The Zambia Project Book

I've been writing for the last month or so as I try to tell the story of our student community at WA's involvement and response to the needs of an AIDS ravaged community in Zambia over the past six years...so far I am liking the writing process most days and am excited to hopefully invite and inspire other student groups to build their student cultures around serving the poor and entering into relationship with the Least...

Here's the basic framework for the book below...I am excited to have several of my former students and colleagues contributing to this book as well...

The Vision and Framework for the Zambia Project Book

GOAL: To write a book that invites, inspires, and informs students and those who teach, disciple, and lead them about the transformational impact that takes place in the lives of students and their communities when you build a culture that is centered around and committed to serving and building relationships with the poor and least in our world.

METHOD: To use the narrative of the Zambia Project story God has written at Wheaton Academy to demonstrate the principles and experiences that have helped to shape the lives and values of two radically different communities in the suburbs of Chicago and the AIDS-ravaged nation of Zambia.

AUTHOR/CONTRIBUTORS: Chip Huber, Zambia Project Coordinator; WA Students/Alumni who have led and experienced the project; World Vision staff in the USA and Zambia; Kakolo Village community members (piece of student writing will be in each chapter)

AUDIENCE: Christian school educators and administrators (HS and College); Church and Para-Church Youth Workers; Teachers; Generation of Today’s Students

INTRODUCTION: Our First Day in Zambia…the kind of day you will simply never forget

CHAPTER 1: Life as a Super-Duper Evangelical…my story and the WA community and our suburban world as adults and students before we started the Zambia Project

CHAPTER 2: Stepping Out in Faith to Chase a Vision…the Why behind how the Zambia Project started and the power of Faith in God’s Kingdom Wishes

CHAPTER 3: The Power of Student Leadership…granting permission to and releasing students to do something that seems improbable and difficult

CHAPTER 4: The Desperate Need for New and Authentic Community in West Chicago and Zambia

CHAPTER 5: Reading the Scriptures with New Eyes…the theological concepts of justice and compassion and caring for the poor jumping off the many pages of Scripture

CHAPTER 6: A Whole New World…the realities of the overwhelming physical and emotional needs present in Sub-Saharan Africa today that we couldn’t even imagine (one college student’s story of spending a summer living with the people of Kakolo Village)

CHAPTER 7: The Movement of the Holy Spirit…God orchestrating a student passions and response that couldn’t be created by programs or strategies…choosing to allow the Spirit to move us to new places rather than squelch its leadings and power in our dreams and lives

CHAPTER 8: Pain in the Process…the challenges and opposition and questions faced in responding long-term to the global AIDS pandemic in the heart of American evangelicalism

CHAPTER 9: Creating a Movement…how responding to the poor in Africa became a tradition and established piece of our school culture instead of a service initiative or spiritual life program

CHAPTER 10: Relationship Across the Ocean…the deep friendship between our communities that goes far beyond mission partner or giver and receiver (the power of a common love for soccer)

CHAPTER 11: How the Zambia Project and Jesus Wrecked my Life…how a high school student’s involvement may change forever how they see the world, God’s Kingdom, and their lifestyle (quotes and stories and testimonies of God’s work from the students who followed Jesus’ lead)

CHAPTER 12: Beyond Zambia…our school’s journey into the next project beyond our work in Zambia and the joy in seeing a community become self-sustaining and taking on a new dream

CONCLUSION: A Plea for the Release of this Student Generation…a final challenge to allow and empower this generation of students to respond to global need in powerful and meaningful ways as we multiply this model so there are hundreds of Zambia Projects taking place across the globe

Biblical Economic Principle: Ruled by Generosity

Here's a great piece from Rob Bell's new book Jesus Wants to Save Christians as we think about our own economic status, economic policies, and the economic future of our world and our church...

We see the economic dimensions of the new exodus again and again in the early church. On the heels of the story of the languages and the three thousand being added to their number, we're told that they "were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need" (Acts 2:44-45).

Instead of building towers and forcing others to make storehouses out of bricks so that some are stockpiling while others are slaves, this new movement is ruled by generosity. And compassion. And sharing. The gospel for these first Christians is an economic reality. It's holistic and affects all areas of their lives. It's an alternative to the greed and coercion of empire. It's a whole new order of things. And what does Paul do everywhere he goes? He takes an offering for the poor (Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 8:19; Galatians 2:10). He never stops reminding people of their responsibility to use their wealth and power purely and properly, for the benefit of those who need it the most.