A Village Built with Hope

A Gift of Hope Church Challenge

Real change happens one small gift—a chicken, seeds, clean water, school uniforms—at a time. When you come together as a congregation to share the love of Christ in tangible ways with our sisters and brothers on the margins, God begins transforming lives and hearts.

When a community has access to clean water for the first time, real change begins to take place. Their children aren’t as susceptible to illness and hygiene practices improve.

When a village mother can walk a short distance to a medical clinic for measles or malaria vaccines, her life expectancy increases.

When a father receives an audio Bible in his heart language, he gathers his family around to listen in the evenings. Something stirs in him for the first time. He’s curious and wants to know more.

A Village Built with Hope is a fundraising challenge for your congregation to help bring meaningful, hope-filled change around the world. The best part? All ages are welcome—and encouraged—to participate.

Here’s how it works

  1. Invite your whole congregation to help build a village with gifts of hope. Decide the timeframe your challenge will take place.
  2. Choose designated gifts from the Gift of Hope Catalog to work toward adding to your village. Some great examples include:
    • Sustainable Agriculture (Chickens, Goats, Cows, Seeds, Training)
    • Clean Water
    • Food
    • Audio Bible
    • Education
    • Medical care
  3. Fill out this form to request a Village Built with Hope packet, which includes a Village Built with Hope poster, 10 Gift of Hope catalogs (more can be requested), and a sticker pack. Expect to receive your packet within 10 business days of ordering.
  4. Hang the poster in your church where everyone can see it.
  5. Invite church members to choose a Gift of Hope item to add to the village—or pool together as a Bible Study or Seniors group to reach a goal. Every gift adds another sticker to the village. Every week your congregation can watch the village grow.
  6. When the challenge is complete, share what your congregation raised with the RCA Global Mission team to receive the opportunity to have a special Zoom call with a missionary or Global Mission team member connected to the gifts you helped support.
  7. Send in your raised support in one of the following ways:
    • Online: Visit giftofhope.rca.org and add each of your gifts to your shopping cart and process. Or if in Canada, visit the Regional Synod of Canada’s giving page, select “RCA Ministry – Gift of Hope” in the drop-down menu, and write in the specific fund in the message box.
    • By phone (U.S. only): Call Terri Boven at 616-541-0835.
    • By mail: Use the designated giving envelope in a Gift of Hope catalog to send in a check.
  8. End with a blessing or prayer over the completed village display.

Optional youth challenge

Invite the youth in your congregation to set a goal they want to reach–ex. providing the well for the village or education for a child. Youth can raise support through things like chores, sponsorships, a bake sale, a game night, or a service project. When they reach their goal, they get to place that major village piece on the display together.

Consider using these coloring pages and lesson with your younger crowd.

Order your Village Built with Hope Challenge packet

Resources

Bulletin/Pulpit Announcement

This month, we’ve got something exciting happening as a church family. We’re taking on the Village Built with Hope Challenge, through RCA Global Mission.

Here’s how it works: every gift we give through their Gift of Hope program—whether it helps provide clean water, food, sustainable agriculture, education, or care for a family in need—adds a new piece to a village display we’ll be building right here together.

Our youth group is stepping up to a special challenge of their own—they’re going to fund [insert gift selection]. And the rest of us get to help build out the well, the gardens, the school, and the food supply.

So let’s watch this village grow, piece by piece, over the next few weeks. And as it grows, let’s remember—every single piece represents a real need being met, and real hope in Christ that we are sharing with God’s people around the world. If you want to learn more about these gifts, head to giftofhope.rca.org. We will also have catalogs available for you to browse and shop from.

Video resources you can share with your congregation to tell stories and bring specific gifts to life.
Graphics you can download and use to promote on your social channels, webpage, or in your bulletins