Are you an evangelist? Evangelism means sharing the euangélion—the gospel or the good news. When Jesus began his public ministry, he referred to the call in Isaiah 61 to preach the good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, and renew our cities. There is power within each of us who call ourselves Christ-followers to be Isaiah 61 Christians. It is up to each of us to find our calling or pathway to serve, renew, bind up, and proclaim freedom. Below is a sample of organizations and initiatives promoting compassion and service in our community. I pray that one of these options inspires you to live the Isaiah 61 life.

Compassion International

Compassion International’s mission is to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Compassion Sunday is an annual event for churches across the U.S. It’s an opportunity for members of your church family to personally sponsor children who live in extreme poverty, and help them find new life in Jesus. More than 2,000 churches will be participating this year, and Compassion International anticipates that 15,000 children will be sponsored as a result. May 4, 2014 is Compassion Sunday. For more information, go to compassionsunday.com.
For more information about Compassion International, go to www.compassion.com.

South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice (SFIWJ)

SFIWJ is an association of many diverse religious leaders throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties who respond to the crisis of the working poor. SFIWJ provides a voice to educate, organize, and mobilize the religious community to serve low-wage workers in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. SFIWJ’s volunteer Board of Directors is comprised of 13 faith leaders from various religious and ethnic traditions.
For more information, go to www.sfiwj.org.

The Jubilee Center of South Broward

The Jubilee Center takes its name from the Biblical Year of Jubilee in Leviticus—the great year of liberation. The center is committed to providing emergency resources and relief from hunger and despair through feeding programs and social services. Recently, Volunteer Broward honored the Jubilee Center as the “Agency of the Year.”
For more information on Jubilee Center of South Broward, go to jubileecenterbroward.org or call 954-920-0106.

Living in Freedom and Empowerment (LIFE)

LIFE is ministry devoted to helping people live lives free of disrespect and abuse so they can be all God intends. The organization is committed to creating awareness around the issues of abuse toward people of all ages, including child abuse, teen dating violence, domestic violence, and elder abuse. The ministry provides outreach and services to local churches and community organizations.
For more information about LIFE and the Christian Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (CCADA), go to lifeabundantlyfree.org or ccada.org.

HOPE South Florida

HOPE South Florida is a non-profit organization. Motivated by God’s love for our city, the Christian community and other partner agencies have joined together seeking to serve homeless and hurting individuals and families. Through partnerships with the Christian community services and churches we are providing housing, mentoring relationships, and community one-stop service centers, we seek to see broken families renewed and lives restored.
For more information, contact them at [email protected] or call 954-566-2311

Women Thrive Worldwide

Women Thrive Worldwide is the leading nonprofit organization bringing the voice of women around the world directly to decision-makers in Washington, D.C. Currently, there is a petition to protect women in Afghanistan.
Learn more about the petition at takeaction.takepart.com/actions/don-t-let-the-afghan-government-silence-women-and-girls or go to takeaction.takepart.com to find an initiative that you support.

The Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART)

DART is a national network of 20 affiliated grassroots, nonprofit, congregation-based community organizations. DART organizations bring people together across racial, religious, and socioeconomic lines to pursue justice in their communities. Since 1982, DART has trained over 10,000 community leaders and 150 professional community organizers, who together have won victories on a broad set of issues.
For more information, go to TheDartCenter.org.

Hope Women’s Center

Hope Women’s Center offers many resources to help you make an informed choice about your pregnancy. Our trained counselors will help you think through your options. They offer a free medical pregnancy test. You may qualify for a limited obstetrical ultrasound to determine gestational age and confirm a viable, intrauterine pregnancy. Hope also offers confidential support and community referrals for other services you may need.
For more information, go to [email protected] or call their 24-hour hotline: 800-712-HELP.

Dr. Terry Morrow is President of Morrow and Associates Partnership for Leadership and Transformation. She holds a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and is a Florida Supreme Court Mediator. She can be reached at [email protected].