World Relief is an international relief and development organization, based in Baltimore.  Its mission is to work with, for and from the Church to relieve human suffering, poverty and hunger worldwide in the name of Jesus Christ.  For more than 60 years, World Relief has served as a vital arm of the evangelical church in providing lifesaving aid and development in some of the world's poorest and most conflict-ridden regions.  It seeks to provide leadership and identify the intersection between sustainable development and empowering the local church. World Relief is passionately committed to finding innovative answers to difficult global issues of violence, poverty, sickness and persecution.

Dan Brose, who currently attends Antioch, is World Relief’s Senior Program Advisor.  He returned from Burundi in August 2007, having spent six years there with his family.  He has worked for World Relief since 2001 as Rwanda Country Director, Burundi Country Director, Africa Great Lakes Regional Director, and Director of International Programs.

Dan initially facilitated the introduction of World Relief to Antioch Church in January 2008.  World Relief was excited to see Antioch’s commitment to Missions, and the relationships that were already being formed with Uganda.  Preliminary discussions were held in Bend between Dan, Ken Wytsma and Stephan Bauman (Senior Vice President of Programs for World Relief).  These discussions resulted in the plan to explore new models in the Northwest for local churches to collaborate around complex issues of poverty, hunger and human suffering, at both a local and global level.

This new initiative is named “World Relief: NEXT Project.”  Antioch Church will serve as a founding partner and supporting church.  The NEXT project will seek to increase the social, creative, missional, and financial resources flowing into World Relief, in support of its vision and mission, by:

• Creating a Research and Development Project in the Northwest that will serve to generate innovative models for church collaboration and involvement.
• Initiating and fostering collaboration and relationships between local churches interested in addressing issues of holistic development (i.e. social, economic, physical, and spiritual needs) at both a local and global level.
• Raising awareness and educating the body of Christ around issues of social justice, both at home and overseas, and communicating our unequivocal call by God to serve the oppressed.
• Empowering the body of Christ by providing clear and accessible ways of contributing towards missions through the harnessing of unique gifts, skills, knowledge and experience, as well as identifying financial opportunities.
• Identifying missional opportunities at a community level and learning how best to address them.
• Increasing capacity within the Great Lakes and East Africa region by partnering, serving and building relationships.
• Increasing the capacity of World Relief through the provision of unique gifts and abilities from the collaborative group of local Northwest churches.
• Mobilizing a prayer movement in support of missions both at home and overseas.
• Involving youth in learning about issues of holistic development and encouraging them to be a part of addressing the needs and finding solutions.

As World Relief’s supporting church, Antioch has already played a supportive role for World Relief in terms of providing office space, local exposure, Burundi Information Booklets, and marketing help.  Antioch will continue to provide similar support, assistance and leadership in the future.
World Relief: NEXT Project is in the process of finalizing working agreements with World Relief, Baltimore, with a view to beginning this project as early as September 2008.