Recently, we posted an article titled: What Does ServeNow do? In that article, we laid out in general (yet in specific and factual terms) what we are doing in each country we are registered in. In this article, I’d like to address the “philosophy, heart and vision” of ServeNow from a historical, present and future perspective.
ServeNow officially began in December 2012. Our current president and his daughter (the first president of ServeNow) started ServeNow while recognizing that there were still so many areas of great need around the world. They had a burden and heart to do something about it. With only a few partners and “small” plans they went to work, never imagining that ServeNow would be where it is today and grow as rapidly as it has! (read more here: ServeNow History).
At its core, ServeNow is all about quickly meeting real needs around the world in a way that results in life transformation. Our heart is to partner with churches and pastors around the world to strengthen the Church internally (spiritually), to reach out externally (serving their communities in tangible ways) in order to fulfill the great commission globally. Our passion is to equip new believers (as well as believers who can’t afford or have no access to) with the word of God and discipleship resources (read more here) to help them grow in their faith, while providing training, encouragement and support to the pastors/leaders. Then, through a variety of programs and according to the need in that community, empowering the Church to reach out in very practical and tangible ways to serve and demonstrate the love of God to their neighbors.
Our desire is also to simply be a means for local churches to fulfill their calling to take the Gospel into all the world! We strongly believe that there is a need for the materials we developed, and that this can benefit churches. We also believe that through a partnership, churches, leaders, pastors and individuals will be greatly encouraged by what God is doing, both locally and around the world.
ServeNow is currently registered in India, Nepal, Ukraine and Sweden. We also have a strong partnership with a pastor and his organization in Uganda. On top of this, in early 2016, we made it official that another organization, registered in Britain as MediaServe, would join forces as a division of ServeNow. MediaServe prints Bibles and discipleship resources in over 45 languages! MediaServe was already a strong partner of ServeNow and has worked in several of the countries where we are registered in as well. This not only expands the reach in those countries, but also opens doors to more ministry and possibilities in other countries and parts of the world (more to come in the future on this!).
For example, we have a strong desire to do more to serve immigrants. In Sweden alone, there are 1.6 million immigrants. In a country of just 10 million, this is nearing the twenty percent mark! This fall, we will be partnering with a pastor of an Arabic speaking congregation in Sweden who is reaching out to immigrants. In fact, during a four-day-class about the fundamentals of Christianity, many of the sixty attendees embraced Jesus as their Lord and Savior! Twenty-one of them were recently water-baptized. The amazing thing was that this pastor is from the area in Egypt where ISIS captured and beheaded twenty-one Egyptian Coptic Christians. It was the same number that this pastor just baptized! Now is the time to reach immigrants and to serve immigrants, especially those already in European countries. Now is not the time to shrink back in fear; but rise up in faith with boldness, courage and compassion. The doors are wide open, real possibilities are in front of us, and the harvest is before us…but we must act now and act quickly!
We have also identified (and have constant requests) from more areas of great need within the countries we are already in. For example, we would like to partner with several places of great potential in India. However, we do not know how much longer we may be able to carry on our work in India under the current administration. Time is short, and the time to serve is Now (read a memo here from our president).
In Nepal, because of a couple of generous partners who saw the need themselves while on a trip, it has been made possible for ServeNow to begin two new “lighthouse” projects, in two slums of Kathmandu. The first one will focus on serving children in need; providing help with their education and providing meals. It will also serve as a location to bring together the local churches in order to serve the community. The second lighthouse center is located in a slum where no other Christian influence or activity is currently taking place. This particular slum has the highest rate of prostitution in Nepal. We are providing an alternative to prostitution through our tailoring program.
There are many other examples besides the ones just mentioned. Some of our projects and programs are seasonal (summer camps; water for life, winter coverings etc). Others are continual (lighthouse centers, medical clinics, training etc). Some projects we simply do as, or if, we are able to, depending on funding (containers, classroom buildings, summer camps for kids in Moldova and Belarus, etc). Other projects, such as “disaster relief“, are unplanned but we respond to these crisis situations as they arise. Regardless of the type of project, every one of them, every partner, every gift, and every project is done by faith, each step of the way!
It is also important to us that while we meet many real and tangible needs, we are not just another “humanitarian” organization. Our goal is life-transformation. We want people to know there is a God who loves them; this is what compels us to do what we do. We want people to know there is a Savior who died for them and rose again, which is why we serve and make the sacrifices we do.
Also, we want churches, pastors and new believers to be grounded and strengthened in their faith. Our Basic Series program is really the “glue” that connects everything we do. The Basic Series is a set of thirty books, each thirty-two pages long. The churches we partner with receive one new book every three months (four a year). This means that over a course of seven years, they are rooted and grounded in the fundamentals of the faith, becoming strong disciples and followers of Jesus! We are presently partnering with close to 1,000 churches through this series, in twelve languages. Right now we are even test printing some in Arabic!
We are not an organization that is here one day and gone the next. We are partnering with, continually walking alongside, and serving those in need in whatever way we can. Yes, we are a “young” organization…but we are growing rapidly! We see the hand of God upon us week in and week out. Every week, we are flooded with stories of lives that have been impacted and changed! We sense that God is guiding us by continually opening new doors and by placing before us critical and timely opportunities. Yes, we make mistakes. Yes, we are human. But we also are very aware that we are being guided by a Sovereign God, a risen, loving Savior and an ever-present Holy Spirit!
We invite you to join us on this journey! We would love to partner with you. Perhaps God has placed certain passions and desires on your heart that align with what we are doing. There are ways you can volunteer, for example by serving on a mission trip. We are also currently initiating a new volunteer program, where you can become a ServeNow “Ambassador” in your church/community. We are providing some very simple and practical ways you can serve right here, right now! Contact us for more information. You can also make a big difference through financial gifts. Check out our donation page where you can choose which specific area you would like to make a difference in.
You can make a real difference. As we head into our fourth full year of ministry, we stand amazed at the number of lives around the world that have already been touched! Last year, in just our third full year, close to a quarter million people were directly impacted through the ministry of ServeNow! To think that on average, it only cost $5 per life; a little can truly go a long way. It just takes someone who is willing to take that step of faith! We hope you will join us and be that person or church!
[…] is a real potential for impact; all we need is more partners to help with the financial burden (read this article for more information). So much can be done with so little! Last year, we impacted close to a quarter million people in […]