Community Health Evangelism

GO InterNational’s Community Health Evangelism Ministry

In 2010 GO InterNational launched an expansion of its medical ministries called Community Health Evangelism (CHE). CHE is a wholistic development strategy whose purpose is to bring together the Great Commandment(loving our neighbor as ourselves) and the Great Commission(making disciples of all nations).  CHE integrates evangelism, discipleship, and church planting with community health and development.  CHE is a ministry strategy to meet the whole need of individuals and communities.  In communities where CHE is implemented people in the community come together to improve their quality of life and people come to Christ. 

GO Community Health Evangelism Projects

All GO InterNational medical teams incorporate CHE principles in their ministry. We hope to then help our partners go to the next step of developing CHE ministries in an ongoing manner after our teams leave. Below are two examples of CHE  projects in progress through our partners.

Trujillo, Honduras

Honduras CHE volunteers in training

In 2011 GO sent a short-term medical team composed of volunteers from Refuge Medical Clinic in Lexington, KY to work with partner Ivan Gallindo Paz and his church in Puerto Castilla.  To follow-up on this project, a training team went to train volunteers from the church in community health evangelism prior to the 2012 medical team.  The church volunteers did evangelism and community health teaching during the medical clinics.  They have followed up with health fairs in two communities and are working toward training volunteers in those villages to further implement CHE in their area.

Hetauda, Nepal

Hetauda Vision Seminar

In follow-up to a medical team in 2011, GO has been working with partner Babu Varghese  in the Hetauda, Nepal area to encourage development of CHE. We have identified a project leader who has gone for more CHE training. In April 2012 GO conducted a vision seminar in the area to raise awareness among pastors in the region.  We are continuing to incorporate CHE principles in our medical teams to the area as well.

Why Community Health Evangelism?

• Two-thirds of people in the developing world are unreached with the Good News of Jesus Christ!
• Nearly one-third of children in the developing world are chronically malnourished
• 1 out of every 6 people lack access to safe drinking water…about 20% of the world’s population

CHE Principles

• Emphasis on prevention
• Long-term development rather than acute relief where communities develop their own solutions
• Community ownership enhances the dignity of the people created in god’s image
• Integration of spiritual and physical ministry
• Transferable principles result in multiplication
• The progress in a community becomes sustainable without dependence on outside resources
• Transformation of individuals through new life in Christ results in stronger families, healthier communities, and newly planted churches

How CHE Works

• GO InterNational begins CHE by identifying international partners with a heart for transforming their community
• GO equips a training team of people who our partners have identified to enter a community as catalysts for change
• The training team imparts a vision for holistic development and mobilizes the community to work together
• The community forms a committee which is trained to oversee the process
• The committee recruits volunteers from the community who are trained to visit homes, addressing needs while sharing physical and spiritual lessons
• People come to Christ and are discipled, leading to church planting and church growth
• Transformed individuals lead to transformed communities

How you can help

• Pray for the CHE ministry of GO InterNational
• Come with us as we work to Implement CHE with our partners around the world
• Financially support CHE through GO InterNational