Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – 2024 closed with many meaningful journeys for the Community Development Ministry 2024. From the Northwest highlands and the Bru-Vân Kiều villages of Quảng Trị, to the flood zones after Typhoon Yagi and right in the heart of Hà Nội, the ministry tried to live out the words of Scripture:
See photos: the 2024 look-back video on the Community Development Ministry fanpage
“Little children, let us not love in word and speech, but in action and truth.” (1 John 3:18)
Peace Houses
In April 2024, two Peace Houses were completed for Bru-Vân Kiều families: one for Mr. Vưng’s family (70 million dong) and a wooden house for a young family who had once given all the timber they had saved to the church (70 million dong). The ministry also provided 800 jackfruit seedlings to 20 Vân Kiều households for long-term livelihoods.
Clean Water and Light
Mid-year, the ministry completed a well with a storage tank for 76 households (30 million dong) and a 2,000-meter gravity-fed water system for 11 households and a school (35 million dong). In July, the team traveled more than 700 km to deliver 103 solar lamps to Bru-Vân Kiều families without electricity. At year’s end, the ministry also gave reading lamps.
Supporting Places of Worship
The ministry helped build a toilet block for a house group of 128 Bru-Vân Kiều believers, and gave 200 plastic chairs to two Giẻ Triêng communities of believers in May and September.
Helping Children Get to School
- Sơn La: repainting classrooms, rice, food, blankets and mooncakes for Hmong preschoolers; 100 lunches cooked by the Đống Đa group’s women; 2 TVs and 600 kg of rice for a preschool.
- Central Việt Nam: 146 uniforms, 3 smart TVs, 120 cases of instant noodles and 10 computers for schools in border and remote areas.
- Quảng Bình: raincoats, backpacks, notebooks and pens for 108 Khùa ethnic students.
- Mid-Autumn Festival: 650 mooncakes for children in a Bru-Vân Kiều mountain commune.
Standing With Flood-Hit Areas
In September and October 2024, after Typhoon Yagi, the ministry made relief trip after relief trip: 72 boxes of supplies for Huống Thượng commune (Thái Nguyên), 100 gift packages for Xuân Quang commune (Tuyên Quang), 1 ton of rice with warm blankets and the “Jar by Jar of Floss, Pack by Pack of Sesame” program for Hmong families in Bát Xát (Lào Cai), and 40.1 million dong in rice and cash for landslide victims in Bắc Quang (Hà Giang). Even the children of the Thanh Xuân group gave the savings from their piggy banks.
Connected to the Community Where We Live
In Hà Nội, the ministry joined the National Unity Festival in Khương Đình ward and gave gifts to struggling families; at Christmas, gifts went to families in Khương Đình and Ninh Bình and to believers at the Bình An group in Hòa Bình. Early in the year, the church’s children also went with the ministry to Mộc Châu to share with highland children.
Giving Thanks and Moving Forward
All of this was possible thanks to God’s grace and the hearts of many brothers and sisters, small groups, church ministries and donors who prayed, gave and set out together. The ministry gives thanks to God and to everyone, and hopes that in 2025 God will continue to use it to spread love through concrete actions.
Let Us Pray Together
- For the communities the ministry walked with in 2024 to keep being blessed by God.
- For the Community Development Ministry to have wisdom and resources for 2025.
- For more brothers and sisters to be moved to join in serving.
Read more in Community Development and Church News. Contact the church office: 0942 248 688 (Zalo available).
