A recent article in the Christian Post:

Poverty in South Africa has been described as being worse than ever before, according to a former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.

Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, who recently visited suffering communities in the African country, says South Africa is in a “state of emergency.”

Going further, he says there was a “feeling of hopelessness” overwhelming the country, especially among young people, and adds that this is a sure recipe for disaster.

“Never before in the history of South Africa have such large gatherings of people consistently said ‘We have no food,’” he said after his visits. “In a country where huge amounts can be spent on [the 2010] soccer world cup or increasing salaries, it is unthinkable that so many can go without food.”
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We have created a mini-website to host our campaign effort to raise money on behalf of the South African entrepreneurs who need to be sponsored in order to participate in Paradigm Shift’s program.

On the site is our new 2-minute video which explains how a one-time donation of $40 is all it takes for a family to escape physical and spiritual poverty in partnership with Paradigm Shift!

Please take a look at this new site and share it with your friends!

www.your40story.com

Paradigm Shift teams up with Good Search!

More than 700 of your favorite internet retailers and travel sites including Amazon, eBay, Target, Apple, Expedia and more have joined forces with GoodShop.com to donate part of every purchase to Paradigm Shift!

It takes just a few seconds to go to www.goodshop.com, select Paradigm Shift, and then click through to your favorite store and shop as usual.

Also, Yahoo has teamed up with GoodShop’s sister-site, GoodSearch.com, to donate a penny to Paradigm Shift every time you search the web. This is totally free as the money comes from advertisers.

Please tell 10 friends about GoodShop and GoodSearch today. They’ve been featured in the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Oprah Magazine and more.

Check them out:  

The following blog was written by Paradigm Shift’s Discipleship Coordinator, Eric Fenton. Eric’s heart for South Africa and ministry will be an very important part of what is about to happen in Paradigm Shift’s pilot program.

Here’s a Story from Eric:
"A few years ago, in a South African HIV/AIDS clinic, I sat in a circle surrounded by a group of Christian men and women who were employees of a medical clinic. I was facilitating a discussion of prayer using examples from the Psalms, Gospels and Paul’s letters.  

I asked if anyone would be willing to share what prayer is like for them. After a number of people shared, it became increasingly clear that a common thread running through everyone’s comments was their prayers were directed toward their ancestors whom they believed would intercede in the present on their behalf.  

These church-going individuals were sharing that they venerate their ancestors to the point of worship and see no inconsistency between this way of thinking and what the Scriptures have to say. Furthermore, they shared that their understanding of Scripture and their experience was virtually the same.

I looked down at my feet, baffled by the fact that these individuals, who had been saturated in church over the years, were so distant from the basics of the Christian faith.

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