* Community Vision International:  Watching Jesus multiply little loaves and fishes!

 

Richard J. Reves

cvi2@cvi2.org, www.cvi2.org

 

Origins

Ideals

Outcomes

Examples

 

ORIGINS

 

In 2001, three visionaries from three cultures with $300 launched a little USA tax-exempt, non-profit, public (non-religious), charitable and educational agency that trusts God to accomplish much through few at little cost. By 2007, God had brought together 33 of us “associates, undergirded by 50+ intercessors and supported by 500+ benefactors who had contributed $500,000+ to directly benefit 50,000+ people and 500+ human service entities in 50+ countries, and to sow sufficient seeds to see the effects multiply!

 

Community Vision International (CVI2) was conceived out of four burdens: 

(1)     to offer a legal home to experienced Christian workers whose agency would soon cease;

(2)     to facilitate Christian visionaries who sacrifice, take risks and suffer to become the persons whom God purposed them to be;

(3)     to express decades of intercultural and sub-cultural learning and experience; and

(4)     to facilitate an innovative missional network suited to the 21st century.

 

IDEALS

 

Loving God’s Word and seasoned by suffering, we founders also felt called to obey and follow Jesus:

*     His focus on God’s great Kingdom before religious causes, entities and initiatives;

*     His Great Commands in conjunction with His Great Commission;

*     His teaching that we be lowly servants instead of high-minded lords;

*     His low-cost service model instead of a high-income fundraising focus;

*     His enabling of His people to serve according to their designs rather than to others’ molds;

*     His facilitating and serving of others rather than expecting others to facilitate and serve Him;

*     His example of service within natural, connecting and low-cost networks, not through complex, bounded and expensive bureaucratic institutions, etc.

 

We therefore launched CVI2 as a virtual mission to see God’s kingdom incarnated within God-given visionary-community relationships, advancing powerfully through human networks. To pursue this vision, CVI2 purposed to enable visionaries to transform communities, using available resources and transferable technologies, skills and tools. To fulfill this mission, CVI2 was organized with an inverted organizational structure, and without plans to invest funds, buy property or own buildings. Instead, CVI2 disburses 95% of its receipts to its associates in the field, withholding only 2.5% for administration and 2.5% for operations. We do this by operating out of our homes and other contributed space, using contributed equipment, and by outsourcing our services to CVI2 associates who serve as independent contractors.

 

CVI2’s independent contractor associates are typically community transformation professionals. Associates feel burdened about the holistic needs of disadvantaged communities, and focus specifically on the inadequately-addressed needs of social groups where God is at work. Within such communities, we associates seek to relate responsively as servant coaches, mentors, trainers and consultants.

 

CVI2 associates follow long-range strategies. We work to see social groups and networks transformed from within by enabling visionaries to equip indigenous transformation workers and groups, as needed.

 

 

 

OUTCOMES

 

CVI2 associates’ service outcomes take many forms:  new visionaries and workers to transform loved communities; value added to other agencies’ global community transformation efforts; newly-formed structures (e.g., prayer, coaching, training, communication, networking, resourcing) to enable visionaries and workers; newly-launched reproductive, disciple-making communities; 100s of new, accessible and effective community transformation resources; transformed socio-cultural units, etc.

 

God is now transforming needy communities through those we enable

 

In Africa—coordinating care of 12 million AIDs orphans; training Burundi’s, Kenya’s and Rwanda’s Christian leaders to help three million abandoned widows to be self-sustaining; training to multiply discipleship communities; arranging USA-African school partnerships; managing a grade school and Bible club in Madagascar; and developing training materials.

 

In Asia—relieving Indonesia’s Tsunami victims, homeless and especially orphans; connecting Malaysian and Indonesian workers; training Bataks, Bengalis, Cambodians, Chinese, Indonesians, Japanese, Kazakhs, Malaysians, Marathi, Mongols, Nepali, Pakistanis, Russians Uzbeks and other people groups, all to multiply holistic discipleship communities.

 

In Hispano Americacoming alongside hurting families and needy children in Ecuador and Peru; training pastors and church workers to multiply discipleship communities in Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru; and training USA Hispanic community leaders to lead, serve and multiply services within their communities.

 

In North America—mentoring youth; empowering the disadvantaged; training parents; coaching Christians to live purposefully towards their potential; training leaders to develop discipling communities; helping fledgling initiatives to succeed; and facilitating CVI2 associates, partners and operations.

 

EXAMPLES (names & locations withheld)

 

Several CVI2 visionary associates help non-CVI2 visionaries to focus their lives within God’s design. One such non-CVI2 visionary who did doctoral studies, consulted to numerous school projects, and developed curricula and training models, testified:  “In 2005, (a CVI2 associate) again challenged me to participate in a Focused Living Course that he was teaching. As you might expect, I was once again skeptical. I was serving as a Pastor and Headmaster of a Christian School, and was really too busy to be involved in a self-discovery course. A fellow youth worker joined me for participation in the course and we set off to discover what Focused Living was all about. I should have known better. During the first three months of the course, I realized that God was calling me to fulfill a life-long passion for helping children by stepping out in faith to raise the financial support to help disadvantaged children attend Christian school through a non-profit corporation that my wife and I established.” Since then, this non-CVI2 visionary and his wife have helped to raise many dollars for Christian education, including the opening of new campuses.

 

A CVI2 associate in Latin America recently wrote:  “We enjoyed a busy past four months. We instituted the School for Parentsfor groups of parents…on parenting skills, the five aspects of child development, and creating ideal environments for children. We have averaged around 20 moms and dads each session. The parents have been very appreciative. The best part has been the individual counseling after the sessions. We held our third annual Valentines dinner to spark the startup of more Homebuilder groups, and spoke on communications. About 25 couples enjoyed the music, games and message. We added more books to our children’s library (no other children’s library in their city, and possibly not in their country), and are looking for other Spanish publishers. We have also had a couple of classes from a local school visit. It was pure joy to see the faces of the kids as they chose the books to read. The teachers were very appreciative. We are planning on promoting the library to other schools in the coming weeks.”

 

A CVI2 associate who lives near a USA university is dedicating her life to serving international students. Currently, they include “students from Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Thailand. For them, she launched a prayer group, bakes and serves savory cookies, and speaks or is learning some of their languages. With them, she enjoys “wonderful conversations” over lunches, while taking “trips around” her state, and at her hospitable home, which has hosted up to 100 guests, and also houses eight female coworkers. Together, they share in Holy Book studies and in meaningful fellowship. She recently wrote: Many are reading books and discussing them with me or other students that I have been working with.” In this milieu, she is not only learning about other peoples, but is also formally teaching them English, and training others in strategic service skills.

 

Only six years ago, a visionary came searching for an agency, a ministry name, and some guidance. CVI2 and its directors came alongside to help. Last year, this visionary’s registered business “directly touched the lives of over 4,000 men, women, and children.” The business taught fathering skills to men, prepared male prisoners for life outside, taught single moms how to raise their boys to become good men, and mentored fatherless boys. Service venues included seminars, retreats, classes, trade shows, a convention, workshops, mentoring program, many speaking opportunities, and book and CD distributions.

 

Since our (CVI2 associates) role is often that of outside consultants who cannot require reports, outcomes remain difficult to measure. Nevertheless, we do receive some testimonials, such as this one:  Since mid-2004, over 250 community workers have been trained in (restricted countries). As a result, insiders estimate that over 3,000 discipling communities have been started among the poor with around 15,000 participants. Last November, one trainer reported over 70 new discipleship communities with 100s of participants; in three months, those numbers grew to over 150 communities with 900+ participants. In the past six months, two other trainers reported that they launched 50 more communities with around 300 new participants.’ The needs that move entity leaders to invite us, the freedom, hope and kingdom advancement that come through our training, and how to better work with God ahead are now known.

 

Community Vision International     PO Box 33286     Portland, OR 97292-3286

website:  www.cvi2.org    email:  cvi2@cvi2.org

 

Published in “Spiritual Dynamics” July 2007 www.globalmissiology.org