When a crisis strikes, something remarkable happens in humanitarian work, says Peter Greer, CEO of HOPE International. “In disruption, you know you need friends.” Peter recently joined NCF’s CEO Kendra VanderMeulen to talk about how recent disruptions in federal funding are impacting the world’s most vulnerable and what Christians can do to help.
God makes it really clear, Peter says. “Our theology says we’re not rivals with other organizations. We’re partners. We’re co-conspirators on a mission we’ve been invited into.”
“Do we believe in a world of abundance or scarcity?” he asks. “If we believe there’s not enough to go around, then we can’t effectively partner with others. In a time of disruption, it becomes even clearer that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.”
When we don’t know what to do, we recognize our limits and our need for a community, Peter explains. “That will help us exceed our limits. I think that’s why collaboration and friendship thrive in times of disruption.”
He’s witnessed this all over Africa and especially in Ukraine. “Over the last three years, watching the way the Ukrainian church has come together has been beautiful. Watching the way that denominational divides have been replaced by a sense of community and camaraderie has been beautiful.”
Federal funding cuts and the world’s most vulnerable
Peter was in Burundi when charities there learned federal funding had been suspended. “That was three percent of their GDP, and it just went away like that,” he recalls.
He met a doctor there who asked him a pointed question: “Do you think most people know that this is a death sentence for millions of people?”
In the middle of these disruptions, Peter says, Christians should be thinking about the role of the local church to address the needs of the world’s most vulnerable. “I think that is the answer in this time of disruption, in this time of so much pulling back. Is the Church going to step forward? In a time of so much retreat, is the Church going to advance?” It’s not just a question for the U.S. Church. It’s a question for the church worldwide.
And it ties directly back to the Book of Acts. “The local church is at its best [when] it’s positioned – it has the mission, it has the mandate, and it is not retreating,” Peter says. “That’s going to be a beautiful part of the story when we look back at this moment.”
He reminds us not to forget those Jesus called “the least of these.” “Don’t forget people in places that are not geographically near you but [who] are in incredible need right now,” he says. “Let’s show up, Church. Let’s be at our best, and step into this significant disruption in a sustainable way, partnering with local churches, and finding local leaders we can invest in.”
When we unlock local generosity, inspire outreach in our churches, and begin to reach the farthest places in the world, we get to see the beauty of what the Church can do.
Watch to hear more from Peter and Kendra.
