Men Of Willow & Friends
OUR VISION
Men Of Willow & Friends is an affiliation of Christ-followers committed to carry on The Great Commission through our partnership with Glory Center Church Planting Ministries (GCCPM) in Uganda. We do this by funding various projects including clean water systems, a food program, sponsorship of children attending the church's day school Glorious Academy, as well as help to establish a vocational school and a microenterprise piggery business. The mission statement of GCCPM is “to reach to the outermost parts of the world with the glorious Gospel of the kingdom of God, particularly giving Hope to the hopeless; Love to the unloved ones; giving motherly and fatherly love to the vulnerable children. We believe by doing so, communities will be changed for the Glory of the Lord.”
OUR PURPOSE
Men of Willow & Friends is dedicated to declaring and demonstrating the love of Christ through our partnership with GCCPM. We do this by:
becoming aware of needs through reports and other communications, as well as personal visits to Uganda
discerning which needs God would have us focus on
making these needs known to our friends as we seek to raise funds
praying that God would reach the hearts of those whom He would have support projects to address the needs
The Men of Willow & Friends association enables Christ followers to combine resources so that people in need somewhere in the world can be served, improving their living conditions for the glory of God, and providing access to salvation through the Gospel. The foundation of our efforts is clean, safe water and the “Living Water” message in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A more precise explanation of our purpose, as described in our bylaws and other legal documents is as follows: To raise and distribute funds for the purpose of assisting a local church network in Uganda to provide clean water, food, and education to the poor in the name of Christ.
WHO WE ARE
The name “Men of Willow” reflects that in its beginnings the association was made up of men attending Willow Creek Community Church, though now the members are not only men, and not only from Willow Creek. The group is not an official ministry of Willow Creek Community Church, but an affiliation of individuals bonded by our faith in Christ, our connection to Willow Creek and a passion to provide safe drinking water where people are suffering and children are dying for lack of it. Women are welcome and attendance at Willow Creek is not a requirement. In regular update communications that are distributed, our constituency is typically referred to as “Men of Willow & Friends”. As a shorter handle we sometimes use the name “Men of Willow”. A core group of 5 to 10 members meets monthly to provide guidance and oversight (“the Leadership Team”).
OUR UGANDA PARTNER
The first Men of Willow projects provided clean, safe water in partnership with a local church in Ndejje, Uganda -- Glory Center Church Planting Ministries (GCCPM). The relationships developed fostered additional cooperation including sponsorships for children’s school and food assistance. As Glory Center was able to reach out to the surrounding communities with life-giving clean water, they were also able to reach out with the “Living Water” message in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Together, these efforts have resulted in improved health and harmony in the affected communities.
PROJECTS
Through the amazing grace of God, accomplishments since being founded in 2009 include four clean water projects and much more:
(2009) Ndejje safe water treatment system
(2013) Kitende safe water treatment system
(2014) Kabawanga safe water treatment system
(2015) Ndejje system converted to rain water harvest system
(2016) Kimukunda rain water harvest system
(2010-2019) Sponsored 273 church leaders to attend the Global Leadership Summit in their own country of Uganda
(2014) Collected and successfully shipped over 600 pairs of shoes
(2016-2019) Purchased Luganda-language Bibles at a cost of $10 each
(began 2014) Funded expansion of Glorious Academy Nursery and Preschool, including a three-room school house along with $20-per-month sponsorships for children who cannot afford school fees (currently sponsoring over 25 children)
(began 2013) Provided seed money to start the Poultry Project, a micro-enterprise raising egg-laying chickens, for income to support the school • (2017) Poultry Project converted to more profitable piggery
(began 2015) Helped initiate a food program that for $15 per Sunday provides a breakfast of porridge for up to 250 Sunday School children (Contributions beyond this amount have enabled the church to respond to the needs of others in the area, providing a practical way to demonstrate the love of Christ in this predominantly Muslim community.)
(2017) Helped fund the construction of a building to house the Sunday School and future school expansion • (2017) Funded the purchase of land next to the church to enable Glory Center to expand its facilities
(2019) Funded the purchase of a low-mileage 2014 four-wheel-drive Toyota van to help administer the various projects in all their locations
(2019) Raised funds to replace broken water tank at Glory Center Church in Ndejje, and provide a water tank for the Piggery (second tank still needed to handle a planned increase in the number of pigs)
(2022) Helped fund the expansion of the education building, adding a second level.
DONATIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF FUNDS
Funds raised for Men of Willow projects are disbursed to our Glory Center partners through The Cross Connecting Network, a 501(c)(3) organization. With their help, administrative costs to support Men of Willow Uganda projects are minimized and transparency is maintained in applying donated funds. Online) donations can be made by clicking here Donate A link is also provided on each Men of Willow regular Update report.) From there you can give by credit or debit card or PayPal. Donations by check can be made out to Men of Willow & Friends Inc. Write Uganda" in the memo section of your check and mail it to: Men of Willow & Friends, Inc. 3604 Cranberry lane, New Bern, N.C. 28562
