Chalmers Center visit

Last week, I had the tremendous blessing of visiting the Chalmers Center of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA.  I did online studies in International Community Development with the Chalmers Center in 2006 and 2007, and the knowledge I gained from them was foundational for the economic development work I was a part of in Peru and a great help to me as I worked on my masters in Community Economic Development.  The staff at Chalmers was always ready to offer advice, support, and encouragement while I was on the field, even though I'd never met them in person!  So, after being such a blessing to me for years, it was wonderful to meet them in person and see how the Lord is at work through their efforts.  They also offered me the opportunity to participate in some of their undergrad classes and present some of the work I was involved with in Peru to their students, a tremendous honor!

The Chalmers Center seeks to train the church worldwide to minister to the poor in their community without creating dependency by helping the church to help the poor to help themselves.  Chalmers offers training for Christians throughout the world, even in the US.  I would encourage ALL CHRISTIANS interested in learning how to better serve the poor to take their online classes.  They have a US track to better equip Christians and the church to serve the poor in the communities around us in the US.  Anyone interested in overseas missions work, even short term work, would also greatly benefit from these courses.  The first course that all participants take is "Foundations and Principles of Holistic Ministry," a course that all Christians can benefit from as they seek to serve the Lord and others.  Please visit their website and also watch this amazing video clip to see how the Lord is working through the Chalmers Center in Africa.  It is especially amazing to see how they work among the rural poor (which is very difficult for economic development) and among AIDS victims.  

I am passionate about this subject and am thankful for a place like Chalmers that aids the church in better ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor worldwide.