MENISCUS INC winter catalog 2011
What Would Justice Really Look Like?
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n the midst of a world of uncertainties, have you noticed how much everyone is crying for justice and fairness? Politicians, commentators, self-styled social engineers, ‘grass-roots’ activists; anyone with an internet connection is glad to tell all what is Just and Fair. While the debate can get divisive, still deep in all of our hearts is a universal yearning for Justice and Fairness. I’m not speaking of a human ideal here, but a spiritual ideal planted in us since the beginning of humankind, a Kingdom of God sense of mercy, justice, and fairness. All of us carry this seed. The prophet Isaiah spoke of this kind of God-centered ethic and action in his opening appeal, “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow” (Is 1:17). Matthew quotes Isaiah in pointing to Jesus as the God-in-our midst bringer of justice, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations” (Matthew 12:18). James writes to the early church, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27)
Meniscus Inc exists to be a tool for community transformation; where mercy, justice and the presence of God in our midst begins to impact people and cultures. This year end report and appeal is not a heart-string tug – though heart break and joy are behind each statistic and number- but an attempt toward describing what the cultivation of Justice in a culture might look like. We are a small organization with a tiny budget, staffed by volunteers. We are just a seed.
� The question; Are we in turn sowing good seed that will multiply and bear good fruit - Justice and Fairness - in the coming days?
Our target communit y • Meniscus Inc does not currently serve in the most remote, primordial jungles of Africa. We work in the continent’s strategic economic, social, and political country: South Africa, with a 1st World industry, 3rd World poverty, and Animistic spiritual roots. South Africa hosts the world’s greatest disparity between rich and poor, and has the world’s largest HIV+ population. • We work in a key area; Mpumalanga Province has a huge impact on the neighbouring countries of Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. It is also one of South Africa’s poorest provinces. • We work in a vital area of cultural ferment and conflict within the province, the sprawling and rapidly growing poor townships/barrios just outside the provincial capital of Nelspruit/Mbombela. • We work in the township communities – Daantjie, Msogwaba, and Masoyi - so rife with crime that people in the area don’t want to live there. Daantjie is regarded as the toughest township in the province. • We work with the fastest growing demographic within these poor communities, the burgeoning ranks of children, youth, and young adults who are the first and second generation of “AIDS orphans” now growing into adulthood. This is the largest demographic group in the whole African continent and on their shoulders the weight of leading the country, continent and the culture, is beginning to fall. They are a Fatherless generation. We work to restore Africa to The Father.
Meniscus Inc. forms partnerships with like-minded ministries. We specifically seek not to be ‘Lone Rangers’, but to craft ‘iron sharpening iron’ type supportive associations with ministries who are really good at what they do. By doing this Meniscus can focus on what we have a passion for: make Jesus-followers, disciple-making disciples, with the heart, vision, and skills to impact their communities.
some of OUR great teammates in Africa: Mamkhulu.org a South African & Canadian work that is highly effective in working with governmental, civil, and tribal networks to provide safety and psycho-social aid to orphans, vulnerable children, at-risk youth and young adults. Project Purpose In 2011 we also began supporting Project Purpose, an amazing ministry to the ‘street princesses’- the sex workers- in Maputo, Mozambique. Katie Magill-DeTombe and her team has done great work in a very dark place for more than a dozen years. We’re honoured to have such great friends. Emoyeni a long-standing South African & American ministry that focuses on orphan and vulnerable child care and pastoral leadership development.
Project Hands of Grace a South African ministry that is very effective in discipleship, women’s empowerment through micro-enterprise development, and ‘second harvest’ food gathering and distribution. Hands of Grace trains the poor in small business skills, crafts and sewing. They also identify and shore up needy home-based children’s orphanages and orphan head-of-household families. They are excellent ‘pioneers’ at growing strong DBS discipleship teams. YFC - Youth For Christ South Africa a strong African ministry filled with devoted young adults discipling their peers and using limited resources to impact their communities. These are young black leaders with servant hearts and faithful lifestyles.
Communit y CenteR With these partners, and through favor with the local tribal chief, in 2009 we forged a strong team and began building the Litsemba “Hope” Resource Center in the teeming Daantjie township. With a great location on the main road, the Center has gone from a gutted twelve room flop house to a brightly renovated, clean, safe, secure, and bustling community center which provides resources, training, and spiritual light. Five young men live at the Center, providing security and maintenance services in exchange for lodging; all are also fully engaged in ministry & discipleship training.
Our Services: Orphan & Vulnerable Children (OVC) care with local church volunteers, the Litsemba Center now provides high-protein staple food items to area orphans on an ongoing basis. A qualified community worker coordinates with local schools in identifying those children at highest risk. Along with this ongoing work, Meniscus Inc launched ‘Out of the Box last year. Every Saturday churches conduct a feeding and discipleship programs to 40-60 of these children. These outreaches have begun building bridges across racial and economic barriers, providing great food and solid biblical encouragement to the children and their caregivers. The program provides protein-rich meals during a time when most likely no other food would be available. These gatherings are like family reunions full of laughter, song, and smiles -an all-too-rare joy to children who have suffered so much pain and rejection in their lives. But these kids are coming to know their Father’s love. Life Skills Fifteen community members, both men and women, are trained and available to serve as counsellors through the “Options Center” at Litsemba Center, providing young people with training and resources in HIV/AIDS prevention and care, sexual integrity, marriage preparation, abortion counselling, post-abortion care pregnancy care, and childhood development. The Center has worked with local medical clinics to host free HIV/AIDS testing, and serves as a counselling referral service for the government medical clinics. “SANCA, a government sponsored substance abuse program, has also has established a base office at the Center in the 2011.
Discipleship Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) and Leadership Training. This ministry is at the core of all other efforts in which we are involved. Our conviction is that economic, social, psychological, cultural change is great, but true community transformation depends upon spiritual transformation at a personal level. Ministry Training We are especially excited to help re-launch the Southern Africa School of Missions and Ministry (SASMM) in January 2012. Founded in 2007, SASMM will now be an accredited ministry and missions training program provided to locals at a minimal cost. Affiliated with a local church, partner Emoyeni, and the Vineyard Bible Institute, this school will provide rigorous, theologically sound, and practical training within community. Second Harvest Our servant partners and our trusty ‘ boekie’ – pickup truck- have formed the centrepiece of this work. Area farmers provide fields for free ‘second harvesting’ of produce. This program is currently dormant, as area farmers have no surpluses available and the collection truck requires major repair. Ben-Roc Eggs continues weekly to provide eggs for distribution among the needy.
Stewardship and Finances We believe that 2011 was a year of building and that 2012 will be a year of multiplication; a year in which we will see local people begin to have an increasing impact for God. In October we took eight North Americans to Africa for two weeks, in support the ongoing work. Check out the recent blog posts (www.Meniscusinc.com) for more on this effort. From the trainings conducted during the October outreach, we are developing training materials that can be a help to other ministries in the field; specifically in the areas of compassion fatigue, community transformation, and microenterprise development. Meniscus’ 2011 income through December 1 was $32,200, over 98% of which has been spent on direct field expenses. Our administrative expenses have been under $500. Our goal is maximum impact with minimum expenses, moving continuously toward sustainability and reproducibility. We hope you’ve noticed the high value we place on sustainability and local income generation; the Options Center works hard at generating their operating expenses by making and selling crafts, the women of Project Hands of Grace work hard to generate income with their sewing, the residents of the Litsemba Center perform daily tasks maintaining and staffing the Center’s activities in exchange for housing, and the Second Harvest functions with donated “fields” and volunteer local labor. Meniscus is a low-cost ministry making maximum impact, giving the needy a ‘ hand-up’ into self-respect, self-support, and spiritual transformation.
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he apostle Matthew writes of Jesus, “He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings, won’t push you into a corner. Before you know it, his justice will triumph; the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even among far-off unbelievers”(Matt 12:19-21). If what Meniscus Inc is doing sounds like what Matthew describes, if our efforts are consistent with your core values and your sense of mission and justice, and you think we are being good stewards of our finances, then please help support our work. Partner with us in finances, in prayer, and in ongoing friendship. Send us an email, join our prayer team, donate through our secure Paypal portal via www.MeniscusInc.com. If you’re interested in hands-on involvement, spending some time tutoring young adults, building, sharing your skills, or otherwise helping in the work in southern Africa please contact us as we build a summer 2012 team. All donations are considered tax deductible according to the IRS rulings as Meniscus Inc is a 501c3 charitable corporation. We thank you in advance for your generosity and your support. All credit for anything good we are doing goes to Jesus Christ, Emmanuel -“God with Us”. Wishing you an overcoming 2012 in Him. Please send us your thoughts at meniscushome@gmail.com. For the Meniscus Inc Board, Staff, and Partners,
Scott & Rebecca Lycan, Directors
What can you do to help financially? Out of the Box Ministry to orphans and child-head-of-households • $50 a month • provides a child with nutritious meals and support every weekend for a full year • $20 a month • supports a child in a breakfast program five days a week.
SASMM an accredited and innovative ministry training and pastoral leadership program • $50 per month • sponsors a young leader in ministry training (tuition, books, supplies) • $115 per month • provides the basic needs for a young leader for a month (food, lodging, transport)
Project Hands of Grace providing poor women with micro-enterprise opportunities and small group bible study & fellowship • $100 • provides a ¼ share in a durable sewing machine, to be shared with three other women • $340 • provides seed money for the launch of a sewing guild/micro-enterprise into a new community ( sewing supplies, training, and all materials for a 1st project), multiplying the work into new areas. • $400 • purchases and maintains a durable sewing machine
Litsemba “Hope” Center transformational ministry center in Daantjie community • $135 • provides an entire months vehicle expenses for Meniscus Inc and its partners • $300 • pays a month’s salary for a trained & qualified community worker for the Litsemba Center; shared by Meniscus and its partners.
Ministry Training Development Resources development and provision of DVD’s and other materials of effective trainings, integrating community, psycho-social, economic and spiritual transformation.
You can either send a check to “Meniscus Inc” at P.O. Box 12764, Raleigh, NC 27605 or Go to www.Meniscusinc.com and donate online via our secure PayPal link. If you are especially interested in supporting the work of any of our partners, you can do that by a via the “Donation” link at www.Meniscusinc.com. 100% of your donation will be sent to our partners. Please also write to us (meniscushome@gmail.com) and let us know how you want your gift designated. We will be sure to honor your designations. All undesignated funds will go to ‘where most needed’.