil powers. Col. 2:15, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Also see: Eph 6:12; 2 Cor.10:3-5.
  • Pray specifically for individuals as God brings them to mind. For example, the President of Haiti, the authorities in DC, or the aid workers, some of which you may know. Proverbs 21: 1, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD, he turns it wherever he will.”
  • Join us in fasting one day a week for the oppressed in Haiti. Isaiah 58:6, “Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.”
  • God’s heart is broken for the suffering of orphans! When we pray for the rescue and safety of “the least of these” we are praying in harmony with God’s will. Psalms 82:3- 4, “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy, deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” Also see: Deut. 10:18; 24:17; 27:19. Isaiah 1:23.

Senator Landrineu (D - Lousiana) fights for adoption legislation to assist Haiti orphan relief efforts

February 1, 2010 - 12:25pm — Kyle Douglass

This video shows Senator Landrieu's efforts to respond to the orphan crisis, specifically in Haiti, through bi-partisan legislation supporting the placement of orphaned children in families through adoption. "We are determined to pull them down," she says in regards to the many barriers that stand in the way of adoption. You can contact Senator Landrieu here.

Bethany Christian Services Haiti Orphan Crisis Webinar

February 1, 2010 - 12:00pm — Kyle Douglass

Bethany Christian Services hosted a webinar on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 3:00pm to share about BCS as an organization and to inform the public what they are doing to address the Haiti Orphan Crisis. Go to http://misc.bethany.org/files/haiti.html to view the webinar.

Settling In: Paul's Workstation

January 12, 2010 - 2:41pm — Kyle Douglass

Paul's office at Glory House Church in Kampala, UgandaPaul Seruwagi, OJM's Development Initiative Coordinator for Uganda is getting settled into his work routine. Having started on January 1, 2010, he has a lot to do. One of the first items on the agenda was to identify a work space that would act as OJM headquarters in Uganda. Paul's home church, Glory House Kampala (which helped plant Glory of Christ Church in Ddwaniro), had an available office and is providing it free of charge to OJM. Being in the city provides Paul access to more reliable communication and networking possibilities with government and other NGO's. Plus, his distance from Ddwaniro necessitates strong local leadership down in Rakai, which is a high value to OJM. Paul is seen working here with Fredrick Mukumbi who has been charged with much of the administrative work down in Ddwaniro. He is also a teacher at Glory of Christ Primary School. Paul and Fredrick have been working closely on several of the projects currently in the works, including a major water project, evangelism training and business proposals. Our prayer is that many more Spirit-led conversations like this one will take place in that room and that the work done will be led by the Lord.

Gaining Momentum in 2010

January 5, 2010 - 10:06am — Kyle Douglass

As a new year begins, OJM is poised to have its most successful year to date. 2009 saw some significant growth steps both both here in the U.S. and on the ground in our pilot program in Ddwaniro, Uganda. We have added two additional board members, Cammy Lenning and Rebecca Fawley (both still in the candidate phase), who we feel bring more depth and insight to our leadership discussions. We had many discussions with potential partner ministries, from Heifer International to Partners World Wide, God's Story and on. Our network is expanding and some exciting collaborations are on the horizon. We also added a Remote Care Partner with Life Point Church in Portage, MI.

A major step has been in the hiring of our first two full-time employees, Executive Director Kyle Douglass (who had been part-time since December 2008) and our Development Initiative Coordinator for Uganda, Paul Seruwagi. Paul has been a friend and "volunteer" for OJM for several years now and has proved himself a compassionate, visionary and skillful leader. Paul made the decision to leave his job at a weekly newspaper in Uganda to pitch in with OJM and we are so grateful to have him overseeing our work on the ground in Uganda. Paul is excited, too, as evidenced by his email on the first working day of the new year:

Paul Seruwagi prepares for the dusty ride back to Kampala."Thanks for trusting me with the coordination responsibility and the opportunity to work and minister with you brothers, towards facilitating a better life for the children and the community in Rakai and Uganda in general. Brethren, together with my family, we are praying Paul and Timothy's prayer to the people in Michigan. That let The Lord fill us and you brothers, the knowledge of his will for the community, wisdom and spiritual understanding, to fully please Our Lord. Colossians 1: 3-12."

We join him in his prayer!

In the village of Ddwaniro in the Rakai District of Uganda, our humble school project has grown into a church-led, community-wide development initiative addressing not only the needs of the orphans and vulnerable children but of the village as a whole. Glory of Christ Development Initiative, an independent development organization, has been established with a fully functioning board and five subcommittees to oversee work in the areas of Business, Education, Family, Health and Spirituality. The next five years of projects have been initially determined with several having been completed or currently in the works. The church roof was finished, a generator, copy machine, solar cells and desktop computers were purchased and a seed distribution program is currently in its first planting. A health clinic and land purchase are in the works and an evangelism training program is planned for mid-February 2010. Most importantly, all of this activity is being primarily implemented by native Ugandans and community contributions have been a part of each project.

We are so excited to see where God leads us in this new year. We expect it to be a year of continued organizational refinement, expanding vision and continued results. Of course, all of this comes with its fair share of challenges and we take them willingly, knowing that God is with us and the opportunity to serve others in his name is a privilege worth a high cost.

Remote Care Partners to send Christmas greetings via DVD

November 25, 2009 - 9:19am — Kyle Douglass

WATCH THE VIDEO WE SENT TO THE KIDS IN OUR MEDIA GALLERY!
Our Remote Care Partner churches are wishing the students and teachers of Glory of Christ Church in Ddwaniro a Merry Christmas by putting together a "Christmas Card" DVD. On November 22nd and 29th, 2009, OJM volunteers are filming PenPals greeting their Ugandan friends and getting film of the congregations saying "Merry Christmas!" This idea was thought of in a Southwest Michigan Rakai Team meeting as a way to bless the students and continue creating relational bonds between the Remote Care Partners and the children they are serving.

The DVD will be the capstone of a Christmas party being funded by OJM and the U.S. partner churches as a gift to the school. A projector and sound system will be rented to show the video and meat and juice will be served. Celebrations are some of the rare occasions when the students get protein in their diet. The students will also receive gifts of school supplies. To help fund the Christmas Party, follow the Give link.

GCCDI Church/School Roof Project Completed

November 20, 2009 - 9:50am — Site Manager

Glory of Christ Community Development Initiative in Ddwaniro, Uganda, recently completed the roof on their present church/school facility. The corrugated sheet metal roof had fallen into some disrepair with several sections damaged by weather. Tarps were put up as a temporary fix. The damage was a significant issue as the roof also serves as part of the water collection system for the school by diverting rain water into a 10,000 L plastic tank. By replacing the missing roof sections and covering the recent assembly hall addition, the catchment area was greatly increased and will significantly add to the school's water supply with the potential addition of two more collection tanks (project pending).

Orphan Justice Mission supplied approximately 86% of the project costs, with the local community contributing the remaining 14% by supplying some transportation and partial material costs.

Strategically, this project assists the school and church in various ways, including increased classroom/meeting space, water collection, and community buy-in. As one of the first projects implemented under the newly revised partnership agreement, it has served as good trial run of the proposal and reporting process that will continue to be used in future projects.

To see pictures of the completed roof project, go to our Photos page and select the Ddwaniro Roof Project Sept 2009 gallery.

OJM Mailing Address Change

September 27, 2009 - 12:19am — Site Manager

In light of the recent administrative changes being made, OJM has changed its mailing address. The old address was a P.O. Box in Lawton, MI, where Kyle's home office was located. Now that Kyle is full-time Executive Director, he has moved to Mattawan, MI, just 15 minutes West of Kalamazoo where he will also operate out of a home office. However, we have changed to a P.O. Box in Portage, MI, just south of Kalamazoo, where we anticipate having an office in the future.

The new address is P.O. Box 1508, Portage, MI 49081-1508. Our phone number remains (888) 371-0526.

What's So Wrong with Paternalism?

September 8, 2009 - 12:00am — Tim Stoner

We began OJM as an experimental attempt to undo a centuries-old model of orphan care. We distinguished the two models according to their distinct motives. The traditional paradigm is “refuge-based” while what we were proposing is “released-based”. The first is driven by the present need while the latter looks through the present to the future. A model that is focused on providing refuge has no necessary outcome other than orphans being loved and protected. What we wanted to pursue was outcome-based orphan care. It was our conclusion that the release-based approach provides a clearer purpose, and a healthier long-term context for the task of caring for the fatherless in their distress.

What we are interested in is a transition not a replacement. We recognize that where poverty and disease have shattered the social/economic infrastructure, there is the initial need for refuge. Charity—providing food and safety for today is necessary, but we wanted to move the focus from the orphan’s present crisis to their future: setting them on a path toward a concrete hope for a productive future. And we wanted to accomplish this goal without it being umbilically dependent upon an eternal fount of western charity. So, we had to think a lot about how to avoid perpetuating cycles of charitable co-dependence and a welfare mentality which western philanthropy and Christian compassion have inadvertently created in the developing world.

The superiority of focusing on release rather than refuge was not immediately self evident. It first struck me when I heard that the unemployment rate in Uganda, where we were becoming involved, was over 80%. I was already committed to the theory of sustainabilty which forces us to (re)think charitable work though the primary grid of self-reliance. It guides the philanthropic venture with the following primary questions: how quickly can we make ourselves irrelevant? How can we help our partners make this a venture that does not require outside resources for success? It is a paradigm that encourages independence rather than an unhealthy (co)dependence.

The mantra is that of avoiding paternalism, promoting personal dignity rather than a passive victim mentality. It places a premium on collaboration and rejects the traditional charitable mentality of unilateral and indefinite provision of funds and expertise which treats its recipients as helpless, inept and (subtly) inferior to the donor.

So, from the outset we have sought to avoid paternalism like the plague. But, recently in a board meeting I had to rethink my prejudice. The question was stark: Is paternalism necessarily evil? Paternalism, in its most neutral context, is where a person in power (like a father –pater in Latin) makes decisions on behalf of others, for their own good. This attitude is demonstrated when we tell those we wish to help what they need and how to fix what we believe needs to be fixed. This is why we have been working so hard at creating a relationship in which the initiatives are local. We want to work together to address the issues that our partners (not we) believe to be primary.

But is it always wrong to communicate (“impose”) our opinion over theirs? Consider water for example, those of us on this side of the ocean know that clean water is essential, but because of a lack of education, our partners may conclude that dispensing medications for stomach ailments is most important. Is it paternalistic to explain that clean water trumps their primary agenda item? On the other hand, is it paternalistic for us to explain that your rural school needs books (first) rather than the laptops you’ve seen in the capital or on television?

These questions may provide a good place to start: What are anti-paternalists seeking to avoid? Is it the word or an underlying attitude? Is paternalism inherently oppressive? Is it ever acceptable?

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