"The Word at Work is a ministry that mobilizes churches and individuals to answer God's call to minister to those in need," writes Rev. Tim Tam, Director of the Amarillo, Texas-based ministry. "Through our relationships, God reveals needs and opportunities for service. As we come along side the poor, new friendships develop and doors for ministry open. As we serve, God provides the resources to supply for the needs he reveals."
WAW Wednesday: "Celebrate"
Connecting the people of God
with causes that matter to God
in ways that honor God
When I mention our name, “The Word at Work”, to someone new I can immediately read it on their face -- whether they are puzzled, or whether they get it. Often I have to break it down for them:
THE WORD ... The one and only ... The Word of God ... The Bible.
AT WORK ... Faith in motion ... Walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
Or as the Bible puts it:
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
James 1:22
The impact of this ministry in the short span of its existence is evidence of God’s favor. He has given us three things to focus on represented by three interlocking rings what you see in our newly redesigned logo. (Shout out to Jonathan Rollins for his great work!)
I think this is the first time for this to be published or publicly explained. There is a definite connection between our logo and our freshly crafted mission statement.
1. Connecting the people of God:
A big part of what we do is create partnerships between churches and organizations in the U.S. with churches and organizations in Belize. We emphasize partnership in Kingdom work; mutuality in ministry. I often say that mission is not a one-way stream that flows downhill from me to bless someone less fortunate. Mission does not originate with me. It comes from God and it is a stream that flows both ways. In God’s eyes we are all poor and needy -- we just suffer with different kinds of poverty be it material, spiritual, emotional, social. So whether from the U.S. or Belize, when we walk together in mission, God heals us both and He gets all the credit!
2. Causes that matter to God:
We work where God works, in places where God’s heart compels him to be most active. Those places aren’t hard-to-find. The word of God gives us the map. In Isaiah 57:15, God tells us that the main place he dwells is with the downtrodden, with the broken, with the needy. So he calls us to join him by serving in these segments of society; with the materially poor, orphans, hospitals and clinics, hospice; with those who are most vulnerable especially children, elderly, women and girls who are sexually abused or trafficked; with those who are listed in Matthew 25 as naked or hungry or those in prison.
I believe the reason we get a front row seat to so many miracles is because we are active where the Spirit of God is actively healing, restoring, setting things right.
3. Ways that honor God:
This has not always been the truth for us ... for me. My motivations were more selfish at first (doing things for my self esteem or the affirmation of others) and operating out of ignorance; trying to reinvent missions on my own. Perhaps we’ve made every mistake there is to make. Though regrettable, it now gives us a place from which we can instruct others in how to go about missions in a manner that is more helpful than hurtful.
(Pause here for a plug…..Go buy the book When Helping Hurts. How I wish I had read this in our early years.)
By and by, we learned that charitable efforts, when misapplied, can cause more harm than good; they create dependency, lower self-esteem, an internal poverty of being.
We stay mindful of the Iron Rule “Never do for others with the can do for themselves.” We concentrate on empowering rather than replacing or displacing. We’ve learned that in the absence of transparency and accountability, corruption can flourish. By and by, God is graciously making lemonade out of our lemons.
Last minute update from Belize ...
Tomorrow, September 21, our friends will celebrate Belize Independence Day! Chepito has been in Valley of Peace keeping up with all of today's festivities ...
Blessings,
Tim Tam
#wearethewordatwork
EDITOR'S NOTE: Speaking from my own first-hand experience - working side-by-side with Tim, Kenny and our brothers and sisters in Belize - won't you give thoughtful, prayerful consideration to supporting the efforts of Tim, the Word At Work staff and their partners? Please please fill out this Commitment Card and return it to their office!
Also, remember that you can follow The Word At Work on their Facebook page!
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