PROGRAM OVERVIEW

For over 20 years, iTeams Canada has been sending short-term teams, interns, and long-term personnel around the world. Together with Careforce International, we sent out approximately 40 teams in 2012 to Africa, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, along with a dozen or more individual interns.

Our vision is for churches, schools, and other community-based groups to engage in ongoing partnerships with our international programs. Volunteer experiences are the engine that drives these partnerships, creating avenues for personal and corporate engagement, advocacy, and on-going program funding. Interns and long-term personnel work to extend the reach of the ministry of the local church and allow for deeper levels of service and learning.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Director of Teams and Interns, the Administrator is responsible for managing the many administrative and financial details of teams and individuals sent out to partners of both International Teams and Careforce International. This role boils down to these core competencies: administrative excellence with the ability to multi-task, along with an extra-ordinary customer service ethic and an underlying passion for cross-cultural service and learning in the name of Christ.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position will provide front-line communication with individuals, team leaders, partners, program leaders, in-country hosts, etc for each team/individual volunteer opportunity, and will take the lead in managing administrative details as follows:

• Regularly communicate with churches, team leaders, interns, indigenous Program Leaders and Canadian Program Champions.
• Manage all paperwork requirements of volunteers.
• Manage budgets for each team or volunteer (in cooperation with Program Leaders and the Director of Teams and Interns) and track funding status.
• Coordinate online funding pages for each team/volunteer.
• Process volunteer donations (in cooperation with the Finance Department).
• Manage the arrangement of travel details for teams and individuals.
• Help facilitate dialogue between volunteers, team leaders and in-country hosts to ensure clear communication and expectations.

OTHER DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Join in corporate organizational fundraising activities.
• Participate and contribute to Intern training sessions.
• Attend regular staff meetings and special events related to the activities of International Teams Canada and Careforce International.

QUALIFICATIONS & CAPABILITIES

The successful candidate will:

• Be highly customer-service oriented and enjoy communication with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Must be comfortable with personal, phone and email communication.
• Have strong analytical, communication, and decision-making skills.
• Be flexible and creative.
• Have strong financial skills in budgeting, tracking, receipting, reporting, etc.
• Be self-motivated and energetic.
• Be a keen learner who seeks out opportunities to improve their skills and the contribution they make to the organizations’ success. A desire and ability to grow into greater leadership responsibilities will be a strong asset.
• Be extremely computer literate. Standard office management software literacy and comfort with web-based services is a must.
• Have a passion for service and ministry to the poor and oppressed through partnerships among the local church and the worldwide body of Christ.
• Have previous cross-cultural volunteer service (not required, but a strong asset).

PERSONAL VALUES

• A committed follower of Christ, active in the local church, and sensing a call to serve others in ministry from within the local context.
• Trustworthy, respecting sensitive issues and ensuring confidentiality of volunteers.
• Willing to sign and abide by iTeams Canada’s confidentiality agreement.
• Agrees to uphold iTeams’ policies, values, and Statement of Faith and Code of Conduct.

OTHER DETAILS

International Teams Canada offers a positive, fun, and flexible work environment. Our office is casual, yet productive, and we work hard to protect a strong sense of team unity.

• Location: iTeams Canada’s office is located in Elmira, Ontario. While this role will be based primarily within the office, there is some flexibility in allowing for off-site work.
• Hours: Full Time, Mon-Fri.
• Salary Range: $30,000 – $32,000 annually, with benefits package.
• Preferred Start Date: July 15, 2013

HOW TO APPLY

Qualified candidates are invited to submit a cover letter and a current resume via email to
jamie.sanfilippo@iteams.ca by June 7, 2013

We appreciate and thank you for your interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

“Right now, we have a Home Church from The Meeting House-Waterloo made up of several young families with little kids, so we have paired them up with a mom here with a little boy. We’ve had a young man who has tutored English for several years, and a retired man from St. Jacobs who comes in regularly to work on our ‘honey do’ list. We have volunteers who we call on every now and then for things like cleaning, painting, or helping a refugee move.”

Welcome Home also runs a program where an individual or group can adopt a room. Initially responsible for a financial gift to help welcome refugees, they also help get the room ready when there is a new resident, and then help with specific needs as they come up. Sharon shared that a Life Group at Glencairn Church has been quite involved with this program. “They’ve really taken in one of our residents, helped him with translation costs, included him in their group activities, and invited him over for dinner. What’s really neat is he’s been able to give back too – last week he went and shared with one of the Life Groups at Glencairn. It has been really exciting to watch!”

Events like visits to a local farm or Niagara Falls, as well as the yearly canoe trip organized by Chris Harrison from Elevation Church, rely on volunteers for organization and transportation. These activities take the residents away from the daily grind, and help them to forget – for a little while – all of the hardship and heaviness they’re carrying with them.

Sharon says that these opportunities bring hope and life to the refugees. “It is so good for them to connect and establish relationships and learn more about Canadian ways of life. There are often some kinks along the way due to cultural differences and language barriers, but in the end our main hope is that they can be connected with someone who knows Christ and can share His love through their life.”

For more information on volunteer opportunities and upcoming events at Welcome Home (like the upcoming golf tournament!) visit welcomehomekw.ca and click Events or Engage.

]]> http://www.iteams.ca/news/2013/05/volunteers-bring-hope-and-life-to-welcome-home-residents/feed/ 0 http://www.iteams.ca/news/2013/05/winnipeg-home-to-provide-holistic-care-for-newly-arrived-refugees/ http://www.iteams.ca/news/2013/05/winnipeg-home-to-provide-holistic-care-for-newly-arrived-refugees/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 17:14:00 +0000 iTeams Canada http://iteams.wordpress.iteams.ca/?p=2952 Plans are moving ahead for the new refugee housing community in Winnipeg, expected to open this fall. Tim Nielsen of City Connexions Winnipeg says that the new house will provide much-needed temporary housing for many of the refugees expected to arrive in Winnipeg over the next few years. “The need is overwhelming in the city; the number of refugees coming through, feeling alone and isolated, is huge. The mission of the house fits very well with City Connexions and our partner church, City Church. We’re excited about engaging the evangelical church to build significant relationships with newcomers to Canada, helping churches help the poor, and making a tangible difference in the lives of people who seek refuge in our community.”

The future site of the refugee house is a building that was formerly operated by another ministry as a halfway house. Tim and the rest of the planning team are confident it will be an ideal fit for their needs after some renovations. “It’s a 9 bedroom house with lots of flexibility in its layout. We’re hoping to renovate the kitchen, laundry area, and main living area. We need to make the kitchen bigger so multiple families can cook at the same time, and so we can accommodate different dietary needs and ethnic foods. We expect this will be one of the main points where the refugees gather and get to know each other and build friendships.”

In addition to a safe place to live, residents will receive much-needed cultural interpretation, as well as ongoing support after they move out. Tim says they hope to provide an understanding of Canadian culture and routine, assistance with finding work, and personalized problem-solving and counselling, as well as help to ensure their kids are in school instead of in gangs.

More than that, Tim knows that meeting a local Christian can truly change a newly arrived refugee’s life. “Many of them have never met a genuine Christian before and we want the house to become the place in which they can meet and building a meaningful relationship.  Our hope is that the house will be a place to start a new life in every way – physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Your gift of $100 can help ensure a refugee has a supportive community and a safe place to stay at the end of the refugee highway. For more information or to support this powerful ministry, visit give.iteams.ca/refugeehouse

Photo courtesy of Shelly Spithoff
shellyspithoff.com

TrueCity Hamilton recently hosted their annual conference, which Partnership Developer Dave Witt describes as a tangible way to bring local churches together to explore areas of shared mission. “It’s an opportunity to share stories of what’s happening in the city, and to instill vision and provide encouragement to different congregations. We also have the opportunity to familiarize people with areas of mission that they may not be aware of.”

The theme of this year’s conference, which was attended by more than 400 people from 57 local churches, was “Falling Into Place: How Geography and Mission Collide”. Dave shared that the theme came about when the planning committee felt that it would be good to reach their city in a different way than their usual, more topical approach.

“The theology of place – figuring out how we can be present and engaged in a piece of geography – is a pretty core concept from an urban missions perspective, but it’s not often what churches think about. Often when we read scripture we don’t recognize that the whole story is shaped by the places where people are, and God uses place to shape us and to make Himself present for us. Theology of place connects to every church in every city. This is a theme that is relevant to everybody.”

On the Saturday morning of the conference, five people shared stories of ways they’re involved in their place. They were all people involved in diverse neighbourhoods and Dave says the interviews were quite effective in helping people get a grasp of how mission is lived in the context of geography. “It’s about being present in our place. It’s about our daily interactions with neighbours and customers and people we meet on the bus. Mission is a daily reality. That’s what I hope will stick with people.”

During an event held at the site of the training course, the Congolese women drew pictures of their stories. There were many common themes: being evicted without warning by their landlords, having to work hard labour to feed their children or pay back loans, leaving their children behind for days at a time without food in exchange for a few days of employment, the horror of rape along the refugee highway, and not being wanted in Uganda.

It is very difficult for Congolese refugees to find jobs in Uganda, and the work they can find is usually extremely menial. A beacon of hope in all of this is a small business training program run by Ugandan Program Leader Anne Mwangi in partnership with two Congolese refugees named Mama Joy and Mama Esther.

Together they have trained over 50 women in how to sell jewellery and African fabrics in the local community, as well as market skills like hairstyling. Each of the participants complete a course in small business skills and receives a small grant to get their business off the ground. Joy and Esther also follow up regularly with the new entrepreneurs and provide ongoing support for their new endeavours.

Kim shared that the program has a high success rate, in more ways than one. “More than half of the women have gone on to be quite successful! Not only are they able to survive daily life in Kampala by being able to pay rent and feed their kids, but they get their dignity back too. We got to visit their church as well, which was a real blessing. Amidst all of the poverty and sadness, we also got to see these same women singing and dancing and praising God for what they do have.”

Your gift of $100 to Impact Uganda can provide training and a business grant to one woman living in Kampala. Click Here to Give Now!

Or buy a pair of beautiful leather sandals from African Soles – all profits go to Impact Uganda.

I’m pleased to announce that effective January 1, Kim Loney has been appointed Chief Program Officer for International Teams Canada. This new role encompasses her previous area of responsibility (several urban ministries within Canada) and adds responsibility for our internationally-based Impact Programs. This is a strategic move that we feel will remove what has essentially been an “artificial divide” between the two program areas.

Kim believes the two programs have the potential to learn a lot from one another. “I’m very excited to be getting back to being involved internationally, as well as continuing my involvement with our Canadian programs. The reality is our international and national contexts have a lot of similarities. I’m looking forward to supporting, encouraging, and resourcing our partners and program leaders as they do what they do best.”

We see real strength in the leadership that we have here in Canada and internationally and I’m expecting great things from Kim and her team. Having seen Kim develop throughout the years into a very strong team builder, I’m looking forward to seeing people rally around her approach.

Ron Johnston Founds Small Church Consulting Ministry

It is with mixed feelings that I announce that Ron Johnston has resigned from his role as our Director of International Programs to focus on a new ministry venture called Small Church Connections. For over a decade, Ron has been an integral part of our leadership team and we will all miss him very much! However, we also strongly support him in his new initiative. I’m excited to watch from the wings as Ron uses his unique gifts and talents to help small churches discover their unique place in the Canadian church mosaic.

Ron shared that he will be forever grateful for the chance to work with deeply committed leaders around the world and to experience God powerfully at work through those leaders. “We serve a living God and I have been reminded of that fact time and time again over the past ten years. I look forward now to working with small churches in Canada. It is my prayer that I might be used to instill in those churches a vision of what the living God in able to do through their ministry.”

International Teams Canada will be hosting Small Church Connections under our charitable umbrella for the next year while Ron works towards securing charitable status for Small Church Connections. After that, it will be independently owned and operated by Ron and his wife, Gloria. For additional information, please contact Ron directly at johnston.ron@gmail.com or 519-500-8560.

Please join me in congratulating Kim on her appointment and wishing Ron well on his exciting new venture. As always, I welcome your feedback! You can email me (neil.ostrander@iteams.org) or call me (519-669-8844) at any time with questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely,

Neil Ostrander

CEO, International Teams Canada

International Teams Canada recognizes the extreme importance of sanitation and disease prevention. A number of our programs directly work to improve the health of vulnerable people.

2.5 billion people face serious sanitation challenges. That’s one in three who do not have safe, clean and private toilets. It’s hard to imagine that something as mundane as a toilet has the power to bring greater health, human dignity, freedom, and equality between men and women, boys and girls. But it does. As our minds turn toward Christmas, we invite you to think about those around the world who do not have access to clean water, nutritious food, and training in hygiene and disease prevention. Our Christmas Giving Catalogue is full of a wide variety of gifts that have the power to transform the lives of vulnerable people in Canada and around the world.

Visit www.catalogue.iteams.ca today to make the world a safer place for widows, orphans, and refugees this Christmas.

• Our monthly power bill (so our staff stay warm and the lunches in our fridge stay cool!)
• Stationery (paper clips, printer paper, highlighters, toner, and binders)
• Internet access for Skype calls and emails with our partners in far-flung places
• IT support for those days when rebooting the computer doesn’t seem to solve the problem
• Audit reports for our good friends at Revenue Canada
• Water to make coffee and tea on dreary mornings (or sunny mornings, or snowy mornings)

We’d be so grateful for your help with offsetting some of our expenses. Our Christmas list isn’t particularly exciting, but each item is a necessary part of International Teams Canada’s daily operations. Your gift today will help ensure that more of our donor dollars can go directly to providing life’s necessities to widows, orphans, and refugees — which we can all agree is something to get excited about!

Give online at www.iteams.ca, call 1-800-465-7601, or mail a cheque to:

1 UNION STREET
ELMIRA, ON  N3B 3J9

“Simona, a widow, was overjoyed to hear the news that she would get a new two-room, concrete block house with a tin roof for herself, her six children and grandchild. A Canadian family donated the money for Simona’s house in honour of their mother’s 90 ^th birthday and it was built this past summer. With gifts from other generous supporters, we’ve been able to build homes for other families in Guatemala. A big thank you!”

— Jessica Michielsen, Impact Guatemala

“In Kenya, children who do not speak Swahili or English are denied an education. But children at Kauka, an Impact Kenya-PACE project supported by PACE Ministries and International Teams, now have their own indigenous school. Canadian churches and individuals built a school where children are taught in their native language and receive a nutritious meal each day. Thank you very much.”

— Phillip Sheldon, Impact Kenya-PACE

“Thank you for making a weekend of camping at a nearby Conservation Area possible for the whole Welcome Home Refugee Housing Community family, and a canoe trip in northern Ontario for three days, too! It’s a gift to be able to spend time in God’s creation with our refugee friends.”

— Sharon Schmidt, Welcome Home 

“Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are now on the road filming our documentary about legalization of prostitution and sex trafficking. We are hearing stories of desperation, but also of hope, and are learning what can be done to prevent this horrendous crime. As one of the people we met here said, ‘Human trafficking is big and organized, and therefore if we are to fight it effectively, we must get big and organized.’”

— Jay & Michelle Brock, Hope for the Sold 

“A team of young adults from our church visited the Philippines this summer for two weeks. We listened as people shared their struggles in the face of poverty, but also how their faith in Jesus sustained them. When the monsoon rains led to massive flooding and thousands had to flee their homes, we saw how the church became a caring haven for people who had lost everything. As we explore how we can live this way here in Canada, we want to thank you for making this experience possible.”

— Greg Reader, Impact Philippines

“Thanks for making 4 weeks of Camp Discovery possible for 200 Romanian orphans. Each week includes a residential camp experience for 50 orphans and 45 staff and volunteers from Romania and Canada.”

— Bob Fukumoto, Impact Romania 

“Through your generosity, Carmen Bajo Church has provided a daily hot lunch and tutoring program to almost 200 kids, and Carolina — the first kid from Carmen Bajo to go on to post-secondary education — was able to graduate from seminary. Thank you for caring for these children!”

— Sarah Marr, Impact Ecuador

“Leaders from five different Hamilton churches engaged in mission together in Kampala, Uganda this spring. Through this experience they learned that the witness of unity is powerful, that doing mission together deepens community, and that global experience can generate local mission creativity. Thank you for supporting us as we work to support our community.”

— Dave Witt, TrueCity Hamilton 

“Thanks to our supporters — including team members who have faithfully participated in the Ride for Refuge for eight years — several students in Kiziba Refugee Camp have been able to complete high school. This year, you also funded a library! Due to your generosity, more students will have access to increased learning opportunities and discipleship programs sponsored by the youth ministry in the camp.”

— Paul Atkinson, Impact Rwanda

“Just one bio-sand filtration unit allows families in Southern Sudan to experience clean water for up to 20 years at a minimal cost. Thank you for giving to our project — you have prevented the spread of disease in many communities!”

— Gord Skopnik, Impact Southern Sudan

“Thank you for your generous support towards the work of International Teams Canada. It is with your faithful support that our programs continue to grow and we are seeing lives and communities transformed by the power of God.”

— Tarra Weber, Director of Finance, International Teams Canada

The Ride for Refuge (the RIDE) is a family-friendly cycling fundraiser taking place in 26 locations across Canada and the US. Participants are able to tailor the RIDE to their cycling ability by choosing from standard 10, 25, or 50+ kilometre routes. Offered by Blue Sea Philanthropy in partnership with International Teams Canada, the RIDE is held on multiple dates throughout September and October, and provides riders the opportunity to choose from one of a list of nearly 150 approved charities, join up with a team of dedicated supporters, and put a little sweat behind their passion for helping those in need.

Kyla Arsenault, Director of Care at Creekside Church in Waterloo, says their church is excited each year to get involved with the RIDE in two ways: by riding to raise money for one of the church’s international ministries, and by hosting the Waterloo RIDE. “We ride each year in support of our sister church in Quito, Ecuador. The church community really has a heart for Quito – we’ve had long-term and short-term missionaries down there, and we continue to support them financially every month. The money we raise through the RIDE allows us to contribute funds to Carmen Bajo church (a ministry of International Teams Canada’s Impact Ecuador program) to expand its ministry to the poor, children, and broken families. On RIDE day, we have about 100 volunteers here, plus 800-1200 riders. It’s a busy day but it’s really fun to see everybody riding for different causes!”

The RIDE Partner Grant program supports a wide variety of like-minded organizations across Canada and around the world. Michelle Brock, co-founder of International Teams Canada ministry partner Hope for the Sold, considers the RIDE an integral part of their fundraising strategy. “At Hope for the Sold, we are passionate about ending sex trafficking, and believe that prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Funds raised through the RIDE will enable us to make a documentary about legalization of prostitution, its connection to sex trafficking, and preventative approaches that decrease, not increase, sexual exploitation.  If we can make people think differently about prostitution, we can change laws and lives.  We plan to begin filming right after the RIDE, so hopping on a bike to raise the remainder of the needed funds could not come at a better time!”

For more information about the RIDE, to sponsor a rider, or to join a team for the RIDE in your area, visit www.rideforrefuge.org/canada.