Orange County Edition Vol. 22, No. 12
December 2011
www.christianexaminer.com
Cal Thomas
Community
Spending Christmas in occupied territory
Penn State’s shame reflects immoral national norms
Southern California has strong showing for Christian Film Festival
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FREE
Phil Cooke
Better to Give Christmas gift alternatives provide blessings for the recipient — and the giver By Lori Arnold As the commercialization of Christmas continues to dwarf the spiritual aspects of the holiday, many evangelical families are seeking ways to bring the giving spirit back to the holiday. As a result, more and more families are opting to forgo the traditional “I want” lists for charitable giving opportunities, which have now become as diverse as the people seeking them. Below is just a sampling of some of the Christian-based programs available online. Military BibleStick Outreach, a project of Faith Comes by Hearing, the BibleStick is a digital audio New Testament provided to the military. The slim audio player, pre-loaded with a dramatized version of the New Testament, is the size of a pack of gum. Because of the ongoing campaign to America’s military, chaplains from every branch routinely seek the Bibles, with more than 143,000 of the devices in the field. In all, more than 800 chaplains use Military BibleSticks in pre-deployment briefings, counseling sessions, Bible studies, weekly chapels and other spiritual services.
At 3 inches long and less than 1 inch wide, the Military BibleStick is about the size of a pack of gum. More than 143,000 of the devices are now on the field.
For $25, a Military BibleStick, which includes an MP3 disc of the entire New Testament along with a response card for service members to have New Testaments and KIDZ Bibles sent to their families, civilians can purchase a BibleStick for the military. For information, log on to www. faithcomesbyhearing.com. Project Prayer Flag is an Irvinebased ministry founded by Shawn See GIVING, page 2
Uncontained Love Ministry links donors, impoverished towns to create preschools By Lori Arnold IRVINE — When it comes to international Christian ministry, Marius van der Colff specializes in thinking inside the box. That’s why nearly a decade ago he founded Cargo of Dreams, a ministry that meshes two passions he said God placed firmly on his heart—filling a void of preschool facilities in the mostly impoverished black townships in his native South Africa, and offering practical international outreach opportunities that Americans can do without leaving the country. “Using the containers is really a way to give people a hands-on way to get involved, said van der Colff, who founded the ministry in 2002.
Through its ministry model, Cargo of Dreams partners with existing organizations around the globe that are seeking preschool classrooms. Cargo of Dreams fulfills those requests by finding donor organizations who are willing to purchase shipping containers and then convert them into a portable classroom. Before they are shipped, local volunteers paint colorful murals on the exteriors and pack the insides with school supplies, furnishings and other items for the recipient school. Recent container adoptees include Stoneybrooke Christian Schools in San Clemente and Ladera Ranch and Glenkirk Church in Glendora. Although the focus of Cargo of Dreams is South Africa, other min-
A principal of a South African school praises God after receiving a new container from Irvine-based Cargos of Dreams.
istries worldwide have participated. The Stoneybrooke container, completed this fall, should be shipped
to Nepal in the coming days. Through the program, donors purchase the containers for about
$5,000. Other associated costs, including shipping, brings the total investment to about $10,000. Van der Colff said the sponsoring groups generally use a dualprong approach with the project, with one focusing on the physical aspects of preparing the container for a classroom, while another team concentrates on using their talents to create fundraising opportunities to underwrite the costs. “We tell them to focus on the gifts and talents first, and the money will come after that,” he said. “You can do whatever you like to do. What has God gifted you to do?” Many times, he said, crafters will sell their wares, allocating proceeds See CONTAINERS, page 12
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