Atlanta-based pastor Shaun King
has made a promise to speak or consult with any organization of any
size, anywhere in the world at no charge. His only requirement: the
ministry using his services must sponsor a child at the Miriam Center
for disabled orphans in Saint-Louis-du-Nord, Haiti.
The Courageous Church pastor is part of a
group helping to rebuild this dilapidated orphanage, which King says is
Haiti’s only school and home for orphans with severe disabilities such
as cerebral palsy, autism, deafness and blindness. Many of the children
are unwanted by their parents because some Haitians view handicaps as a
curse, while others simply can’t afford the hefty bill that comes with
caring for a disabled child.
“Many of the children were simply
dropped off at the doorstep of the Miriam Center,” King says. “The
director there has picked random birthdays on the calendar for most of
the children.”
Earlier this year, King announced that
he would speak and/or consult with any organization that commits to
sponsoring a child. Each Miriam Center child can be sponsored for $300 a
month.
The pastor, who has been referred to as
the “Facebook pastor” for his social media savvy, has already spoken to
crowds ranging from two to 10,000 about leveraging social media and
technology to raise support for a cause.
Before his church opened its doors in
2008, King raised $25,000 for an under-funded school in his area using
only Facebook and Twitter. He’s grown Courageous Church primarily using
online mediums. And most recently, A Home in Haiti, a 501(c)(3) which
King founded, has provided $1.5 million in tents to Haitians and is
nearing $100,000 in donations to help rebuild the Miriam Center. King
claims that, withstanding the Red Cross, no one has provided more tents
for Haiti.
“After the earthquake hit in Haiti in
January 2010, I fell in love with the country,” King says. “After
traveling there many times last year, it captured my heart in a way I
never imagined—particularly 30 kids that I have dedicated myself to
caring for as long as I live.”
Say it Again!
“This is my responsibility, to tell
the people. As a Christian and also as a politician. Let’s start from
this. Let’s have hope. We need faith. Here in Japan we are a very small
group [of] Christians in this society. We must tell them how to have
faith. From this situation people can live again.”
—Japanese Congressman Ryuichi Doi, as he toured the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated his country
