Where CareFest Began

Developed by the Nehemiah-Group in Little Rock, Arkansas, its mission was to have a project that could identify and impact the most significant social needs and problems that occur in their local county with intent to have the faith community respond and meet the needs in a collaborative way.

It is modeled on the actions of Nehemiah, a great leader who served his nation about 445 to 425 B.C. In a time of national struggle and spiritual crisis, he united his people in a strategic work which transformed their city. History records that prior to developing a detailed strategy, Nehemiah personally surveyed the city.

The Nehemiah-Group began the project with three phases:

• Researched existing studies concerning the needs of the community
• Created focus groups to evaluate the research and validate how the needs could be met
• Surveyed churches and religious organizations in Pulaski county to evaluate available resources and interest in responding to identified needs

The outcome of their research indicated that the church community should focus on:

• Voilence
• Education
• Elderly Issues
• Race Relations
• Employment
• Housing
• Healthcare
• Budgeting

 

Research data found that the top ten services churches provide are:

• Spiritual Outreach/Evangelism
• Youth Programs
• Food to Needy
• Pre-marital Counseling
• Marriage Counseling/Enrichment
• Clothing to Needy
• Elderly Programs
• Singles Activities
• Provide Utility Assistance
• Meals to Needy
  
  

To sum up how best the mission of the Nehamiah-Group and what their research offers, the following information was taken from their executive summary on the CareFest concept:

 

Implications for the Church

George Barna, a recognized Christian researcher who has studied the church in America for the last eighteen years recently wrote, “Americans today are more devoted to seeking spiritual enlightenment than at any previous time during the twentieth century. Yet at this moment of optimum spiritual opportunity, Christianity is having less impact on people’s perspectives and behaviors than ever. Why is that? Because a growing majority of people have dismissed the Christian faith as weak, outdated, and irrelevant. Interestingly, the stumbling block for the church is not its theology, but its failure to apply what it believes in compelling ways. The downfall of the Church has not been the content of its message, but its failure to practice those truths. Christians have been their own worst enemies when it comes to showing the world what authentic, biblical Christianity looks like.”

While there would have been hope that these general observations would not have applied to the church community in central Arkansas, the findings of the Nehemiah Project suggested otherwise. Barna goes on to say, “We must prove that we are what we claim to be, or we will certainly lose the platform to influence the world for Christ. If we are going to effectively reach the world around us for Christ, now more than ever people will be attracted by what we do rather than what we say.”

Again consistent with Barna’s observations, this research suggests that if the church in central Arkansas is to be effective in communicating its message of hope in Jesus Christ, it must do more than just talk. It must demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ by its actions. The church needs to plant and cultivate seeds of relational trust. Restating a popular phrase, “Our community needs to see that the church cares before it cares what the church says.” 

The findings of the Nehemiah-Group project suggest several excellent opportunities for the church in seeking to more effectively fulfill its mission as we enter into a new millennium:

• Churches should reassess their ministry programs giving consideration to the highest priority needs identified in the community.

• Programs which support the family, neighborhoods, and education appear to have the greatest potential to address a variety of needs in a holistic manner.

• Churches should continue to look for strategic ways to work together in serving the community. In addition to the increased effectiveness of united efforts, this unity would also more clearly reflect the message of Christ.

• Before developing new ministries, churches should look for opportunities to partner with other churches and organizations in the community which are already effectively responding to the high priority needs.

• Building on a common faith in Jesus Christ, churches should actively pursue authentic racial reconciliation. Progress will not come from artificial programming, but will be the natural result of building relationships and working together in the areas identified in this study.

It is the hope and prayer of the Nehemiah-Group Project Team that this research will serve churches, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and businesses in uniting together for the welfare of our community.

Sample of CareFest/ShareFest Cities

(To see more go to sharefest.org)

Danbury, CT
www.sharefestdanbury.org

Austin, TX
www.austinsharefest.org

Atlanta, GA
uniteus.followers.net