Touching lives with transforming love around the world

Touching lives with transforming love around the world

August 17, 2023

Rev. Emmett Dunn, Executive Secretary-Treasurer for Lott Carey, delivered a report highlighting new and ongoing initiatives for the coming year.

One of the main goals of Lott Carey is to ensure a sound financial future for its ministry. To achieve this goal, Lott Carey launched a new membership drive called I Am Lott Carey during the 2023 Annual Spring Mission Conference. This initiative offers individuals the opportunity to become supporting partners of Lott Carey through financial and prayer support.

The I Am Lott Carey membership program has different giving levels, ranging from $25 to more than $1,500 per year. Each level comes with benefits such as newsletters, certificates, pins, and invitations to special events. The program also allows members to designate their contributions to specific projects or regions of their choice.

Rev. Dunn said that the program is a way for everyone to participate in the mission and ministry of Lott Carey. “I trust that you will embrace this as a way that all of us can help fund our calling to Touch Lives with Transforming Love,” he said.

Another important aspect of Lott Carey’s work is to equip pastors and lay leaders to help congregations better recognize their changing social and cultural contexts, clarify values and mission, and cultivate Christian practices that can strengthen their vitality, faithfulness, and effectiveness. To this end, Lott Carey launched the Thriving Congregation initiative in 2022 with a grant from Lilly Endowment.

The Thriving Congregation initiative is a leadership development program that supports congregations to thrive by building their capabilities to discern assets and opportunities, clarify vision and mission, and engage in practices that can empower them to flourish. The program consists of four cohorts of three participants each from different congregations. The participants engagements include both in-person and virtual over a period of 18 months.

Currently, there are 40 participants from 15 congregations of both rural and urban churches from the Mid-Atlantic region: Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and North Carolina. The first two cohorts will conclude their training in September 2024, and the third and fourth cohorts will commence in the latter part of 2024. Recruitment for the second phase of the program will begin this Fall.

Rev. Dunn said that the Thriving Congregation initiative is designed to help churches adapt to the changing world and serve their communities better.

A call to serve

Lott Carey also continues to find ways to serve its global family through short-term mission trips. These trips provide opportunities for churches in the United States to extend their Christian witness by assisting their brothers and sisters in other countries in their time of need.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lott Carey had to suspend its short-term mission program for a while. However, now that the situation is improving, Lott Carey is in the process of relaunching its short-term mission program with some modifications. Rev. Dunn said that Lott Carey is following the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure the safety of its mission teams and partners.

Currently, Lott Carey’s partners in Jamaica and Puerto Rico are preparing to host teams desirous of serving in these countries. The teams will be involved in various projects such as construction, education, health care, evangelism, and community service. Rev. Dunn said that these trips are not only beneficial for the recipients but also for the participants.

However, not all countries are ready to receive mission teams yet. Rev. Dunn said that Haiti is one of them due to its security situation. He said that Lott Carey remains in prayers with its Haitian family and hopes to resume its mission trips there soon.

Community initiatives

In addition to its ongoing programs, Lott Carey also announced some new initiatives for the future. Some of these initiatives include:

Bikes for pastors: This project aims to provide bicycles and motor bikes to pastors, evangelists, and church planters in countries where transportation is a problem. Lott Carey has already provided a few motor bikes to its partners in Liberia and Kenya. Rev. Dunn said that the bikes enable them to travel faster and farther, to visit more people, to share the gospel more effectively, and to serve their communities better.
Water/Well Project – Wells for Wellness: This project aims to provide safe drinking water to thousands of people in Kenya, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Lott Carey committed to building ten wells and supporting water projects in response to requests from its partners. Rev. Dunn said that the wells improve the health and well-being of the people who use them. They also reduce the burden on women and children who have to carry water every day. They also create opportunities for economic development and social cohesion.
David Emmanuel & Pamela Goatley High School Construction: This project aims to extend Lott Carey’s current junior high school in Bopolu, Gbarpolu County, Liberia to the high school level. The school will be named after Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley and Pamela R. Lightsey Goatley in honor of their many years of service to Lott Carey. Rev. Dunn said that the high school will offer academic, vocational, and technical training to prepare students for higher education and self-sustainability as young entrepreneurs. The high school will also equip students with the essential knowledge and skill set to become productive workers in the workforce and members of their community and society.
Other community initiatives: Lott Carey is also planning to launch other initiatives such as a youth leadership program, a women’s empowerment program, a disaster relief fund, and a coffee farm expansion project.

Rev. Dunn said that these initiatives are part of Lott Carey’s vision to touch lives with transforming love in every corner of the world.

“We are grateful to have people who are committed and dedicated to the mission of Lott Carey,” he said.