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How Does Seed Effect’s Program Impact and Equip the Local Church?

While Seed Effect’s beneficiaries are individuals, we serve them through savings groups in partnership with the local church. These churches are often small (less than 100 people), rural, and understaffed.

As we share the Gospel and disciple them, our goal is to connect Seed Effect members to a local church.

99% of our members report that this program has improved their relationships with God, self, others, and the rest of creation.

44% of our members who were not Christians prior to joining Seed Effect report that they are now “born again” and have chosen to follow Jesus.

We often celebrate the impact our program is making at an individual level. For example, Suzan was empowered to start a tailoring business and provide for her family. 

And yet, over the past seven years, we’ve also celebrated tremendous impact within the local church. Here’s what Edward of Bible Hope International shared:

“For nearly four years, we lived in the refugee settlement where no development agency or mission was involved to help the community or the church. In 2022, we were visited by the Seed Effect Uganda staff. Our community and church welcomed Seed Effect with open arms. We were excited to be trained on Seed Effect’s methodology of Savings for Life. Our church formed one group called Unity, comprised of the members of the church and some Muslims from the community to all attend the training and read the bible together.”

The church extended the invitation to others in their community and began to see relationships restored. Edward continued:

“During the training, we learned about the four key relationships — man with God, man with others, man with self, and man with the environment. This training delivered the members of the church from the corridor of darkness.“

Through the training Seed Effect provided, the church members and the pastor were better equipped to serve their community. Edward shared:

“Learning about these four key relationships opened the way for our church to facilitate change in the community by registering over thirty church members who gave their lives to Christ! These trainings helped our church carry vision, promote truth, reverse lies, participate in community work, initiate sharing with others, encourage love, renew our commitment to the church, and protect our environment.”

The church also celebrated the economic impact. Edward said:

“This unique mission also opened our eyes to start small businesses. In particular, a group of women in the church rented land and collectively farmed. Another started a new poultry project. Surprisingly, we are doing all these activities with no outside financial resources but through the knowledge, skills, and training given to us by Seed Effect Uganda through the church. Interestingly, we also acquired new skills through the training of church leaders and community members, which helped the church grow together with the community.”

With so much impact and much to celebrate, the congregation lamented that they had not had access to this program earlier. Edward shared:

“These were all things we could have done five years ago. Why not then? Why now? Because now, we understand God’s purposes for our community through the church and have understood the four key relationships in helping our community to develop and flourish…                                                                                                                       Over three years of working with Seed Effect, Bible Hope International Church has registered several great achievements in the development of the local churches and the community at large. We pray that the four key relationships are taught in all the churches that have missed the message because it’s the last hope left for the whole world.”

 

The impact Seed Effect is making extends well beyond the individuals we serve. It’s impacting their families, the local church, and the broader community.

Thank you for making this work possible and for empowering the church to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their communities!

Article Info

Oct 17, 2024

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