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Combating spiritual and physical poverty in partnership with the local church

ABOUT EMPOWERING ACTION

Empowering Action was founded in 2012 by Kent Husted, who served in ministry for 20 years in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Short-term mission trips around the globe were the impetus to form an organization to partner with the local church to combat spiritual and physical poverty in the developing world.

In developing our strategic vision, the EA team recognizes the increasing biblical illiteracy within evangelicalism and the priority of faithful biblical teaching and leadership development within the global church. 

Additionally, we recognize the difference between aid and development. While we believe that there is a time and place for the church to come to the aid of the suffering world, our objective is to avoid creating a state of dependency amongst the poor. Our work as an organization is focused on developing and empowering communities so that they may live on their own accord and earn their own living, independent of foreign aid.

Empowering Action exists to serve Christ by equipping the global church for greater biblical fidelity and ministry effectiveness. 

 

Empowering Action desires to see communities transformed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The way we understand poverty informs how we act to alleviate it. As followers of Christ, our Biblical Worldview dictates that we find both our diagnosis and treatment of all problems in the world in Scripture, specifically The Fall in Genesis 3.

As John MacArthur stated in his sermon “The Breadth and Depth of Sin,”

“People who don’t understand the Fall cannot diagnose properly the human dilemma…It is impossible to understand man’s behavior if you do not understand that it is all a product of sin. And all sin in the world is a result of what happened in Genesis 3…. In fact, it is arguably the most important chapter in the Bible because it explains why the rest of the Bible tells the story of redemption.”

Poverty isn’t merely a lack of material things – it’s rooted in broken relationships with:

  1. God,
  2. Self,
  3. Others,
  4. And Creation.

We were created to glorify God, reflect His image, love one another, and steward the rest of creation. But the fall and sin marred what God originally created. As a result, none of us are experiencing the fullness of what God intended for us. (Chalmers.org)

Without an emphasis on the Gospel, we are simply treating symptoms versus the underlying cause of poverty. Because The Fall resulted in brokenness in all men, the first step in walking alongside our low-income brothers and sisters is embracing our own need for Christ’s healing work in our lives.

1. Communicating hope through the message of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3)
2. Healing the physical and spiritual brokenness of individuals around the globe. (Luke 4:18-19)
3. Serving the local church. (1 Thessalonians 3:2)
4. Facilitating holistic, sustainable transformation of communities. (John 20:21)

GOD

We believe there is one living and true God, eternally existent in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This triune God created all, upholds all and governs all in the universe.

John 1:1; Matthew 3:16-17; Romans 11:33

JESUS CHRIST

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is God’s ultimate and final revelation to the world. He is unique: completely God and completely man. He alone is the Mediator between God and humanity. We believe in His virgin birth. His sinless life. His miracles. His vicarious and atoning death and His bodily resurrection. We believe Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father. We eagerly anticipate His return in power and glory.

Matthew 16:16; John 1:14; 1 Peter 2:22-24

HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit who indwells all who by faith have believed in Jesus Christ and enables them to live a godly life.

John 14:16-17

HUMAN BEINGS

We believe God created human beings (male and female) to bear His image as His vice-regents on earth, equal in standing in Christ and spiritual privilege, yet different in role and function. Because our ancestors fell into sin, sin corrupted all creation and separated us from God. Only redemption in Jesus Christ saves us from living eternally separated from God.

Genesis 1:26; Romans 3:10-19

SALVATION

We believe that every person is in need of salvation from sin and its eternal consequences as described as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has provided a means for salvation in Jesus Christ’s atoning death on the cross and bodily resurrection. Eternal life is a gift from God through faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26; John 1:12

SCRIPTURE

We base all our beliefs and shape all our practices according to the Bible. We recognize the Bible to be inspired by God and the only infallible and authoritative Word of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16

KINGDOM OF GOD

We believe that Jesus Christ ́s purpose is to establish and advance His kingdom on “earth as it is in heaven”. This kingdom comes and exists wherever the lordship of Jesus is acknowledged in repentance, faith and obedience to His revealed will.

Philippians 2:9-11; Luke 17:20-21

CHURCH

We believe that the universal Church is God’s ordained agent for the advancing of His kingdom. The present expression of the universal Church is the local church. The local church is an intentional and community-based group of believers called by God to live as the incarnate Body of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit under the regulation of the authority of Holy Scripture, preaching the Gospel of Christ, administering the sacraments, and exercising discipline.

Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42-47

STEWARDSHIP

We believe that everything that exists – all who dwell on the earth and all that we possess – rightfully belong to God. We are only stewards. We endeavor, and call on others, to use wisely the resources entrusted to us to advance Christ’s kingdom and manifest His redemption through attitudes and actions reflective of ongoing sanctification.

1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2

MARRIAGE

We believe that the term, “marriage” has only one valid meaning and that is a covenantal union sanctioned by God which joins one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.

Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Peter 3:1-7; Ephesians 5:28-31

SEXUALITY

We believe that God intends marriage between a biological man and a biological woman to be the only context for sexual intimacy to occur. We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God in any context.

Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 18-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

CULTURE

We recognize that while God’s people as individuals must be concerned with matters of justice in all aspects of society, there is no indication that the Church as an institution is to view this as a corporate mandate. We recognize the subtle attack on the ecclesiology of the Church when competing priorities of social action over time result in competition, distraction, and ultimately inadvertent displacement of the Gospel and biblical priorities.

Acts 6:1-7

JUSTICE

We believe Scripture defines justice as rendering impartially and proportionally to everyone his due in accord with the righteous standard of God’s moral law. Biblical justice entails: impartiality, an equal application of all relevant rules to all people in all relevant situations; apt disposition, rendering to each his due; proportionality, symmetry in regards to rewards and punishments; and conformity to the standard set forth in God’s law.

Deuteronomy 1:17, 25:13-16; Leviticus 24:17-21; Romans 13:7; Exodus 20:1-17

It is a statistical fact that 85% of church leaders worldwide have no leadership or theological training.

Bishop JC Ryle wisely warned, “Unsound faith will never be the mother of sound practice.”

Therefore EA’s first priority in combatting physical and spiritual poverty is to strengthen church leaders doctrinally, “so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” by Scripture.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

Our theology dictates our both our methodology and priorities.

As Dr. Steve Lawson states,

“In the Christian life, precept comes before practice, doctrine before duty, and exposition before experience.”

Leadership Team

Kent Husted

Executive Director/Board Member

Kent Husted launched Empowering Action in January 2013. He holds a Masters of Business from The Johns Hopkins University and a Masters from Dallas Theological Seminary. Before being called to EA, Kent served in student ministry for 20 years in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Numerous short-term mission trips around the globe were the impetus to form Empowering Action.

Carlos Pimentel

Country Director/Board Member

Carlos Pimentel joined Empowering Action in March 2014. He brings to EA a passion for the Lord, a heart for his country and an intense love for the church. Carlos’ experience and expertise includes over 20 years of involvement in the field of community development for various organizations including: World Vision, Food for the Hungry, CARE International, most recently serving as President of Esperanza International in the DR for the past 16 years.

Raydel Riquelme

Director of Church Network Development

Raydel Riquelme joined Empowering Action in January 2017. He brings to EA a wealth of practical and theological expertise, possessing a seminary degree and 20+ years of experience as a pastor in his home country of Cuba. Raydel is also a surgeon and founded the Good Samaritan Church Network in 2000, an essential EA partner in Cuba.

Esperanza Ramirez

Director of Abundant Life Poverty Reduction Program

Esperanza Ramirez joined Empowering Action in June 2017.  However, her involvement with EA began years earlier as a member of an early Abundant Life Program participant. Over the years she has grown from program participant at her own church in Santo Domingo, to overseeing a poverty alleviation program active in Cuba and Haiti, as well as her home country.

Madelines Rodriguez

Director of Family Life Program

Madelines Rodriguez joined Empowering Action in January 2017.  She brings to EA a wealth of ministry experience from her home country of Cuba, as well as a particular passion and proficiency in facilitating family ministry through the local church. Madelines is also a medical professional family practitioner, providing leadership with our visiting medical service teams.

 

Widmy Mervilus

Director of Church Savings Groups

Widmy Mervilus joined Empowering Action in 2019. He is a nationalized Dominican with Haitian roots, living near the border of central Haiti. He is a pastor, husband and father of 4 young adults, who crosses the border weekly for church leadership training. A season trainer of the Savings Groups program, Widmy has years of experience working alongside Carlos during his previous micro-finance ministry.

Michael Pullen

Chairman

Andrew Manfredi

Board Member

Dennis Zulu

Board Member