Ministries - By Grace Alone Ministries

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BGA’s Outreach Initiatives

Community development is defined by the United Nations as “a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems.” We believe in a community development model for missions because our goal is to build and strengthen the communities we serve from within. For this reason, our local ministry is staffed by people who live in the communities we serve.

: Women and children are especially susceptible to the effects of water scarcity and uncleanliness.

Even though the Dominican Republic is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and has multiple rivers crossing the large island, good soft potable water is still scarce. In the communities BGA serves, people walk for miles to collect water from a creek, or a small river. The problem with this is, at the head of the water source, others often wash clothes and bathe, and at times bring their cattle to drink, and those getting water downstream gather all the impurities. The opportunity for dysentery, parasites and water borne diseases is greater at this point in the families in our communities.

Women and children are especially susceptible to the effects of water scarcity and uncleanliness with diarrhea causing half the deaths of children under age 1 in the Dominican Republic. This is because children are more physically vulnerable to disease and both groups are frequently burdened with seeking and retrieving water for their families, which takes away from other familial, academic, or work-related needs. Ultimately, the water crisis proves to be a health and financial crisis (asu.edu).
By Grace Alone will build the Morley Well at Fuente de Vida to provide safe clean water to our neighbors in the surrounding communities.
: The fight against poverty is not won through charity but is won by providing education and working together for change. Education allows us to give hope to children.

In the communities BGA serves, many students do not continue school past the 8th grade. Education is free and compulsory at the elementary level but not mandatory at the secondary level. This is not due to a lack of desire of the students or parents, but due to the school location and the lack of transportation to and from school. If the family can afford transportation, then the students can continue their education. If this is not financially feasible, the family must either move to a community near a secondary school or they must live with extended members of the family. Unfortunately, this is not possible for many students and families in our communities. Our collaboration with school principals allows us to know and understand more about the needs in the communities and provide support to their students when possible.
BGA currently supports local schools by offering ESL (English as Second Language) to students in our communities. In the Dominican Republic, English proficiency is linked to greater employment opportunity. Our ESL camps teach English using the Bible so that young men and women will practice English using scripture. This initiative is so powerful that many other schools are asking how selected students from their communities can participate. Our goal is to provide ESL classes throughout the year to equip young people to enter the workforce.
: Our goal is to bring pastoral leaders together for training and development to assist in empowering communities they live and lead.

There are several small churches in North Santo Domingo who partner with BGA to provide opportunities for pastoral training and development. It is our desire to advance the capacity of their leaders to learn, manage, and serve the people in their communities. Local churches in North America and Europe can partner with By Grace Alone ministries, to serve and empower churches in the Dominican Republic.
: 89% of individuals in our communities do not have basic health coverage.

BGA has partnered with local certified medical doctors, dentists, optometrists, and ophthalmologists to serve thousands of people throughout North Santo Domingo. The most common medical complications treated include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, allergies, parasites and cold and cough; minor surgeries are performed if a qualified physician is present and able. Teams from the United States come on short-term mission trips to collaborate with BGA, local Dominican Republic healthcare providers and volunteers to provide medical services in communities around North Santo Domingo and beyond. Medical outreach provides a perfect evangelical forum to pray and share the gospel, without going around knocking on doors!
BGA hopes to build a basic primary care facility at Fuente de Vida where Dominican healthcare providers can oversee the care of people in these rural communities and promote healthy lives for all.
: Due to lack of access to proper education and/or trade skill training, most community members have difficulty finding full-time employment. Even if they have the dream and drive to start a small business for themselves, they do not have the capital or guidance to do so. Through collaboration with other ministries, we can assess candidates who are capable to receive loans to start small business in their communities. By providing support to these entrepreneurs, individuals and businesses can improve the quality of life for their families as well as their communities.
: BGA hosts sports outreach programs multiple times per week on our home property, Fuente De Vida. Our Sports Ministries Director coaches local children on the mechanics of baseball, the national sport of the Dominican Republic. At the end of each session, our director and the children read scripture, pray, and talk about issues facing their communities. BGA hopes to eventually expand our sports ministry program to include basketball, volleyball, and soccer.
: While we prepare Fuente de Vida for future structural growth, BGA works with leaders in our surrounding neighborhood to learn of specific construction needs to improve housing for community members. Visit the Fuente de Vida page for more information on proposed Phase 1 construction projects.
At Fuente de Vida, we grow various Dominican and Haitian produce to share with community members in need. After each season of planting, we bring young neighbors to the property to teach them about the fruits and vegetables that flourish in our community. This is a special time for our gardeners as well as the children, as they can learn how to grow produce in their backyard, if space allows.
: Jesus said “let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

BGA strongly believes in investing time, energy and resources into the development of children. Local children can come to Fuente de Vida every Saturday for bible education and fellowship. Bible Educators walk alongside them to prepare them for life with encouragement and hope. In addition to providing bible education at Fuente de Vida, BGA hosts teams from around the world who have an interest in sharing the gospel with children through Vacation Bible School.
: For a multitude of reasons, caregivers are not always able to provide for their children in the Dominican Republic. This results in one in five children being abandoned to a local orphanage. It is BGA’s desire to one day provide homes on Fuente de Vida to care for abandoned children. In the meantime, BGA collaborates with local orphanages around the city of Santo Domingo to provide essential needs for children to thrive.
: Community relations foster better trust and relationship with the people in the communities you serve.

BGA has spent many years walking alongside community members in North Santo Domingo. We listen to their struggles and needs so we can best support them. The relationships we have built over the years is life giving not only to the communities but to BGA and our local and international partners. To be in fellowship with one another is beautiful!

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Ministry Initiatives

Gospel-based
Community Development and Evangelism

BGA’s Outreach Initiatives

Planning a mission trip for your church, youth group or family?
Here’s where you start.

BGA relies 100% on the generosity of donors like you.

Ministry Initiatives

Gospel-basedCommunity Development and Evangelism

BGA’s Outreach Initiatives

Planning a mission trip for your church, youth group or family? Here’s where you start.

BGA relies 100% on the generosity of donors like you.

Gospel-based
Community Development and Evangelism

Planning a mission trip for your church, youth group or family?
Here’s where you start.