CURE International Names Steve Hitt Executive Director of CURE Zambia
“CURE International, a Christian nonprofit organization that operates charitable hospitals and programs in 29 countries, formally announced Steven E. Hitt as the new executive director of CURE Zambia, a pediatric teaching hospital specializing in the treatment and care of children living with physical disabilities in Lusaka, Zambia,” PRWeb reports. “Prior to CURE, Hitt also worked with other nonprofit healthcare organizations—including University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, where he served as the associate vice president of operations for five years, and Carolinas Healthcare System in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the most comprehensive nonprofit systems in the country.”
World Vision Joins First-Of-Its-Kind Hunger Relief Fund in Response to 1.4 Million Children Facing Starvation
“World Vision has joined eight leading international relief organisations to launch the Hunger Relief Fund in response to the 1.4 million children facing starvation across Nigeria, South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, and neighbouring countries,” according to ReliefWeb. “Launched with support from George Clooney and Lily Donaldson, the fund aims to provide life-saving assistance to more than 1.4 million severely malnourished children and 17 million people who at risk of dying of starvation in the coming months without drastic help from the international community. The coalition is comprised of CARE, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision.”
Biblica Completes Accessible Edition of New Testament
“Biblica, along with partners Livability, Torch Trust, and Urban Saints, created the New International Reader’s Version Accessible Edition, an easy-to-comprehend version of God’s Word that allows those with learning disabilities to understand God’s truth for themselves. After three years of work, Biblica recently released a New Testament in the UK,” reports Mission Network News. “The Accessible Bible features shorter and simpler sentences, as well as larger text for those with poor sight. The goal is to help people with learning disabilities experience God’s Word while not embarrassing them. The project is more than just improving accessibility to God’s Word. It’s part of a larger initiative to help the Church recognize the importance of being inclusive.”
Samaritan’s Purse Ebola Documentary Facing Darkness Now Available on DVD
“Facing Darkness, the gripping and inspiring documentary of Samaritan’s Purse’s race against time to rescue two of their own team stricken with the deadly Ebola virus, is now on DVD and can be downloaded on Digital HD,” according to National Religious Broadcasters. “Facing Darkness brings to life the true story of American aid workers Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who were in West Africa fighting the surge of the killer Ebola virus when they caught the disease themselves. The documentary follows Brantly and Writebol as Samaritan’s Purse worked around the clock to do something that had never been done — evacuate the Ebola patients to the U.S. for treatment and cure. More than a medical story, Facing Darkness is an inspiring story of faith coming up against and overcoming fear.”
Joel Hunter Is Done Pastoring His Orlando Megachurch
“Joel Hunter, the innovative megachurch pastor who spoke out on the national stage as an evangelical adviser to President Barack Obama, is stepping down from Northland Church in order to minister ‘outside the four walls of the church,’” Christianity Today reports.“’My call to the pastoral role in a church is fulfilled,’ wrote Hunter after serving 32 years as the Orlando-area church’s senior pastor and a previous 15 years as a United Methodist pastor. While grateful for Northland’s accomplishments at discipling its congregants and community, he explained that, like Jesus, he now feels called to focus on those ‘unincluded in the Kingdom’ outside religious settings. Hunter explained he will initially focus on three initiatives: teaching a weekly Bible study where community members can ask questions; helping the Community Resource Network unite people and churches to address the problem of homelessness; and forming networks of Jesus followers in order to ‘distribute the church into everyday life.’”
With Thrive Partnership, Lutheran World Relief Launches Farmer-Forward Coffee Line
“A partnership between the 72-year-old faith-driven humanitarian nonprofit Lutheran World Relief and Atlanta-based roasting company Thrive Farmers has resulted in the launch of a new farmer-forward coffee lineup under LWR’s name,” according to Daily Coffee News. “LWR Farmers Market Coffee was sourced through Thrive’s ‘farmer-direct’ model, which attempts to place farmers at a more economically advantageous point in the supply chain by guaranteeing an up-front price followed by a fixed percentage of the revenue generated for their coffee through its final sale to Thrive, bypassing the commodities market entirely. The coffee itself is sourced entirely from Nicaragua. Thrive Farmers has also committed to donating 80 cents for every pound purchased to LWR.”
Alabama Megachurch Hires New Pastor
“The 7,800-member Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood voted Sunday to call the Rev. David Eldridge as the new senior pastor,” reports AL. “Eldridge is currently pastor of First Baptist Church Clinton in Clinton, Miss. His first official day will be Tuesday, Sept. 5, and he will preach his first sermon as Dawson’s senior pastor on Sunday, Sept. 10.”
