The Bread of Life - Christmas Appeal 2020
Joseph (not his real name) is part of a growing church community in a city that has suffered enormously over the past 20 years. War has meant much of his neighbourhood has been bombed. Even before COVID, life had become a blur of blood, death and desperation.
Despite the enormous challenges that most of us will never experience, the tens of thousands who haven’t fled the troubles are trying to cling to a semblance of normal life.
Bread of Life
Bread forms an essential part of any meal in Joseph’s culture, just as it did in New Testament time. So when Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life’, his listeners knew he was saying that he was essential to life, not just an optional side dish.
Before Joseph reached out to Relational Mission, only two main bakeries existed in the city. Last summer, he and his fellow church leaders got in touch with Business Link, our community of business leaders. Since then, Business Link have helped them raise money to buy the equipment needed to start up a bakery right in the city centre.
They will now have many opportunities to build relationships with their community and meet very real needs. Not only that, but they plan for any profit to be re-invested to help start more Kingdom businesses connected to their church plants.
Kingdom Business
This new bakery is an example of how this year’s Christmas Appeal will support business start-ups to provide hope for broken communities.
It also demonstrates the value of business and church working together for God’s Kingdom. Our seed fund is the financial half of the appeal; the second half involves coming alongside these entrepreneurs to offer support, mentoring and coaching through our Business Link community. To see our vision of hope coming to broken communities, we want to see these fledgling enterprises succeed.
By launching and supporting local businesses, we dream of seeing broken communities rebuilt worldwide.
YOU can get involved! Visit the Christmas Appeal page to find out more, and please share this link.