How Innovate Helped Restore OKC Strengthen Their Existing Programs

Restore OKC is a community development organization in Oklahoma City. They’re “focused on the restoration of health, environment, reconciliation, and equity with neighbors in Northeast Oklahoma City.” For the past 6 years, Restore OKC has been committed to building relationships with the people in their community and working alongside them to bring about transformation.

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Doing Benevolence Ministry in Your Unique Context

Doing benevolence ministry in your unique context

In our Helping without Hurting in Benevolence Ministry training, we share principles and tools to help you build a ministry that leads to real change. But there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every church. In order to create a benevolence program that works for your specific church context, you may need to make adjustments to fit your church’s specific capacity.

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Designing Innovative Solutions to Problems

Designing innovative solutions to problems

Have you ever been working on solving a complex problem and felt stuck? You knew there had to be a way forward but you just couldn’t see it? That’s how designing a poverty alleviation ministry can feel. Take the issue of food insecurity as an example. Most people are familiar with a “soup kitchen” model…

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God’s Kingdom Has a Startling Economic System

Woman working in a restaurant

Every earthly kingdom has its own way of doing things, its own customs and policies regarding food, sex, family, and religion. And every kingdom has an economic policy. But when Jesus welcomes us into his alternate kingdom, something strange happens. We discover a whole new world. And we soon discover that Jesus’s kingdom looks different…

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Real Churches, Real Change

Women in a savings group in West Africa

Through the Chalmers Center’s Restore: Savings curriculum and our network of trainers and partners, thousands of local churches in the Majority World have been equipped to launch savings groups. In church after church, we’ve seen God take the mustard seeds of people’s savings and grow them into a harvest of hope in the midst of deep poverty. 

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The Art of Flipcharts

Flipcharts from a Faith & Finances class

Faith & Finances uses the tangible, customizable flipchart in every lesson. Flipcharts are great because they require no electricity, software updates, or photocopiers. But just because they are intentionally low-tech doesn’t mean that the importance of good flipcharting should be underestimated!

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Practicing What We Teach

Kelly Kapic

When we try to help people who are materially poor, we often focus on the habits we think they need to change. But what about our own habits? How do our daily practices affect our ministry with the materially poor?

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The Easter Epidemic

Our hope is in the resurrection

It’s Easter weekend—the pinnacle of the Christian calendar. It’s supposed to be a weekend full of joy and celebration. How are we to experience joy and celebrate in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis?

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The Five Causes of Poverty—Part 5: Demonic Forces

Five causes of poverty demonic forces

Adapted from Becoming Whole, 181-182; A Field Guide to Becoming Whole, 135-39. Throughout this series on the five causes of poverty, the underlying connection between them all is the Fall. Because sin entered the world, our stories and practices are twisted by its effects, and both individuals and groups are broken and can do evil.…

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Work Life is Growing!

Work life is growing

Over the past year, The Chalmers Center has made significant changes and improvements to our Work Life program. We’re excited to share these updates with you and pray that they bless your ministry. If you are not already part of the Work Life community, we hope that we might partner with you in the future!

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