God is in the Change - With Lord in mind and miniloans, group helps neediest :: Chicago Sun Times
What could be the fastest growing lender in Chicago doesn't loan to executives in high-rises, but to mothers in mud huts.Its average loan size is just $172. And its president and CEO, Christopher Crane, won't take a salary, and pays for his own travel.
Opportunity International, a 36-year-old Oak Brook-based microfinance organization, makes loans and take deposits from the poorest of the world's poor. Operating in 28 developing countries from Albania to Zimbabwe, the nonprofit has grown 26 percent annually since 2002, and is aiming to grow 25 percent a year for the next seven.
"It's a 90 percent untapped market, and it's the world's largest market," said Crane, a lean, energetic native Californian who combines the passions of an entrepreneur and a Christian evangelist. "Microfinance will dramatically change the world for the better. It has the potential to create more wealth than has ever been created before."
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2 Comments:
commented by 
Jason Anderson, 9:37 AM
Jason Anderson, 9:37 AM
Truly, the most important thing in life is to be reconciled to God through Christ, however, I believe any organization that truly works to improve the lives of men and women created in God's image IS worthy to be supported by Christians. What did the good Samaritan do?
No doubt, Scripture clearly teaches believers to help the poor and to, in fact, help the poor help themselves. But our ultimate responsibility as believers is to carry the good news of Jesus Christ to the poor and to all others.
Where is the gospel in Opportunity's work? Do they counsel loan recipients about the good news of Jesus Christ, even as they counsel them about sound investments and best business practices?
No doubt there were many poor folks in the churches Paul started and in the Jerusalem church which Peter and John oversaw. However, the Biblical model is to first call folks to biblical repentance, then deal with poverty, or at least to deal with physical needs as you deal with spiritual needs, (a la the healing of the beggar in Acts 3-4).
If Opportunity is not following the biblical model of evangelism and discipleship first, or at least in conjunction with physical assistance, then Opportunity is not a truly biblical organization and may not be worthy of Christian support.