#GivingTuesday

Hey! Did you know today is #GivingTuesday. That's right. Following Gray Thursday and Black Friday November 27 has been dubbed #Giving Tuesday. It's a day for giving into our world to help--anyone.

Did you know that on November 7 there was a 7.5 Richter scale earthquake centered near San Marcos, Guatemala? Paul and Noe Crites are missionaries in San Cristobal, Guatemala. Paul made a trip to San Marcos and here's an excerpt:

I met with a government official this morning and learned that there are officially 32,797 houses damaged, 7,224 of those houses were completely destroyed, (about 10,000 more slated for demolition).  There are now 65 active refugee centers housing 6,174 people who lost their homes in the earthquake.  There are another 20,421 people left homeless but have chosen to live with family members until their homes are rebuilt.  These numbers are staggering.

The government was feverishly removing fallen buildings and rendering initial aid and distributing food and water.  What we saw was quite contrary to what the newspapers had us believe; everyone had housing (either in one of the 65 temporary refugee centers or absorbed by family), and everyone had food and clean water (mind boggling logistics), the electricity was restored and water was flowing, streets were cleared and engineers had searched and examined each building to determine which were safe and which they would demolish.  So, shelter was provided and food and water was abundant.

I was asked to join a newly formed reconstruction committee connecting churches and NGO's (non-governmental organizations or non-profits), with the government's efforts.  Korea, Venezuela, Israel and Uruguay have already pledged support in various forms to begin amassing materials for rapid construction housing but there was no plan on how to recruit, train, feed, train, mobilize or oversee volunteers for the actual construction of the housing.

How about giving to Guatemala today? If you wish to donate funds or ship materials, please contact paulcrites@gmail.com or  the Cloverdale Church of Christ in Searcy, AR at 501-268-4553.

Big Days

Ryan's funeral service
Fourth birthdays
New venues and campuses
Kairos LA fundraising banquet

Big days are made up of stuff like this. Here's the backstory to each of these big days.

1. Ryan's funeral service will be 2-4 pm Sunday, November 18, at the Vancouver, Washington downtown Hilton Hotel

2.  Fourth Birthdays. Both Renovo in Puyallup, Washington and Ethos in Nashville, Tennessee celebrated four years of work, life, and ministry in October. Renovo is led by Scott and Holly Christensen and their team of elders and ministry leaders. Watch Renovo's birthday video here.

3.  Ethos opened a new worship venue at Marathon Music Works in September. I've been able to go twice. Opening a new venue that begins with 300 people is awesome. Dave Clayton's vision is to see the Marathon venue grow to about 600 as they prepare leadership teams for other venues in the future.

4. Agape Rockwood campus launched Sunday services in October under the leadership of Allyn and Becky Bradley. Allyn and Becky have been working at Agape for over a year. They're connecting into the Rockwood

 5. LA fundraising banquet was November 4 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Over two hundred people were inspired by the presidential story and the vision God is using Kairos for helping plant a new generation of churches in America. Friends and supporters gave over $46,000 and counting to support this mission.

In Memorium

Ryan Woods passed away November 7, 2012, at 12:38 pm. He was surrounded by family, friends, and a community of people whom he loved in downtown Vancouver, Washington.

The following comes from The Columbian newspaper:

Ryan Woods, a 30-year-old Vancouver man who has been fighting terminal cancer for more than a year, died Wednesday.

He died two days after an impromptu candlelight vigil at Compass Church, 1812 Main St., where nearly 200 came out to sing in support of Woods in his final days, said friend Chris Chapin.
"It was emotional and uplifting just seeing so many people care about Ryan," Chapin said.

At the Exponential Conference in April Ryan was interviewed on stage. Dave Ferguson, Exponential organizer said this about Ryan:

I'm so sorry to hear this news.  Ryan was a very heroic and inspiring follower of Jesus.  His interview at Exponential last year gave courage to thousands of church planters - I'm personally grateful for his willingness to do that.

Sincerely, Dave Ferguson

The Renovatus Church of Christ where Kevin and Brenda Woods, Ryan's parents, minister will hold a special worship service Sunday, November 11, 6:00-7:30pm.

Funeral arrangements are being made for Sunday, November 18 at the Hilton Hotel in Vancouver. The time has not yet been set.

The Hilton was chosen for the funeral service site because it is able to hold the crowd expected to attend the service. It is, however, quite expensive. If you wish to contribute to help cover the funeral costs you may donate through the Kairos website. Click on the donate button and select Renovatus-Ryan Woods.

Thank you to all our Kairos friends and supporters across the country who have shared with us this journey of Ryan and Jess's into eternity.

Father, you invite us to participate in exceptional blessings even as we at times experience extraordinary afflictions. Thank you for Ryan and his faith that carried him through his extraordinary afflictions. Our hope is in Jesus, the firstborn of the dead. Amen.

Stan Granberg
Kairos Executive Director