Virginia Ministry Celebrates 6,000 Churches in 81 Countries
International Cooperating Ministries (ICM), a Virginia nonprofit with only 43 employees in the U.S., now has 6,000 church projects built or under construction in 81 countries. The ministry, which is preparing to celebrate its 30th anniversary, reached its 5,000 project milestone only 18 months ago, near the end of 2014.
Dois Rosser, founder of POMOCO, established ICM in 1986 at the age of 65. His daughter, Janice Rosser Allen, is ICM’s CEO and Executive Chair. The ministry’s purpose is to equip Christian congregations in Third World areas with churches, Bible study materials, and resources for outreach and mercy ministries. To date, ICM has established relationships with 190 indigenous ministry partners who oversee projects in the field.
The 6,000th church was approved for construction in the rural, Hmong-speaking community of Bao Yen in North Vietnam (pictured). Nearly a third of the congregation’s 285 members are children, who will benefit from children’s ministry programs the new building will facilitate. The congregation has desired a chapel for years, but lacked resources to build one on their own. This church will give them a safe place to gather as a community and establish their presence in the community as followers of Christ, allowing them to reach others with the Gospel message. The legitimacy that comes with having a house of worship is vital in countries like North Vietnam, where Christian persecution remains a reality.
“Our vision is to use any available method to share the Gospel, nurture believers and advance the Kingdom…nation by nation. Just as Jesus told His disciples, He tells us today to ‘go and tell them who I am.’ The tools He has given ICM are being used to do precisely that. We are going into all the world as He opens doors, using the vehicle of His Church and His Word to tell them who He is. I stand in complete amazement at the greatness of God and the power which brings all of this into being. It can only be of God,” says Rosser.
In October, ICM will hold a special event to celebrate 30 years in ministry. Its goal is to reach 10,000 church projects built or under construction by 2020.
International Cooperating Ministries is a ministry of the Rosser Foundation, a public charity tax-exempt 501(c)(3), located at 1901 N. Armistead Avenue in Hampton, Va. For information, visit www.icm.org.
(Source: Christian Newswire)
