Elise Johnson joined the South Africa field team August 9th! We’re excited that she has joined Paradigm Shift.

She joined the team in the capacity of the Project Replication Specialist.

This means at Paradigm Shift, Elise oversees the national execution of sustainability plans for the project, ensuring the quality and long-term viability of the program in partner churches throughout the country. Elise is also responsible for researching and vetting future opportunities for Paradigm Shift’s international replication beyond 2011.

Elise Johnson has worked under the leadership of Joel Osteen as a financial consultant at Lakewood Church in Texas. Previously, she was an accountant at Church Compliant Services, where she provided financial and legal consulting to both churches and nonprofit organizations. She also managed the personal finances of a professional athlete, overseeing the accounting of millions of dollars per year. Prior to that, Elise worked on a legal team at Dewey Ballantine International Law Firm in London.

Elise has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Jonathan Dockery joined the South Africa field team August 9th! We’re excited that he has joined Paradigm Shift.

He is the Regional Discipleship Manager and Project Artist.

Which means at Paradigm Shift, Jonathan manages the writing and editing of the Paradigm Shift discipleship curricula. He coaches a and communicates with Life Coaches in the Gauteng region of South Africa. Jonathan also oversees the creation of artistic renderings for Paradigm Shift’s experiential learning curricula components.

Background

Jonathan Dockery has served in ministry both in Ireland and at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in the United States. There he taught a variety of Bible studies and Sunday School classes, mentored young people and was a part of the writing team for a range of discipleship curricula. He has been a freelance illustrator, concept designer and a storyboard artist on a number of projects for both film and video games.

Education

Jonathan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, North Carolina. He also has an Art Diploma from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California.

Paradigm Shift Volunteer Promo

One of the most frequent questions asked of Paradigm Shift is, “What types of businesses do your entrepreneurs run?”

Elizabeth Bennett, Paradigm Shift’s Johannesburg Training Manager, recently compiled a fairly comprehensive list of the types of businesses Paradigm Shift has worked with over the past year. There is certainly no shortage of creativity amongst our entrepreneurs…!

Selling/renting out children’s costumes

Selling custom promotional clothing

Exporting clothes to Zimbabwe

Running an internet café

Sewing handbags and tablecloths

Tailoring clothes

Designing clothes

Making curtains

Selling handbags/knick-knacks on the side of the road

Designing and creating greeting cards (and other products) from recycled paper

Selling perfume and make-up

Selling airtime for a public phone

Baking scones

Catering

Making jewelry

Selling second-hand clothes

Selling pap (traditional African food)

Selling chickens

Exporting clothes to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Designing computer graphics

Crafting bead-work souvenirs

Styling hair

Doing construction projects

Owning a tuck shop/spaza shop*

Owning a crèche (providing childcare services)

Providing administrative services (typing, printing etc.)

Providing skills training services

Exporting batteries to Zimbabwe

Welding metal services

Landscaping

*A tuck shop or spaza shop is somewhat similar to a community convenience store.

This week Assist News Service published an article about Paradigm Shift entitled, “Paradigm Shift Extends God’s Family by Empowering Entrepreneurs.”

The article provides a comprehensive overview of the four key components (business training, microcredit, discipleship and mentoring) the Paradigm Shift program uses to connect business-minded members of local churches with microentrepreneurs in their communities.

Please forward the article to anyone you think might be interested in learning more about Paradigm Shift!