Slum Life Rising

I have reported on the life of the UNOH organisation before on this blog.
UNOH's founder Ash Barker has now written a book which was his thesis for his Phd.
Follow the link below to see how Christianity Today has reported on the work of UNOH and the book.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/thisisourcity/7thcity/largestslum.html?start=1

UNOH in Klong Toey with the Socceroos

From The UNOH blog.

 

Socceroos do good for Klong Toey

November 15th, 2011 / No Comments Football has the potential to bring diverse people together, for joy and love to mingle as God intends. While football is often in the headlines for the wrong reasons, I saw its potential realised this week like never before.  Australia plays Thailand in the World Cup Qualifier

Klong Toey FC and the Socceroos

on Tuesday and so the footballing world gathered and focussed on Bangkok. Australians from the footballing community especially made contact. That someone like former Socceroo and Fox Sports commentator Andy Harper, would visit Klong Toey slum, ‘cook with Poo’ and run clinics for kids on the hot mid-day concrete was just part of seeing this joy unfold.
What I saw clearly was that if people we respect appreciate us, we can be freer to see that our lives matter. For example, through the Australian Embassy, the Socceroos invited our Klong Toey FC under 10s to a football clinic just for them. You could see confidence growing with every kid’s kick. It was almost as if, written on glowing faces, was ‘If heroes of the world game like Mark Schwarzer, Lukas Neil and Luke Wiltshire spend time with me, then I must matter.’  Along with the kids, our coaching staff who attended too, myself included, couldn’t help but walk taller after such an encounter.

Andy Harper from Fox Sports runs a football clinic in Klong Toey. Watch out for his story on us over the next few weeks

Self-worth can make a difference between ultimately destructive or healthy choices in life. This deposit for good into these boy’s hearts – so used to receiving the opposite messages like you’re a dumb, good for nothing slum kids – can be drawn upon when the inevitable challenges arise for lives precariously balanced. We feel like the odds at least started to become fairer this week.
Yet, we have to put self-worth into perspective. Not all people, sports people included, use their time, resources and power to affirm others. Many of us in fact, are tempted to live like we are centre of the universe and every-one else matters much less than me. Too much confidence is a pride that often brings a fall, not just for us, but the dignity of those around us.
Jesus is our best example of humility. As the apostle Paul reminds us, ‘Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross.’ (Phil. 2:3-8) This is the kind of humility that can at once appreciate who we are in God, yet also freely sacrifice this for others, can transform the world as it can transform the lives of our footballers.
I was proud to be part of the footballing community this week. Surely God smiles when we live as God intends together! I pray for more people like Andy, Mark and Lukas and the others we met. May we all, our boys included, grow in humility and life affirming ways.
Ash.
PS. Our football program is desperately underfunded. If you would like to support Klong Toey FC’s 12 coaches, 100 players with meals, transport, kit and equipment for the $24,000 a year needed, please donate here

UNOH Urban Neighbours of Hope

I am aware of this Churches of Christ supported mission dedicated to being there for the marginalised and poverty stricken people in various urban areas throughout the world.
One of my sons has done some short time placement with them in Bangkok in the slum areas.
I would urge caring Christians to follow their blog and those who can support financially and all concerned Christians to pray for this work. They are striving to make a difference for  these people through Jesus and their faith in Him in really challenging situations .
Below is their website address for the Bangkok group..

http://www.unoh.org/unoh-bangkok

A few words from their website:

 "
Welcome friends,(Ash Barker)
Thank-you for your interest in what God is doing through us. As Urban Neighbours Of Hope (UNOH) we often feel overwhelmed by the immense needs we see each day in our neighbourhoods. With 167,000 new people living in urban poverty each day now, including 94,000 new urban slum residents, we know this breaks God’s heart and he is looking for more people to be his hands and feet in response. Would you join us in our quest to love God and neighbour in more faithful and relevant ways in this new urban world?
As Urban Neighbours Of Hope we covenant together to focus our lives on:

• Loving God and neighbour
• Releasing neighbourhoods from urban poverty
• Equipping for Christian discipleship and mission among the urban poor.

UNOH began out of the privilege Anji and I had of relocating our home to the multicultural neighbourhood of Springvale (Melbourne, AUS) in 1992. We had no real idea then of how God would use us. We simply wanted to love God and our new neighbours in practical, life-giving ways. Many of those we sought to serve as neighbours at that time found real hope through Christ; however, it also transformed our lives too. We found real life and UNOH was born as God brought others along who had this calling too. Though UNOH workers and supporters come from diverse Christian traditions, UNOH was officially formed as part of the Churches of Christ in July 1993 and in 2001 commissioned as a ‘missional order among the poor’.
In 2011 there are now nine UNOH neighbourhood-based teams living and serving Christ amongst the urban poor in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Mae Sot and Bangkok. We pray that God will raise-up more UNOH workers and teams in cities and neighbourhoods across the Asia-Pacific to seek transformation through Christ too. As well as community workers and volunteers, UNOH also have a training arm and a publishing arm that aim to inspire, inform and equip Christians for more creative responses to Christ among the urban poor."