Word Made Flesh
Encyclopedia
Word Made Flesh was started in 1991 as a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization that exists to serve and advocate alongside the poorest of the poor in urban centers of the majority world. The organization focuses most of its work with the most vulnerable of the poor – women and children.
In 1994, Word Made Flesh initiated its first children's home in Chennai, South India, for abandoned children with a primary focus on pediatric AIDS care. In 1995, another home was established for severely mentally and physically disabled girls who have been abandoned, left on the streets to die.
Since then, Word Made Flesh has expanded into other countries in South Asia, South America, Eastern Europe and Africa where they partner with international Christians. The organization has about 250 staff members, interns, volunteers and board members and operates on a $2.2 million budget (2011).
Projects include pediatric AIDS care, rehabilitation for abused and destitute women, care and education and vocational training for the war-affected, residential care for children with mental and physical disabilities, advocacy for children of the streets, housing, education and rehabilitation for children and youth of the streets, and education and business initiatives for sexually exploited women and children.
Word Made Flesh has nine foundational commitments (Lifestyle Celebrations): intimacy, obedience, humility, community, service, simplicity, submission, brokenness, and suffering.
Word Made Flesh also has undertaken guiding principles of solidarity with the poor
, ecumenicism, gender equality
, and multiculturalism
.
Working toward preventing children from living on the streets, Word Made Flesh targets high-risk communities for education and community development projects with the hopes of keeping children off the streets.
Word Made Flesh also partners with local aid organizations that rescue and rehabilitate boys and girls who have been sexually exploited, helping to provide education, rehabilitation, discipleship, and care.
In addition to partnering with other organizations, Word Made Flesh has begun new ministries in:
.
Published books by WMF staff
Published articles by WMF staff
Links to books and articles that mention or feature WMF
See also
In 1994, Word Made Flesh initiated its first children's home in Chennai, South India, for abandoned children with a primary focus on pediatric AIDS care. In 1995, another home was established for severely mentally and physically disabled girls who have been abandoned, left on the streets to die.
Since then, Word Made Flesh has expanded into other countries in South Asia, South America, Eastern Europe and Africa where they partner with international Christians. The organization has about 250 staff members, interns, volunteers and board members and operates on a $2.2 million budget (2011).
Projects include pediatric AIDS care, rehabilitation for abused and destitute women, care and education and vocational training for the war-affected, residential care for children with mental and physical disabilities, advocacy for children of the streets, housing, education and rehabilitation for children and youth of the streets, and education and business initiatives for sexually exploited women and children.
Word Made Flesh has nine foundational commitments (Lifestyle Celebrations): intimacy, obedience, humility, community, service, simplicity, submission, brokenness, and suffering.
Word Made Flesh also has undertaken guiding principles of solidarity with the poor
Solidarity (Catholic theology)
Solidarity is a principle of Catholic Social Teaching and a Christian virtue articulated by Pope John Paul II which amplifies the concept of the common good and holds that for Christians it is essential to act in favor of the well being of all, particularly those who are most poor and marginalized...
, ecumenicism, gender equality
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
, and multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
.
Service
Word Made Flesh partners with local aid organizations, local churches, and local believers that work among children at risk.Working toward preventing children from living on the streets, Word Made Flesh targets high-risk communities for education and community development projects with the hopes of keeping children off the streets.
Word Made Flesh also partners with local aid organizations that rescue and rehabilitate boys and girls who have been sexually exploited, helping to provide education, rehabilitation, discipleship, and care.
In addition to partnering with other organizations, Word Made Flesh has begun new ministries in:
- ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
- BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
- BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
- PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
- RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
- Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
- ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
- MoldovaMoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Statement of Faith
Word Made Flesh adheres to the tenants outlined by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism in the Lausanne CovenantLausanne Covenant
The Lausanne Covenant is a 1974 Christian religious manifesto promoting active world-wide Christian evangelism. One of the most influential documents in modern Evangelical Christianity, it was written and adopted by 2,300 evangelicals at the International Congress on World Evangelization in...
.
External links
- www.wordmadeflesh.org - Word Made Flesh website
- The Cry – a quarterly advocacy journal of Word Made Flesh
- Word Made Flesh Romania
Published books by WMF staff
- Simple Spirituality: Learning to See God in a Broken World, by Christopher L. Heuertz (Word Made Flesh International Executive Director), (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008)
Published articles by WMF staff
- “Partnerships: Spaces of Authenticity and Inclusion” by Caldwell Manners, Lausanne blog (28 Nov 2009)
- “Standing in the Room” by Anna Monteviller, Lausanne blog (25 Nov 2009)
- "Partnership and Mission" by Alex and Esdrianne Cohen de Araujo, Lausanne blog (19 Nov 2009)
- "On Partnership" by Angelene Samuel, Lausanne blog (14 Nov 2009)
- "Humility: The Starting Point" by John Koon, Lausanne blog (11 Nov 2009)
- "God’s Reign: An Invitation to Partnership" by Noah Tullay, Lausanne blog (06 Nov 2009)
- “What Do We Mean By Partnership?” by Chris Heuertz, Lausanne blog (03 Nov 2009)
- “Recovering Identity: A Sign of Restoration” by Chris Heuertz, Q blog (2009)
- "Filling in the Holes of Holism" by Christopher L. Heuertz, Christianity Today (Oct 2009)
- “Would Mother Teresa Have Used Twitter?” by Chris Heuertz, Q blog (2009)
- "Huddled Against Death" by Cara Strauss (Word Made Flesh Bolivia staff), The Other Journal, (Issue 14, 2009)
- "Learning to Preach and Experience Liberating Simplicity" by Christopher Heuertz (Word Made Flesh Executive Director) SermonCentral.com, Feb 2009
- "What Do We Mean By Worship?" by Christopher Heuertz (Word Made Flesh Executive Director) Frequency Worship, Dec 2008
- "The End of Suffering" by Christopher Heuertz (Word Made Flesh Executive Director) Fermi Short, Oct 2008
- "Simple Spirituality" by Christopher Heuertz (Word Made Flesh Executive Director) RelevantMagazine.com, Oct 2008
- "Why Evangelicals and the Interfaith Movement Need Each Other" by Christopher Heuertz (Word Made Flesh Executive Director) Neue Quarterly, Oct 2008
- "Gathering Manna in the City: Ministry in Lima, Peru," by Brian Langley (Word Made Flesh Peru Field Director ‘’Lausanne World Pulse,’’ October 2008
- "Living Fully: Suffering and Hope," by Daphne Eck Coppock (Word Made Flesh International Associate Director of Advocacy) in Neue (13 Sept 2008)
- "The Cost of Exposure" by Christopher L. Heuertz in Neue (1 August 2008)
- "A Pedagogy of Submission: Reeducating Ourselves to Embody Our Belief in a Good God" by Christopher L. Heuertz (Word Made Flesh International Executive Director) in The Other Journal, Issue 12, June 2008
- "Dragonflies" by Cami Sigler (Word Made Flesh Sierra Leone Field Director) in Globalgirl Network (June 22, 2008)
- "The End of Suffering" by Chris Heuertz in Q Words: Q Shorts, (Fermi Project, 2008)
- "Submitting to the Healing of Love" by Kristin Keen in Seed Sampler (July 2008)
- "The Echo of a Saint: Signs of Hope in a Slum Community" by Christopher L. Heuertz in Lausanne World Pulse, April 2008
- "The Spirit of Francis: A Prophetic Sign of Hope in a Slum Community" by Christopher L. Heuertz in Lausanne World Pulse, April 2008
- "A Community of the Broken Among the Broken:An Attempt at Participating in the Incarnation" by Christopher L. Heuertz in Mustard Seed Journey
- "Broken Among the Broken" by Chris Heuertz in Mustard Seed Journey, January 2008
- "The Brothels Are Burning" by Heather Coaster Goertzen (Word Made Flesh Bolivia staff) in The Other Journal, Issue 10, Fall 2007
- "Communion on the Streets" by Monica Klepac (Word Made Flesh Romania staff) in The Other Journal, Issue 10, Fall 2007
- "A Spirituality of Gladness, Joy, and Celebration" by Walter Forcatto (Word Made Flesh Argentina staff and South America Regional Coordinator) in The Other Journal, Issue 10, Fall 2007
- "Reducing Poverty, Not the Poor: Reclaiming Community with the Victims of Oppression" by Chris Heuertz (Word Made Flesh Executive Director) in Lausanne World Pulse, September 2007
- "From Tower-Dwellers to Travelers" by Emmanuel Katongole (Word Made Flesh USA board member) for the Christian Vision Project in Christianity Today, July 2007
- "Faces & Names" by Andrea Baker (Word Made Flesh staff in Bolivia) in The Ambassador, Spring 2007
- "A Community of the Broken" by Chris Heuertz for the Christian Vision Project in Christianity Today, February 2007
- "Subverting Evangelicalism" by Chris Heuertz in The Other Journal, Issue 8
- "Intimate Justice" by Chris Heuertz in Good News Magazine, Jan/Feb 2000
- "Genesis 38" by Heather Coaster in The Other Journal, Issue 7
Links to books and articles that mention or feature WMF
- "Malnutrition in Three Acts" by David A. Zimmerman in Burnside Writers Collective, January 14, 2008
- "The New Friars: The Return of Francis and Clare" by Scott Bessenecker in PRISM, May-June 2005
- The New Friars, Scott Bessenecker
- School(s) for Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism, The Rutba House
- "Trabadores Sexual: A Study of Poverty, Prostitution, and Women With Few Choices" by Ali Keller in The Other Journal, Issue 3
- "Body and Soul" by Kate Bowman in Sojourners Magazine, July 2004
- "Serving Jesus Amidst the Poorest of the Poor" The Gathering Newsletter: The Many Faces of India, Spring 2006
- "Intimate Justice" in Good News Magazine, January/February 2000 (vol. 33, no. 4), p. 51.
See also
- Christopher Heuertz, “Language and Labels,” Evangelical Missions Quarterly, (Wheaton, IL: Evangelism and Missions Information Service, January 2009), p. 8.
- Christopher Heuertz, “The Magic Bread: Blessing By Breaking,” Catalyst Groupzine Vol.4, (Catalyst, 2008) p. 130
- Christopher Heuertz, “A Tangle of Contradictions,” The Journal of Student Ministries
- Chris Keller and Andrew David, eds., Remembering the Future: A Collection of Essays, Interviews, and Poetry at the Intersection of Theology and Culture: The Other Journal Anthology 2004-2007 (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2009).
- “The Brothels are Burning,” Essay by Heather Coaster Goertzen, p. 27.
- “Violence and Christian Social Reconstruction in Africa: On the Resurrection of the Body (Politic),” Essay by Emmanuel M. Katangole, p. 31.
- “Alida,” Story by April Folkertsma, p. 123.
- “Sex, Sacrament, and Community: An Interview with Lauren WinnerLauren WinnerLauren Frances Winner is an American author and lecturer. She is currently Assistant Professor of Christian Spirituality at Duke Divinity School. Winner was born to a Jewish father and a Southern Baptist mother, and was raised Jewish...
,” Interview by April Folkertsma, p. 171. - Joel Klepac (Word Made Flesh Romania staff), “Vocation of the Artist,” SEEN: The Journal of CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts), Vol. 2 (2008).
- Chris Heuertz and Beth Katz, “Why Evangelicals and the Interfaith Movement Need Each Other,” Neue Magazine (October 2008).
- Tom Sine, The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008), p. 52.
- Elizabeth Glass, “Handcrafted Hope,” Good News Magazine, (Wilmore, Kentucky: Vol. 41, No. 4, January/February 2008), p. 40.
- Elizabeth Glass, “A fiver with Sarah Lance, social entrepreneur and director of Sari Bari,” Risen, (San Diego: Vol 5, Iss. 1, January/February 2008), p. 16.
- Broken-Beautiful art project (featuring photography from Word Made Flesh friends in Sierra Leone)
- Kayla Smith and Ashley Wolpert, “Missionally Minded: Developing Disciplines with an Outward Focus,” Leader, no. 22 (Orlando: Relevant Media Group, Spring 2008), pp. 52–53.
- “Women to Watch: Kristin Keen,” Kelsey Kreider, Radiant, Fall 2006, p. 42.
- Living and Responding to Heal and Transform in Sexually Exploited Children: Working to Protect and Heal, Phyllis Kilbourn and Marjorie McDermid, eds. MARC Publications (Monrovia, CA: 1998), pp. 83–91.
- Discovering Holiness in Ministry Among the Poor in Power, Holiness, and Evangelism, Randy Clark ed. Destiny Image Publishers (Shippensburg, PA: 1999), pp. 74–85.
- A Call to Die: A 40 Day Journey of Fasting from the World and Feasting on God, David Nasser, Baxter Press, pp. 118–123.
- "Outside the Majestic Colony" in Lifeline: Sharing Christ in a Broken World, Steve Beard and Maggie Schroeder, eds. The Good News Renewal Collection Living Streams Publications (Wilmore, KY: 2003), pp. 107–127.
- Servant First! Leadership for the New Millennium, John J. Sullivan, Xulon Press, pp. 235–244.
- "An Arm through a Hole" by Agatha Hoff in San Francisco Attorney, Spring 2007