For those new to CHRISTWORKS, it is a small all-volunteer Virginia-based ministry of specialized helps to preach the Gospel and encourage believers. It began as a food ministry and church school in the 1990s, transitioned to a home school support group, and again transitioned to provide educational materials and related helps, primarily outside the US.
Our small size (a three-member board and a couple missionaries) means that one overseas project at a time is typical. Our first major one was in Uganda and our current project for the last few years is in the Philippines, where we help nurture orphan children, encourage ministries or churches, and provide biblical creation material or teaching. The Philippine project continues to expand to several locations. The original requirement to develop a biblical creation resource came out of the needs of one ministry in the Philippines, which included a federation of Christian schools. That requirement, however, became larger as we began to see the need to reach more people in other places and countries where Christian and financial resources are scarce.
I put thousands of dollars of personal money to publish the original Bible study version of “A Study of God’s Creation” and eventually convert it to a 60-lesson book. The expanded resource was also re-edited by Dr. Carl Wieland. The expanded product was prepared for a more important goal, which was to provide a free cell phone App. Cell phone is the most widely used media device in the world, even among the poorest regions we have visited. The cell phone App on biblical creation was finally available in 2021 for Android and Apple cell phones (downloadable from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store, respectively). CHRISTWORKS paid for much of the development of the APP, which is in both Spanish and English. An online version of the App was added to this site for online users. It also has downloadable resources that can be used with the primary resource.
This is just the beginning, since we want the material to reach other countries and people groups, especially those with a scarcity of biblical resources or regions that are generally closed to the Gospel. In 2023 we met twice with a ministry that wants to use the App or some version of the contents in several nations where they are already training pastors. However, developing local language versions of the App is expensive and complex, involving many steps and expertise that is not resident in this ministry. It looks like this direction may become the ministry’s largest over-all project.
One might ask, “Why is the biblical creation App so unique?” Actually, most of the content is not. Reputable ministries, including Creation Ministries and Institute for Creation Research, have wonderful resources, but they are generally not free and not in cell phone application form. We are blessed to make our resource, based on material from them and other similar ministries, both free and available for cell phones. The contents of the App are also designed to be systematic, with both exercises and critical thinking questions, making it good for classrooms or personal study. We provide the reader with enough material to understand the biblical world view and perhaps re-examine the world around them with that view. This is in direct contrast to an evolutionary or naturalistic view that most people are taught. Finally, we tell them why all this might be important in practical life. Not many single resources have this overall approach, make it free, and make it usable on a cell phone.
There is a developing parallel need to train or orient others to teach our biblical creation resource in places we may never go. Thus, we are seeking ways to expand our contacts and ministries to reach them. In 2024 we will also finalize what might be needed by the ministry that met with us in 2023, who already work with pastors in several nations. One of their keys, which they have discussed with us, is getting the material translated into local languages, which also is one of our aims. We do not know if we can add a new language to the existing App, or if we need to make an entirely new App.
Why is biblical creation an area of special concern for young generations in places where resources are scarce? First, young people are only taught evolution or naturalism year after year. That view, just like in the US, deletes the God of the Bible, does not deal with the presence of evil or man’s bad side, and has no solution for sin. We are supposed to be getting better in evolution, but we are not. The Bible has the answers. God demonstrates that we have identity and purpose that stems from Genesis. He illustrates his attributes through the wonder of creation in Job, Psalms, and other Bible books. The Bible further explains how sin and bad things entered the world, and why we are not going to get better until we have a real relationship with the Creator, who is Jesus Christ. From the beginning, the Bible is clear: He wants a people to turn from their ways and follow Him. The message of the Gospel, therefore, is tied to the created world around us. Young people are rarely taught these things, and the message is forbidden in almost all secular institutions — including those nations we target. But a cell phone App can reach anyone’s cell phone, where they can discover answers for themselves that come from the biblical world view.
Besides teaching biblical creation and providing resources, we continue to be “Nanay” and “Tatay”, or Mom and Dad, in a couple ministries to those much younger than ourselves. We love them, but we also hear their questions. Their biggest questions are mostly answered by what we call “biblical creation basics” that explain who we are, where we come from, why evil exists, and why we need a Saviour to fix our hearts. We invite the reader to look at ministry reports on this site to see examples and pictures of some of those people we have befriended in the last few years.
Our next two-month trip to continue this part of our ministry is in early 2024. This trip, like the ones we have recently taken, is a matter of service and love. These ministries tell us how we can best assist them. While we have ideas, we do not direct them. They arrange our calendar and events.
To see our last fiscal year’s report, go to REPORTS, then TAX REPORTS to see our last fiscal year summary. While we have most of the funds for our early 2024 mission trip to the Philippines, funds are limited to proceed much further. We still need to tailor the biblical creation resources and expand the use of the App. Self-financing by Faylene and me (the two missionaries) usually comprises a third of total expenses for each overseas trip and some of the resource development costs that were discussed above.
We would be grateful if you would consider partnering with us on our work. If interested in following us, please pray for us. Keep up with us and our subject matter by watching our posts on this site.
Thanks for reading.
Roland (director) and Faylene Beard
Missionaries with a Purpose
God bless you as you continue in your service to the Lord.