Year-End Giving Suggestions

Please don't mind these three suggestions for your year-end charitable giving.

1. Mosaic

Mosaic is a missions agency that implements and sustains indigenous relief projects in Uganda and southern Sudan. This is not a hands-off charity. They partner and network and work in these places and support and train people on the ground in these troubled regions. They focus on a few strategic projects so that they may do all things well, particularly mosquito nets to prevent the malaria epidemic (did you know one African child dies every 30 seconds from a freakin' mosquito bite!), a ministry to girls and women abducted by the LRA, a women's shelter in the Sudan, the Street Corps children's health care programs, and church supports.

In addition to all the great, direct work Mosaic is doing for Jesus' fame, one of the most unique things about this organization is that they maintain 0% overhead. That is not a misprint. 100% of your giving to Mosaic goes directly to the people/programs in need. Zero is eaten up by administrative costs. That is virtually unheard of even in charitable organizations, where 15-20% overhead is considered "ideal."

I have the privilege of working with/for Mosaic founder/director Justin Holcomb as a researcher/writer for Docent; he is also a professor of religion and sociology at The University of Virginia and is in these troubled regions of Africa as often as he can be. I have found Justin to be a fantastic guy and a servant-hearted follower of Jesus.

2. Cottage Cove Urban Ministries

Cottage Cove is a Nashville after school (and beyond) program (but more than that) that is cutting off poverty, illiteracy, hunger, and self-disrespect at their roots in our inner city. The kids who go through the Cottage Cove system and get ministered to by Brent, Angie, Barry, and Sarah (the only 4 staff members, one of whom works for free) come out having been drenched in the gospel. They aren't giving handouts; they're nurturing.
Our community has served Cottage Cove in various work projects since we began, and I volunteer there myself usually once a week. It's a great place doing great work, and your money would be put to great use helping the least of these.

3. Element

Had to recommend this great little gospel-driven church in Nashville, Tennessee. :-)
If you've got some disposable income you're interested in investing in grassroots missional ministry in the "cultural Christian" environs of the Bible Belt, look no further.
If it helps, we pay no staff and have no building and 60% of all income goes right back out the door to foreign and local missions (including Mosaic and Cottage Cove) and church planting/support. 40% goes into sustaining the unique ministry of Element.
If you're interested, you can give online here.

Merry Christmas!

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