The Tour:
Patch Our Planet is embarking on an 18+ state tour in the late summer this year. We have a goal of equipping 500 churches by 2020. We are currently around 220, so we see this tour as a great opportunity to equip many more churches as we travel throughout the US.
Looking for Host Churches:
As we build the itinerary for this trip, we will be looking for Host churches across our route (see map/states on website). The Host church will use our free marketing materials to set up an event, invite churches in the community, and provide meeting space (along with smaller items like water and snacks, depending on how long we meet). It’s a very easy way to spark a network of care in a community. And although we would love to be in every state, we have marked out a general course for our journey since our time on the road is limited. Committed Host churches will help dictate our final schedule/route.
Cost and Other Details:
You may ask, “what will you be doing during this time of equipping and how much will it cost us?” First, we will work with the Host church to decide on a date and how much time will be needed for our meeting. We recommend that the minimum time of training would be around three hours and that the maximum time would be around eight hours, broken up over a two day period. Attendees will be given an Interactive Patch Strategy Workbook and Patch’s Local & Global Orphan Care Curriculum to help serve as an ongoing guide in the process of building, growing or refining a long-term orphan care ministry.
Concerning cost, Patch Our Planet has worked hard to keep cost from being a barrier to churches with a heart for orphans. We are a by-faith ministry. Simply put, we don’t charge. We humbly ask the Host church to encourage other attending churches to pray about their support of this ministry in some way. In other words, we trust the Church and we trust in God’s provision for this ministry.
Orphan Care Network:
Our goal is that each attendee and each church represented will leave with a clear plan of what needs to happen at their church, from the first year to the tenth year. And if you can imagine three, four, five or more churches in a community equipped with a long-term orphan care strategy, then you can start to see the beginning of a church network of care. Each church, under it’s own vision, caring for vulnerable children according to it’s unique strengths. Doesn’t that just make sense?
That’s why we believe that the Church is the best “PATCH” to the orphan crisis. When a church is equipped with a long-term orphan care plan, all of that untapped care potential is released into a community to care for the most vulnerable, both locally and globally.
Be Intentional:
Shouldn’t your church be intentional in it’s orphan care ministry? Would your church benefit from a hands-on orphan care coach? Then we hope you’ll consider hosting a Regional Training Event in your community. Please fill out the Host Form so we can begin to talk about what that would look like in your community.
All it takes is the first stitch in the permanent patch to make a difference….will you #BeThePatch in your community?
I look forward to hearing from you!
For the Kingdom,
Steve Gillis
Founder | Exec. Director
