One Church, One Village
What is One Church, One Village?
It's an in-depth, guided plan that helps your church develop a meaningful, lasting relationship with a specific village in Africa or the Caribbean. Your congregation will play an essential role in the sustainable, long-term development of a village by partnering with the people living there.
The children of the village will benefit from the educational, spiritual, and economic opportunities you help to open up for them. And your church will benefit from the relationship you develop with the people of the village, as you fulfill Jesus' commands in Matthew 25:31-46.
How does it work?
We'll walk alongside you with a simple, five-step plan to help you partner with a village in need.
- Geography: Your church will identify the country and/or region God is calling you to and build a relationship with that community of people.
- Partnership Opportunities: We will help you set up opportunities like meal packaging events, sponsorship Sundays, and resource drives that your congregation will enjoy taking part in!
- Venture: Members of your church may take a vision trip to meet the people you're serving and get a better understanding of their culture.
- Strategic Projects: We'll connect you with the projects that will make the biggest impact on the people you're partnering with. This may be funding a well in the Dominican Republic, building a school in Sierra Leone, providing housing for students in Uganda, or any number of other ongoing projects in your chosen village.
- Measurement: We'll provide metrics so you can measure your impact on a regular basis and adjust your goals as needed.
Where are partnerships currently available?
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does COTN partner with churches?
We could try to do this alone, but we believe we are called to connect churches to God’s heart in the developing world. COTN has 25+ years of experience in designing unique partnerships that connect the local church to communities in developing countries. Through these significant partnerships, we accelerate the opportunity for COTN children and their families to achieve good healthcare, quality education, access to food and water, and economic independence.
What does COTN believe?
We believe that every child is made in the image of God. Our desire is to help them discover their potential for sustainable human flourishing in their current environment. We also help them discover and act on their ability to transform their community, their country, and the world.
We do this by partnering with children and families on a platform of holistic care and sustainability. Our ultimate goal is to help children in the developing world recognize their potential to survive and thrive through an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. At this time, God has specifically called us to partner with 5,000 children and families in five developing countries: Sierra Leone, Malawi, Uganda, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
How can I learn more about helping without hurting?
We encourage all our church partners to read When Helping Hurts and Toxic Charity, and to watch Poverty Cure. We've found that these materials help congregations engage in an important dialogue to determine where and how they should serve and partner with the developing world.
What kind of lasting impact can my church expect?
What's the next step?
To connect your church with a village in Africa or the Caribbean, contact your local COTN community representative today.
Pacific Northwest Region: Andrea Krook (andreakrook@cotni.org 206-963-1534)
Pacific West Region: Aaron Marquardt: (aaronmarquardt@cotni.org 949-550-5525)
Central Midwest and Northeast Region: Eric Nachtrieb (ericnachtrieb@cotni.org 949-680-6260)