FRIENDS in Action global (FIA) is an
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
organization that exists "to accelerate the work of proclaiming the Gospel to isolated people groups around the world that have not had the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ." The organization's international headquarters is located in
Elizabethtown, PA. FRIENDS has affiliates in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the USA.
History
FIA was founded in 1992 as "FRIENDS of NTM"—a helper organization to
New Tribes Mission
Ethnos360, formerly known as New Tribes Mission (NTM), is an international, theologically evangelical Christian mission organization based in Sanford, Florida, United States. Ethnos360 has approximately 2,300 missionaries in more than 20 nation ...
. Initially, they focused primarily on promoting the ministries of that particular agency through support work such as well-drilling and the construction of airstrips in remote areas where missionaries were already working. Since then, FIA has developed a broader scope and now partners with any organization working toward its common goal.
Strategy
FRIENDS' main areas of focus include missionary services, equipment projects, work teams, and sending missionaries. FIA networks with existing missionary works on the foreign field and with local churches both in the United States and abroad. They seek to equip those already involved in
church planting
Church planting is a term referring to the process (mostly in Protestant frameworks) that results in a new local Christian congregation being established. It should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, worship center or ...
ministries with the resources needed to continue such work. Their approach is largely project-based. Rather than taking up long-term residency in any particular area, FIA raises funds and sends short-term workers from North American churches to accomplish goals which missionaries and third-world churches would have difficulty achieving on their own.
Examples of such projects include "building of airstrips in remote jungle locations, building missionary homes and staff housing, drilling water wells where there is no good water source, as well as the construction of radio stations and the collection and distribution of dry goods such as seeds to be used in humanitarian projects on the foreign field. FIA has small full-time staff, instead relying upon volunteer work from churches throughout North America and Europe to provide most of the labor.
Projects
The organization has ongoing projects in
Bolivia,
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...
,
Nicaragua (Miskito People),
Nicaragua (Rama Cay),
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
,
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...
and
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
. They also have several US-based ministries
which comprise over 800 homes throughout North America. These families have volunteered guest facilities in their houses to traveling missionaries home on
furlough or on deputation headed to the foreign field.
References
{{reflist
External links
FRIENDS in Action InternationalNew Tribes MissionGreat NonProfitsGuideStar
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Christian missions
Evangelical parachurch organizations