by Steve Strang | Jan 21, 2019 | Christian Persecution, Evangelism
Dear friend of Christian Life Missions,
I am thankful you partnered with us in the past by giving to one of our important ministries. I hope you know, 100 percent of your gift was sent to the ministry you chose to help. We pay our own overhead expenses.
I’m grateful for a good year in 2017 in which our biggest fundraiser for “Bless Israel” (to help Jews make aliyah through Ezra International) brought in $150,000. An additional $50,000 donated since the event. Ezra International which has helped more than 61,705 people, (including 540 Jews make Aliyah) wrote to say they are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from donors like you. Isn’t this exciting?
My intention is to write to you every month this year to tell you what our target ministries are up to. Your help is coveted. I also hope we can develop a personal relationship. As president of Christian Life Missions I want to get to know you. You can call me at 407-333-0600 or email me at [email protected]. I realize that you may give to CLM for a certain ministry every month. Please don’t stop sending your support. However, as the Lord leads maybe you can help with other projects. We have several ministries who will eagerly distribute Bibles in prisons. We need to purchase more bibles for distribution.
Our goal is to give the elegant thin line flex-case Modern English Version of the bible valued at around $20 in bookstores.
My goal is to raise $50,000 to buy 10,000 copies at only $5 each. This is our printing cost.
Our nation’s prisons are overflowing. Most prisoners will be released only to go back to jail unless their lives change. And many prison ministries enjoy great success leading inmates to Jesus. But prisoners have few resources and little or no money to purchase a bible. That is where Christian Life Missions comes in.
Won’t you give generously to this effort we’ve called “Give Away the Word”? Again, these are durable very nice Bibles available in a variety of colors that you can buy for $5 each. We will give 100% of your gift to this project.
You can give below or by going to christianlifemissions.org/causes/charisma-cares-prison-outreach.
Thank you for giving a gift of God’s Word. Prisoners who want a Bible but have no way to get one on their own will receive your blessing.
Sincerely in Christ,
Steve Strang, president
Christian Life Missions
by Steve Strang | Aug 20, 2018 | Disaster Relief
Firefighter watches flames advance west of Redding, California. (REUTERS/Fred Greaves)
You’ve likely been reading in the news about the terrible fires in California. One of the worst fires is raging near Redding, California—the home of Bethel Church, one of the best-known and most respected churches in the country.
The Carr Fire has killed eight people so far and is still burning, largely up in the mountains. This fire has consumed around 207,000 acres and is 63 percent contained as of Monday afternoon. Near Bethel in Redding, the fire has consumed 1,077 homes, 22 commercial structures and 500 other structures.
I recently heard about how Bethel is giving $1,000 to each family who lost a home in their city. The church made the commitment when about 300 homes had been lost. Now the number has grown to 1,770, and Bethel has maintained its pledge to help every one. A number of ministries have come alongside and about half of the $1.1 million needed has come in.
I now hope our will give generously as they have so many times in the past. We’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years for victims of tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. I invite you to give (as I have personally) through our nonprofit partner Christian Life Missions, and we will send 100 percent of what comes in to Bethel to distribute as they respond to the needs of their communities.
I interviewed Eric Johnson, son of Bethel’s lead pastor, Bill Johnson, on my “Strang Report” podcast so he could share what his church is doing to support and help heal its community.
Eric says that the night the fire first broke out was traumatic for the entire community. Almost half the city—40,000 people—had to evacuate. Many of Bethel’s staff and team members were among those who had to flee their homes.
“Once everybody sort of got situated, we began to go to work,” Eric told me. “Our teams came together the next morning and began to figure out what we can do in response to this.”
Eric recounts Bethel’s two primary goal to help those affected by the Carr Fire. First, they wanted to make sure every family who lost a home (every address, that is) would receive $1,000 to help cover immediate needs. Second, the team turned Bethel’s main campus into a Salvation Army distribution center, where those who lost their homes could get food, water and supplies. God was gracious to provide Bethel with around 400 volunteers every day to serve the more than 6,300 guests who came. During the two weeks Bethel’s distribution center was open, Mercy Chefs came and cooked thousands of meals a day at Bethel’s site and several other nearby locations.
Now that people are beginning to move back into their neighborhoods, Bethel has moved its distribution center to the nearby Salvation Army. Bethel is now focusing on helping people “ash out,” that is, sifting through the ashes to find any possessions the fire didn’t destroy. Trained teams—totaling 400 people from all over the city—have been ashing out for almost two weeks now.
Even though Bethel still has a long way to go to reach their goal of $1.1 million, Eric marvels at the national—and even international—support Bethel has received. He says one church donated its entire week’s worth of tithes and offerings to Bethel. That gift alone increased their donation fund by around $70,000.
“We’ve obviously put our money into it,” Eric says. “But we feel like we’re just a funnel. We just want to help funnel money into helping [these] 1,100 homes have something immediately. It’s just been astounding.”
To support Bethel’s generous efforts, I invite those of you reading this article to donate whatever God lays on your heart to Christian Life Missions. As I mentioned before, 100 percent of your donation will go to the Bethel’s Carr Fire fund. If you can, I encourage you to give $1,000 to cover an entire family.
Listen to my podcast interview with Eric to gain an insider’s perspective on how God is using Bethel to heal Redding’s community.
by Steve Strang | May 23, 2018 | Children, Women
There are many good ministries doing good things. Some of those ministries can do those good things because they’re very large. But what if you’re a small ministry trying to do huge things to help the poor?
Over the years, Christian Life Missions has been able to come alongside small ministries, many of which we write about.
Now we need to raise $160,000 to build a Metro Hope for Kids orphanage for 24 girls in Nagaland, an area in Northern India. Metro Hope for Kids was founded seven years ago by a very special person in my life, my sister-in-law Rosella Ridings. Rosella’s beloved husband died in 2008. Most widows of retirement age slow down and withdraw from life—but not Rosella. With very few resources, she is helping these wonderful girls. They need $160,000 to build a much-needed building. So far, only $11,000 has come in, so we’re hosting a fundraiser on Friday, May 25, at Charisma Center in Lake Mary, Florida. But that small event won’t raise enough unless we find others to come alongside us.
I decided to share the need in hopes that we could present a wonderful gift on behalf of CLM partners at the fundraiser. The need for an Indian orphanage a few years ago touched hearts, and people responded. Now can we do it again?
I invited Rosella to share her incredible story below. If you feel led, will you give generously, as Joy and I are doing? If you give quickly, we can present it on May 25.
Read Rosella’s story and her faith to follow God’s calling
Just four years ago, God spoke to me and said, “You can do something for the girls in Nagaland.” I responded, “Yes, God, I can do something.” At that time, I didn’t even know where Nagaland was, but God did and He knew there were 24 young girls in an orphanage who needed help. She was found after wandering in a train station for three days. Someone called the orphanage and found her a home!
Or take Meribeni’s story. She was 3 years old when her parents were both buried alive by a mob. She has been living at Wondang-Ki orphanage for 16 years. In June 2017, Meribeni graduated from college with honors, magna cum laude. What an amazing feat for an orphan![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_bottom=”40″][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]The world of an orphan is miserable. Like any normal child, they also have wants, needs, preferences, expectations, dreams, ambitions and longings. The difference is that, in most cases, they end up as domestic helpers, dropouts or worse. They are traumatized by the death of their parents and grow up with resentment. They need a home, loving care, an education and encouragement to fulfill their dreams.
That’s where Wondang-Ki Orphanage in Dimapur, Nagaland, India, comes in! Mr. N. Thungdemo Kikon, the founder, offers a home for these girls and babies! I have partnered with Mr. Kikon through Metro Hope For Kids, which I founded in May 2011 and is a 501(c)(3) charity recognized by the IRS. It has been most amazing what we, the Hope For Kids Team, has been able to accomplish. We have assisted with monthly expenses such as food and rent as well as paid all the education fees for the girls for the past three years.
Now is the time for us to step up and do more! We must help build a clean, adequate home for these girls. The present orphanage is an old, rented building in need of much repair. It is very crowded with the 24 girls, 4-10 babies, Mr. Kikon, family and helpers. This past summer has been the worst yet with extreme flooding, resulting in no running water or bathrooms for over three months. I don’t think I’m the only one who will say, “I can do something.”
The projected new home for the girls will house 50 little girls and babies and will be adequate to take care of these beautiful children. The total estimated cost is approximately $160,000.
Together it will be amazing what we can accomplish! Yes, we can do something! We can build a home for these homeless children!
—Rosella Ridings
We appreciate your trust. We have checked out this orphanage and Rosella Ridings has visited it in Nagaland, India. You can watch the video they prepared, and it shows how neat it is and how sweet the girls are. Metro Hope for Kids has worked with them several years. We are attaching correspondence which shows how they have given an account in the past, and also how they have estimated the cost for this new building.
Because of the fluctuation in the exchange rate, the cost is now $152,000 but it varies daily. We had been told it would cost $160,000. We are providing this documentation to add credibility that we have done our due diligence. You can click here to download and evaluate for yourself, but this orphanage is run with integrity.
If more comes in than we need to raise (and we don’t know how much will come in) we are creating a “Widows and Orphans Fund” at Christian Life Missions to be able to support other orphanages or widows as the need is presented to us. So 100% of your donation will go to this with nothing taken out for overhead or fund-raising.
by Steve Strang | Feb 10, 2018 | Evangelism, Uncategorized
Dear Friend,
I’m writing to you because we need your help. As you probably know, Christian Life Missions, a non-profit partner of Charisma magazine is a small ministry that was started 60 years ago (April 1956) by the late Robert Walker so the readers of Christian Life magazine could raise money for worthwhile ministries.
Recently I dug through our archives and found the article in 1955 that started it all. It was about how poor the Christians were in Korea after the war and how enthusiastic they were in sharing their faith, holding all night prayer meetings and giving sacrificially. At the end of an in depth report, there was a small box that read:
“Perhaps your heart has been stirred. Should you wish to provide financial aid to struggling Korean Christians and hard-working missionaries you may do so. Contributions sent to “Christians Life” will be forwarded directly to Korea to be used in the ministry of the Gospel…”
Six decades later we continue to raise money through Charisma magazine the same way.
Christian Life Missions is unique in that it gives 100% of donated funds to the ministries as varied as “Feed One” and “Give Away the Word.” We had more projects last year and CLM grew 150% in one year!
But in the last six months we have incurred a deficit in our budget. We’ve given away more than we have raised
I’m hoping you believe what we are doing is worthy and you will decide to give monthly. Your donation will cover our overhead costs so we can continue to give 100% of what we raise to the ministries we raise it for. If you agree to give monthly – any amount – we will give you a subscription to Charisma as a thank you. Even if you currently subscribe, we’ll add it to the end of your current subscription.
If you will give $100 or more a month or a one time gift of $500, we will give you, as a thank you, a copy of the Modern English version (MEV) Bible in a commemorative edition we made for the 40th anniversary of Charisma magazine. We have only 42 copies so it’s first come first served. After those copies run out, we will give you the nicest MEV we publish as a thank you.
There are bigger ministries that are more flashy. We are merely trying to use the resources we have in terms of sharing needs and getting our readers to respond. We’ve decided to ask for your help, knowing you’ll receive a blessing as you partner with us.
Christian Life Missions was one of the 25 charter members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. We are still members in good standing, without blemish on our reputation. We make our books open to our donors. We are totally transparent, so you can give with confidence. Yet we can’t do it alone. Together we can do more than we can do individually.
Can I count on your help? If you prefer to give by mail, send a check to Christian Life Missions to 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary FL 32746 or via credit card on the phone at 407-333-0600 x5100 during business hours EDT.
by Steve Strang | Sep 29, 2017 | Isreal, Uncategorized
As the Jews enter year 5778, we have an opportunity to bless Israel through our nonprofit partner, Christian Life Missions. In the past two decades, we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Israel, paying for items ranging from an ambulance through Magen David Adom, Israel’s first responders, to prefabricated bomb shelters in cities such as Sderot. There, residents have only a few minutes to run for shelter when the air raid sirens sound, indicating mortar rockets are on their way.
We’re not alone in our desire to bless Israel and the Jewish people, but our efforts pale in comparison to those of Mike Evans and John Hagee, among others, who have raised millions of dollars for various projects in Israel. Nonetheless, we must do what we can, and we can accomplish more together than individually. So I invite you to bless Israel this month by participating in our next project to help Jews in the Ukraine make aliyah (move to Israel) through a ministry called Ezra International.
In the past 22 years, Ezra International has helped more than 58,000 Jews make aliyah. The ministry is currently working with another 39,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union countries and other parts of Europe and South America who can’t afford the average $360 per person it takes to move to Israel. My longtime friend Pastor Gary Cristofaro tells me the average cost for a couple is $720, and for an entire family, it’s $1,440.
Mel Hoelzle founded Ezra International in 1995 and remains the organization’s president. Gary told me that Ezra International has a four-star charity rating with Charity Navigator, so you can give with confidence. We will raise the money through Christian Life Missions on our website and in other ways, send you a tax receipt for your gift and forward 100 percent of the money to Ezra International.
Our goal is to raise $30,000, which would allow us to sponsor 26 families or 83 individuals. In order to encourage more donors to give, Christian Life Missions has pledged to match each gift up to a total of $15,000. That means half our goal is already committed, so it doubles your donation and helps us move faster to meet our goal. Of course, we hope to raise much more, and if we do, we will sponsor as many Jews as the gifts will provide.
Think of how this will show love for the Jewish people—Christians giving sacrificially to help Jews fulfill their dreams of moving to Israel. It is a tremendous witness for Christians to show love to Jews, many of whom still see Christianity in the light of forced conversions, the Spanish inquisition, the Crusades and various forms of anti-Semitism.
Please make out checks to Bless Israel Project, ℅ Christian Life Missions, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746. Or you can call 407-333-7111 during office hours to give or online at https://christianlifemissions.org/newsite/causes/charisma-cares-bless-israel/
Won’t you help us show our love by helping the Jews who want to make aliyah? Remember, the Bible says God will bless those who bless Israel (see Gen. 12:3).
