Mission & Values
1) Mission
2) Foundation
3) Focus Areas
4) Desired Outcomes
Mission:
Working with this generation to “bring the Fatherhood of God to the fatherless” children of Uganda for generations to come. (Ps 68:5-6)
Foundation:
G lorifying God
R elationship
A uthority of Scripture (The Bible)
C ross
E yes transformed (Worldview Lens)
Foundation Explained
Glorifying God
· God created us to glorify Him (1 Chron 16:23-25, Is 43:6-7, Jn 7:18, Jn 9:3, Rom 5:2, Rom 9:22-23, Rom 11:36, Phil 1:9-11, Col 1:16, 1 Pet 4:11). Our primary goal and mission at New Hope Uganda is to glorify God by bringing the Fatherhood of God to the fatherless.
· This is God’s work- not ours (Prov 19:21). It is for His glory.
- He started it; it’s for Him; He will hold it together if He so chooses
(Acts 17:28).
- All the results/fruit from our labor are in His hands (Prov 20:24, Gal 5:22-23)
Relationship:
· We are here for relationship- first of all with God, and secondly with others (Ps 73:25-26, Mk 12:29-31). At New Hope Uganda, we believe that we can only lead others into fellowship with the Father if we first have a strong relationship with our heavenly Father.
- The tasks and mission the Lord has given us were given not because
He needs us to carry them out, but because it is through them that
He will reveal Himself to us and others and draw us all into a deeper
into relationship with Him (Hosea 6:6).
- The first and greatest commandment is “Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, soul, mind and strength”, and the second is like it,
“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:29-31).
- We cannot give what we do not have (Mt 15:14, Lk 6:39-40)
Authority of Scripture:
· The Bible is our guide in everything we believe and do. We believe the Bible to be the only inerrant Word of God (Jn 17:17, 2 Tim 3:16). Every word contained in it is inspired by the Spirit of God (Deut 32:44-47; Is 1:10, 8:16, 20, 30:8, 34:16, 40:6-8, 55:11; Jer 1:5, 23:29; Zech 7:12; Mt 4:4, 7, 10, 5:17-19; Jn 10:35; Gal 1:15-17, 2 Tim 3:15-17; Heb 4:12-13). The Bible masters us, we do not master it (2 Tim 3:16). Because of this, we are open to correction, advice, criticism, etc. from anyone, as long as it agrees with Biblical standards/the Gospel. (see also Statement of Faith)
Cross:
· We confess that we are sinners (Ps 51:5, Eph 2:1-3) worthy of eternal condemnation, spiritually estranged and orphaned (Eph 2:1-3, Col 1:21), and in desperate need of God’s grace (Rom 5:12-21). We understand that only through receiving the gift of Christ’s blood (1 Pet 1:18-19) and atoning sacrifice on the cross (Col 1:19-22, Rev 1:5) are we saved – from sin, Satan, death, and even from ourselves (Is 64:5-7). On the cross, Jesus died in our place as full payment for sin so that we may have life (Heb 9:11-27). The cross stands at the center of history fulfilling the promises of God to send the Christ. The Bible is one story about a loving God who refused to stop pursuing people who rejected Him over and over again, a loving God who so loved the world that he sent His Son in spite of our sin (Jn 3:16-21, Rom 5:8).
Now that we have received God’s grace through His Son’s work on the cross, we are able to offer that grace to one another (Mt 10:8b).
Eyes (Worldview lens):
· We understand that we evaluate life based on the culture, education, and beliefs we have been exposed to and have lived with. As God is transforming us by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2), He is constantly revealing to us the things we do and believe that are coming from our distorted “eyes” or worldview lens (Mt 6:21-23). At New Hope Uganda, we pray that God reveals to us through His Word the parts of our life and culture that do glorify Him and the parts that do not. We pray that we would view the world through a Biblical lens and that our culture, whether African or Western, would first be biblical (Mt 6:24, 2 Cor 4:18). We desire to put our cultures, our prior standards, traditions, worldviews, to the test of Scripture and humbly, but ruthlessly, eliminate from our lives whatever doesn’t stand the test (Mt 5:29-30, 13:15-17).
Focus Areas
Built on that foundation of GRACE, we desire to be live lives of PRAISE (Purpose, Responsibility, Accountability, Integrity, Servanthood, and Example) being God’s vessels to bring the Fatherhood of God to the fatherless in four major focus areas. All the facets of our ministry and the training we offer staff and children flow out of these four areas:
o Family
o Biblical Education
o Christ-centered self-sufficiency
o Servanthood
Focus Areas in brief:
1) Fatherhood and Family: Spend any time at New Hope Uganda and you will hear a lot about both fatherhood and family (Ps 68:5-6). Starting with our heavenly Father’s unconditional love (Prv 19:22a, Jn 3:16, I Jn 4:7-11, Rom 5:8, Col 3:14, 1 Cor 13:1-13), we desire to bring the children we care for under the leadership of an earthly father and into the care of “family”. We see the children as sons and daughters (Ps 27:10, Jn 8:35-36, Rom 8:15, Gal 4:5-6, Eph 1:4-5, 1 Jn 3:1), not orphans or students. Each family group at New Hope has a family father and a family mother. In addition, all staff have a responsibility to parent the children God has entrusted to us. We rely on the Lord to maintain the unity of our family (Ps 133:1, Jn 17:20-23, 1 Cor 12:13, Eph 4:1-6, Eph 4:15-16, Phil 2:3-5, Col 3:14, Heb 2:11) and willingly work/sacrifice to sustain it.
2) Christian Education: Christ is at the center of all learning (Jn 14:6, Rom 1:25, 1 Tim 2:3-5, 1 Tim 4:6-8). We also seek to achieve excellence in all things. These two beliefs guide our education both inside and outside of the classroom.
The world of academia and the truths found in the Bible are not meant to be two separate spheres. Even among those who have been Christians for many years, this is often a new concept. Because all staff are “parents” and role models to our children, we invest heavily in training our staff (Lk 6:40, I Cor 9:24-25).
Our classrooms, just like the rest of our programs, are an opportunity to train and equip our children in biblical truth (Ps 43:3, Mt 5:19, Jn 17:17, Eph 6:14) . We teach our children to see the world through a biblical lens (Prov 22:6, 1 Tim 4:7). Though we believe we still have a lot of room for improvement in our education programs, we praise God for what He has already done and is doing now.
3) Christ-centered Self-Sufficiency: God is our provider (2 Pet 1:3-4, Ps 68:6). One of his provisions is work, which is a blessing and a calling, not a curse (Gen 2:2-3, Gen 2:15, Prv 22:29). We desire to be faithful stewards by fully utilizing the resources He has provided (Mt 25:14-30,1 Thess 4:11-12, 2 Thess 3:6-12, I Tim 6:18-19) . We, therefore work with our children to help grow their own food, and expect them to carry water, wash their own clothes, etc…They do this not because we have to have them do so, but so that they can experience the joy of sowing and reaping, and have the joy of seeing the work of their hands prosper. We believe that God wants us to thrive, not just survive. The joy of thriving is that it gives us many opportunities to bless others (Eph 4:28, Heb 13:16).
4) Servanthood: Ultimately, we want to know God and make Him known. Living a life of servanthood to others is a part of that. We strongly believe that the children we care for can and should develop a servant’s heart (Phil 2:3-8). As they are loved and nurtured, our children are given opportunities for ministry (Jn 13:1-17, Mt 28:18-20)). When they are given age-appropriate challenges, they see God at work in their lives and the joy of a the servant heart. They begin to see God as their God (I Tim 4:12), not just the God of their fathers and mothers (Jdg 3:1-2). They learn to follow in the steps of our servant King Jesus (Jn 15:13).
Desired Outcomes:
By the grace of God, New Hope Uganda desires to raise sons and daughters “in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4) so that they are:
- Accepted and Equipped: Adults who feel secure in family and are equipped in character, academically, and vocationally.
- Disciples: Adults who are true servant worshippers of God and have a personal vision of God’s call on their life.
- Stable and Thriving: Adults who live as productive citizens and give abundantly to the fatherless and others in need.
- Servant Leaders: Adults who provide for, protect, and nurture family and transform their communities and future generations for Christ.
