Working Through the Local Church
NOTE: This analysis relates to evangelical Protestant Churches. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches have a very different structure that leads to different potentials. Relating to the church type There is a tendency to share models that are successful in one place to a different situation where the model that is good for one area may […]
PLOT Analysis: Playing to the Potential of Churches in Rural Development
SWOT is a commonly used tool for helping organisations understand themselves in organisational analysis and strategic planning. We look at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats that the organisation faces and this helps us to look at its identity, and to decide what needs to be done. A common way of using SWOT is to […]
Natural Medicines
The REAP Natural Medicines programme grew out of the Stewardship programme as we became aware that many useful medicinal plants were already available but their usefulness was not known by most farmers. We began by teaching the medicinal uses of plants already locally available such as pawpaw and aloe. When we were introduced to anamed […]
Guidelines for Teaching on Natural Medicines through the Church
Why are Natural Medicines relevant for the church? They are Biblical. When you are physically sick, your spiritual ministry is affected. The good pastor is concerned about the health of his people. (contrast Ezekiel 34:4) They portray God’s plan for man – working with creation (Genesis 2: 15) They are using what God has given […]
Integration of Natural Medicines with Food Crops in the Home Garden
In REAP (Rural Extension with Africa’s Poor) we have been working for many years with small farmers on low input sustainable agriculture. The strategy we have taken is that in order to be relevant for the rural poor, teaching should be based on what people can do for themselves rather than purchased inputs. This, therefore, […]