Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
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THIS PAST YEAR HAS BEEN IMMENSELY CHALLENGING. Many of us have struggled to maintain hope in the midst of economic hardship, systemic racism, and a deadly pandemic. Poor, marginalized communities have suffered the worst. Any hope for change seems to be continually dashed upon the rocks of intransigence. But some of our discouragement may be due to our misunderstanding of hope.
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTORS
Theologian Jürgen Moltman makes a distinction between hope and optimism. Optimism, he argues, is that sense of positivity we feel when things are trending in a good direction. It is based upon what we can reasonably and humanly accomplish, considering the past and present. For example, we may be optimistic that if we can distribute enough vaccines, we can turn this pandemic around. However, hope is different than optimism. Hope rests on something beyond ourselves. It necessitates a faith that God can and will act to set all things right—things that are beyond our capacity to make happen.
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This does not mean that we should not work for the transformation of the world. That is precisely why Servant Partners exists. It simply means that the best of our human efforts to eliminate poverty, racial injustice, or systemic inequality will always fall short without the divine intervention of the Lord. If we settle for optimism, we will always face discouragement. What we need right now is hope rooted in God. In this annual report, we share stories of hope from cities around the world, where Jesus’ Kingdom is breaking into desperate circumstances and bringing renewal. Thank you for joining Servant Partners on our journey of hope in the midst of poverty.
With gratitude,
Derek and Lisa Engdahl
GENERAL DIRECTORS
SECTIONS
Scroll or click sections below or on the sidebar to read.
COVID-19 Response
ON THE GROUND
This past year has altered the world in previously unimaginable ways, and the most intense impacts were suffered by those marginalized by poverty. As long-term ministers of presence in our communities, we were positioned to respond in unique ways. Thanks to your generosity towards the COVID-19 Community Support Fund, we were able to form contextualized, emergent practices for hopeful action amid crisis.
Spiritual & Pastoral Care
ALL SITES
Our staff, partners, and community members engaged in intercessory prayer, pastoral counseling, spiritual formation, and trainings related to hopeful action, joy, and resiliency.
Food Distribution
​& Assistance
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BANGKOK • JOHANNESBURG • MANAGUA • MANILA • MEXICO CITY • POMONA • SAN ANTONIO • SAN JOSÉ • TEGUCIGALPA • VANCOUVER
Our team in Bangkok launched a soup kitchen which was replicated in 39 different communities, serving over 13,000 meals.
PPE Distribution
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TEGUCIGALPA • MIDDLE EAST • NORTH AFRICA • PHILADELPHIA • SOUTH ASIA
Our team in North Africa partnered with local sewers to sew, train others, and distribute 3,300 medical grade masks to healthcare workers, elderly neighbors, and prisoners.
Rent Assistance
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OAKLAND • SAN ANTONIO • SAN ANTONIO • SAN JOSÉ
Shalom Iglesia, a Servant Partners church partner in San Jose, gave away $100,000 in rental assistance to families in need.
Advocacy & Organizing
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BANGKOK • EAST L.A. • NORTH AFRICA • PHILADELPHIA • POMONA • SAN ANTONIO • SAN JOSÉ • VANCOUVER
Our team in Vancouver interviewed nearly 140 neighbors on the effects of COVID-19 and racial violence in their neighborhood, and used the findings to form strategies for community organizing and ministry.
Health Safety Awareness & Education
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MIDDLE EAST • SOUTH ASIA
In South Asia, house church leaders communicated each version of government-issued safety protocols to nearly 2,500 in their communities through drama, drawings, and songs.
Financial Assistance
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EAST L.A. • SAN JOSÉ • SOUTH L.A. • POMONA
Church of the Redeemer, a Servant Partners church partner in South Los Angeles, gave away $236,000 to local families in need for food, rent, medical supplies, etc.
"They are experiencing God's love for them, expressed tangibly in this difficult season."
A MEAL PROGRAM SATISFIES HUNGER AND HEARTS
Fed With Love
MANAGUA
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Neighborhood children line up to receive food at the meal program.
Beauty and Philip Ndoro moved from Mexico City to Managua in 2015 and partnered with local leaders in starting a tutoring program, along with other ministries, to serve children in the neighborhood. After learning how children were affected by chronic food insecurity, they began including meals into the program. But when the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing needs, Beauty, Philip, and the team posed a larger question: can we implement the meal program on a communitywide scale?
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With funds from Servant Partners' COVID-19 Community Support Fund, they opened the program to all the children in the community. Since July, they feed up to 100 children each weekday. In December, they added the program on Sundays, so children attending Bible classes could leave with full hearts and bellies.
The whole community has been encouraged by this expression of love. Many are struck by the generosity of strangers who have given towards the fund. Some have responded by joining the team in serving the children.
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Yelena* is one such volunteer. Last year, she joined the team as a cook for the meal program. When the staff gave the local leaders a food basket as a thank-you gift in December, Yelena was overwhelmed. "I didn't have anything for Christmas; this gift is going to go a long way for my family," she said. Yelena’s four children were overjoyed when their mother arrived with the food basket.
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​While the team only planned to host the meal program for six months, the need has persisted. They have also distributed food bags to senior citizens, along with medical aid and masks. Now, they are praying, planning, and implementing new strategies to sustain the program in future months.
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"More than simply feeding our children, this program has become a light in our community," Beauty reflected. “God has helped us to find hope in hopeless situations.”
"Even with all that is happening, these children have the love of Christ in them," Beauty said. "They enjoy learning about his stories and presence in their lives. And they smile with such delight when they get their plates, join the line, and wait for their food. To them, it is an expression of love."
At Bible classes, children learn that Jesus loves them and is at work in their lives
"They enjoy learning about his stories and presence in their lives. And they smile with such delight when they get their plates, join the line, and wait for their food. To them, it is an expression of love."
JOBLESS NEIGHBORS EXPERIENCE MIRACLES THROUGH PRAYER
Finding Jesus At the Clinic
SAN JOSÈ
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC TOUCHED CALIFORNIA, San José became a flashpoint for infections. Servant Partners staff Jairo and Lourdes Sarmiento felt the economic and health impacts ripple through their low-income, immigrant neighborhood.
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“Our community lives to work,” Lourdes said. “Without jobs, they suffer.”
María* was one neighbor who applied for financial aid. She and her husband both lost their jobs and were struggling to provide for their five children. Lourdes helped María finish her application and offered her prayer. Previously, María did not want anything to do with God, but her recent situation left her desperate; she prayed with Lourdes and trusted in God. A few days later, María learned that she would be receiving more than $11,000 in financial aid and broke down in tears.
"For María, it was more about trusting in God than it was about the money," Lourdes reflected. "When someone stole her purse a few weeks after, she approached me for prayer, believing that God was the one who would give her peace. She did all the things one typically does after losing their purse—reporting it, calling the bank, and visiting the DMV—but most importantly, she came to a place where she knew she could meet with God. That is a miracle."
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Like María, people often arrive at the clinic without hope. Some simply call the prayer hotline longing to be heard, and are met with prayer, encouragement, and hope. Though Healing Grove has given away millions in financial aid, neighbors are receiving something much more meaningful: Jesus. Through Jairo and Lourdes' ministry at the clinic, 25 people have received Jesus and four have found themselves reconciling with God.
"It is a historic time to share the good news about salvation to a world in crisis," Jairo reflected. Jairo, Lourdes, and their whole family recently had COVID-19 and believe it has enabled them to better understand how to care for others. "In the midst of joy for those receiving Christ and grief from the passing of loved ones, we are able to faithfully fulfill the mission that God has called us to.”
In November 2018, Jairo and Lourdes met for prayer with Angela and Brett, friends from a local church. God gave them a vision for a medical clinic offering holistic healing through medical care, spiritual care, cultural care, and financial aid to neighbors. With divine provision, they launched Healing Grove Health Center just as the pandemic began, where Jairo and Lourdes offered pastoral care as known and trusted leaders in the neighborhood. They also initiated a prayer hotline for community members to call with any prayer requests and needs.
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Since its start in March, Healing Grove has prevented 820 families from becoming homeless through rental assistance, provided nearly 40,000 grocery boxes to families facing hunger, and given away $6 million in financial aid. Shalom Iglesia, the Servant Partners church partner that Jairo and Lourdes pastor, has also sacrificially given away nearly $100,000 in rental assistance to community members in San José.
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Lourdes routinely helps neighbors with applying for financial aid at the clinic, ending each application by offering a time of prayer for them and their needs. For many in desperation, these prayer times have opened opportunities to encounter God’s peace. When residents receive the aid they applied for, Lourdes reminds them, "This is how Jesus loves you."
Low-income residents in San José suffered escalating infection rates and economic challenges
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While applying for financial aid, neighbors experience God's peace through prayer
"It is a historic time to share the good news about salvation to a world in crisis."
*Names have been changed for privacy and security reasons.
2020 FINANCES
Fundraising
$122,855
4%
USE OF FUNDS
Programs/Services
$2,579,125
88%
Management & General
$217,647
8%
Foundations
1.4%
SOURCES OF CONTRIBUTIONS
Churches
15.9%
Individuals
82.5%
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS
2020
$3,162,082
2018
$2,979,714
2017
$3,319,870
2019
$3,158,032
2016
$3,012,957
Transforming Communities With The Urban Poor
2020 Annual Report