The Cuba Experiment

Our church has formed a partnership with a church in Santiago De Cuba that has lasted for several years. Their desire to worship and share their faith has been limited because of the communist leadership in that country. Churches are not able to be built and if there is to be any additional churches it must exist in the form of house churches. Several years ago we partnered with them to begin a process of planting these house churches around the city to make sure that every person would have access to a church. Since that time we have planted 9 churches and 2 Grand babies have been birthed. Yes 11 churches. However, we have not been able to go back and check on the progress of the churches until now.

I am going to Cuba with two other people and the following is a list of our goals.

1. “Survey the Land” – It has been a few years since our partnership began and the new churches have started and we are going to visit and check on the progress.
2. We are going to help train and be trained. We have the opportunity to share knowledge with one another. I will have the opportunity to preach and encourage the Christians who are there to keep fighting the good fight.
3. Document the work. We plan on capturing the work that is going on through video and photography. We are developing a new website which will highlight the work that is going on in Cuba. One of the team members sole responsibility is to document the work that is going on so we can share that with people here in the states.
4. Strategize our next steps in the partnership. We plan to determine how to move forward in our relationship with our partners to be more effective in reaching even more people in the region.

This is where you come in. In Cuba the greatest need is resources. The average Cuban makes between 7 and 10 dollars a week. Therefore, it creates a challenge for them to help plant churches. However, this opens the door for us to help plant churches. Why? Because it does not cost us much money and we can have a significant impact. With just roughly $350 a church can be fully funded. This includes a Salary for a missionary, housing, and supplies. $350 A YEAR!

My goal is to try and raise $1200 to help pay for my way down to Cuba. However, I am hoping to raise more than that to help invest in churches in Cuba.

I wanted to try a weird experiment and see if a lot of my friends would send a little money with little sacrifice... (biggest challenge would be using envelopes and snail mail.) Do you think we could we raise enough money to not only get me down to Cuba but maybe even help fund one of the church plants? Would you consider sending a gift? If you can do even more… Great!

Remember that all gifts are tax deductible and can be sent to North Rock Hill Church PO Box 2477 Rock Hill, SC 29732. Simply put in the memo line… “Chris Ruppe Cuba Trip.”

Let me say in advance… Thank You! I would be even more honored if you would consider praying for us while we are in Cuba. We will be there July 31st – August 7th.

On the Journey,

Chris Ruppe

Are you Walking the Financial Tightwire? Part 3

It has been a while since I have updated blog... sorry. However, I do want to answer the couple of questions that came in. Here is Dr. Pantusco's Response...

I will begin by paraphasing the question.. If we don't spend then the economy will get worse, which hurts us through lost jobs. But if we spend too much then the our personal finances will suffer. What should we do?

good question. If people decide to save their money, in the short run the demand for some retail items (mainly durable goods, cars, boats, electronincs) will decrease. Then the production of these goods will fall. And, of course workers will be laid off. But, what will eventually happen. First, the increase in savings allows banks to have more reserves. As reserves increase, interest rates fall and banks available credit increases. The lower interest rates will inspire spending on items that people typically borrow money to purchase (cars, houses, boats). Also, as people save more, they will be more likely to invest in whatever they think will earn them the greatest rate of return, this could be stocks (which could be undervalued), real estate, gold, corporate bonds etc.. The saved money finds its way back into the economy. The person who saves is not only going to help the economy in the long run but also help their household.

It is not the chicken or the egg, it is the short run versus the long run. Do you want to help the economy and your household in the long run by getting your personal spending under control, or do you want to spend what you have now in hopes of giving a short term stimulus to your neighbor.

The second question is loaded. but, I will try to answer as concise and clear as possible. Yes, the stimulus package is inflationary in two ways, (1) the additional spending will put upward pressure on the goods and services purchased by the government and (2) the spending has to be paid for. If money comes from foreign sources then more money enters the US economy, and more money enters the US banking system. More money leads to more inflation.

It is doubtful that the government will pay off a significant portion of the deficit/debt with newly printed money. As long as investors line up to lend money to the government, there is no need for the government to print money. Therefore, it is likely the deficit will be paid for by borrowed funds (shichis not as inflationary as printing). In the latest auction of US treasury bonds, about 28 percent of the lenders were foreign. China does not own our country. China has businesses that invest in US government securities, but so does Great Britain, Japan, etc. I believe China holds about 6 or 7 percent of our debt.

The problem will occur when countries no longer want to purchase our Treasury Bonds. Right now this is not the case. The US dollar is pretty strong relative to other currencies, and still a very safe haven for foreignors to put their funds. When other investment opportunites improve, money will flow out of the US. This could be bad. How can the US pay its debt and fund its deficit then? Will they increase taxes? if they do, then consumer spending will fall (or be crowded out). Obviously, that is bad for growth. The goods new is that inflation will fall.

The amazing things is that foreign companies are willing to lend us so much money at so low an interest rate. As the world economy improves, I doubt that will last; then it will get interesting.

Are you Walking the Financial Tightwire? Part 2

Last week we started a discussion on the financial market and how it is impacting you. We have got Dr. Louis Pantusco, Professor of Economics at Winthrop University answering some questions. He is helping us get some of the insider information on what is going on in the economy. Today we are looking at two issues. Job Market and when will this economy recover. Here is Dr. Pantuscos input on the struggling jobs and when we can expect the economy to begin to improve.

The job market is the last to feel the hit of an economic downturn, and the last to recover. Usually, employers wait to see if business is simply declining for a season or if the decrease is permanent before they lay-off workers. The same is true at the other end of the cycle, businesses want to see strong signs that demand for their product is returning before they rehire. Nationally, the unemployment rate has been rising for a year, but in the last two months over one million jobs were lost. More losses are on the way. It will take a while for new jobs to be added. While, the stimulus package will help, it may simply serve to keep government employees busy. For example, Charlotte received money to widen route 51 from Pineville to SC. Will the city of Charlotte hire more people with this money, or use their current workforce? Since government agencies are slow to lay-off workers, the city may just use their existing workers and keep them employed and funded for longer. This approach eliminates the future financial strain of wages and benefits when the job is complete. In this example, the stimulus money enters the area but no new jobs are created.

Since the stock market is a lead indicator, the first signs of recovery should be witnessed there. The problem with the stock market is uncertainty and, of course, confidence. Consumers are saving because they are unsure of their jobs, and banks are tight because they are uncertain about the profitability of investment projects. Wall Street is in a reaction mode; their heads are spinning trying to decipher the latest bailout from Washington. All of this uncertainty bothers the stock market.

In summary, the market adjusts when wages and prices adjust. Businesses failing and being bought out are part of the adjustment process. Workers being laid off is part of the adjustment process, and prices falling on homes and other items, is part of the adjustment process. While there is a lot of agreement among economists that something should be done, it is clear that government intervention distorts the picture. It is harder to determine where the bottom is and when the recovery will begin because the government artificially is maintaining the economy.

Are you Walking the Financial Tightwire? Special Guest Blogger Dr. Pantusco

I know that many of you are like me and very frustrated. Frustrated at yourself and others who have made some really unwise financial decisions. The current economic crisis in our country is the direct result of people who have made some poor decisions over the last 20 + years. I want us to learn from our current economic "crisis" and make new decisions moving forward into the future to put us in the best possible shape financially. I asked Dr. Lou Pantusco, Professor of Economics at Winthrop University if he would mind answering some tough questions about the current economic situation and to give us some practical tips that might help us moving forward.

For the next several days I will post some of his answers and feel free to chime in and ask your own questions.

The first Question: Should we listen to the government and other "experts" and spend more or save more during this economic crisis?

As an observer of Sunday’s service on the economy, I was amazed and impressed with the clarity and simplicity of Chris’ message. There were a few points that he made that I thought were perfect! Specifically, his critique of the economist who claimed that “this is not the time for American’s to start saving” was right on. I agree with Chris. If Americans had been saving over the past decade, we would not be in the mess we are in. The number of foreclosures would be much less, consumer spending would be more consistent, and subsequently, there would be less employment fluctuations. In the fourth quarter of 2008, US spending (consumption) decreased by 3.8 percent, and savings actually increased by 3.6 percent. The starting points for these numbers are completely different, so one cannot say the reduction in spending equals the increase in savings. However, there is a trend toward savings and away from consumer spending. More specifically, the numbers suggest that consumer spending has decreased on “food, clothing, and automobiles”. In South Carolina retail sales fell by 23 percent. All this simply means people are being more frugal with their money, they are not going out to restaurants to eat, they are not spending as much in malls, they are not buying new automobiles.
While the health of the US economy is dependent on consumer spending, the welfare of your family depends on personal savings. Should you focus on the economy or your household?

Thanks Dr. Pantusco. Great post! What do you think? What are your questions for Dr. Pantusco?

11 Year Anniversary of NRHC

It seems hard to believe 11 years ago a handful of people were meeting in my little house with a common vision to do "church" different. A group of people who were tired of people saying they were Christian and acting Religious. (We saw that before... Pharisees!) A dream that maybe "church" could be done different. Maybe the "church" could make a difference in its city. Wow! Who would have thought how far we would have come.

Yes, we have grown in numbers meeting each week. We have met in 5 locations and have outgrown all 5 locations including our brand new building. We have went from a house, to a temporary facility, to a school, to the "domes," and now on a 34 acre campus. When it comes to buildings... we never have enough room! Wow!

But let me share with you what our greatest success is... a growing vision. We have never settled for where we have been. Over the years we were just happy if people showed up. Then we decided we needed a clearer purpose and began to focus on making disciples. Over the last several years we have moved from small groups and classes to now instituting a new system... one on one mentoring. However, our vision grew! Over the last several years we have been convicted that it is not about our church... but rather God's Kingdom. We have begun the process of reaching our city by partnering with local school, construction, and Movies in the Park for families. We have begun to plant churches. Currently we have supported 6 churches in US, 9 in Cuba, and 3 in Costa Rica. We have begun a Church planting center not only for Anglo Churches but also Hispanic. Wow!!!! The vision has grown!

Let me close with this thought. Our greatest days are not behind us... they are ahead of us. If this is what God can do with a few people... just imagine what He can do with a army of people who are committed to a big vision! What if not only our church had a big vision but what if we partnered with other churches who had big visions. We worked together to make our cities a better place to be. In 2009 we will ramp up our efforts to help people follow Christ in their personal lives, we will up our commitment to plant churches, and we will begin the process of collaborating with other churches to make our city a better place to live. Let us dream big... and ask God to allow us to be a part of something so great that no one person could take credit. Let us be a part of something God sized!

Happy Birthday North Rock Hill Church!

Hanging Out at Panther Stadium... This is the Life!

I made a trip to Panther Stadium in Charlotte, NC. I was able to do some filming for Super Bowl Sunday Services. I got to hang out with a couple of the players and get a little tour of a really cool stadium.

I got to go into the inner sanctum... the locker room! Very cool! Getting to see the lockers of guys you pull for on Sunday's was a lot of fun. They showed us the meeting rooms, pictures of the pro bowlers, and see where they hang out. Every sportsman's dream!

There was one negative... It reminded me that the Panthers were not in the Super Bowl. Yes, I still have issues. I know they should be there!

Let me say this... it was a learning experience... not all the guys in the NFL making a lot of money are bad guys... the guys I got to talk to were really humble and seemed to have a good understanding of the opportunity that is before them.

This Sunday I will be showing some of the interview with the players. Should be lots of fun. This is going to be a great kick-off to Super Bowl Sunday. If you are in the area... stop by!

PS A Speical Thank You to Keith Rains for the Hook Up!

Cuckoo... What are you doing at Night? Your Private Life

OK. I have taken a long enough break. The Holidays were great. However, it is time to start throwing out more thoughts on the blog.

We are in the middle of a series called Cuckoo that looks at how we use our greatest resource...Time. We have discussed the importance of pointing our heart in the right direction by making sure that we know what we treasure the most...Jesus. We have discussed the importance of finding the meaning for each block of time in our life in our treasure and not living a divided life. We talked about our work one week and then yesterday we looked at our private life.

I want to take a moment to throw out a few more thoughts. (I know that I went long yesterday and should have gotten everything out ... but I didn't.)

First, I was talking to someone after church and they had a thought that I want to elaborate on. Lately everyone seems to be a big fan of twitter and sending out every little detail of their life during the day. (Not sure why anyone cares... but whatever!) What if you were to post on a blog, twitter, or write on the bulletin board at your workplace EVERYTHING that you did during your private time...at night...when no one is looking? Could you do it? Would you be proud of what you were doing? Maybe that is a good question that we should ask about how we are spending our private time...Can I Twitter it? (Not sure what twitter is? Go to twitter.)

Next, I promised yesterday that I would give you some resources to deal with some of the problems that many men and women are struggling with.

There is a book called Porn-Again Christian by Mark Driscoll. I am not going to lie to you...this is a really blunt book that deals with issue of sexual sin. The book is FREE. It's online. It's short. It's easy to read. Go to Porn-Again Christian and Download.

Also, I want to recommend a couple of resources that you can use to monitor and hold yourself accountable on your use of the internet.

X3Watch - Has a free version. It also has a couple of versions with more advanced tools that are available for a reasonable price. This is great for personal reasons and family reasons.

NetNanny - Another great resource.

If you are struggling in your marriage or have other addictions that you struggle with at night...GET HELP. Don't wait. Email or Call and we can connect you with other resources that will help you get on the right path.

If you missed the message yesterday... check it out tomorrow (Tuesday) at http://www.northrockhill.com/. It should be posted.