Interfaith Efforts for Drip Irrigation

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Report from Jon Fripp and his work around the world using "Bucket Kits"

Top picture: Students assembling "Bucket Kits" before shipment to Nicarugua.

Bottom picture: Project in Pakistan

A safe, consistent and reliable food supply is a universal need. People of conscience from a variety of faith backgrounds have joined together in North Texas to provide drip bucket irrigation kits to families across the world. Members of Rush Creek Christian Church, Congregation Kol Ami, students at Nolan Catholic High School, engineers from North Texas Engineers Without Borders, as well as Muslim, Jewish and Christian members of an interfaith group called Sons and Daughters of Abraham have packaged almost 200 kits. Monies for the raw materials were collected at a 2009 fundraiser held at Rush Creek Christian Church.
These kits and training have been have been provided to a variety of faith based as well as secular NGOs including Fort Worth Mission Council, Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Thibodaux, LA, the Baptist Mission of Uganda , Texas Christian University, and Southern Methodist University. So far, these kits have been distributed to Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Uganda, Pakistan, and Bolivia. This has been a remarkable success and through the generosity of spirit, time and resources from people representing a variety of faiths.

Eastbrook Church: Past work

Administrative Assistant to Sr. Pastor Dr. Marc Erickson

Dates Employed June 2000 – Oct 2005

Employment Duration 5 yrs 5 mos

● Administrative Assistant to Sr. Pastor. I used my #1 Strength (Connector) to assembly a team to develop our first website for our church. As part of the “staff” and being new to the church myself, it offered me a perfect climate to interact with the staff and design a website for “new” people looking at our church and looking at how to get involved in a “large” church. I looked at the website as a “newbie” myself. Exciting project

● Part of my “Assimilation” project, working with a small group we revamped our membership class and used "Networking" from Willow Creek Church to help people discover their spiritual gifts. Later added module for helping people discover their S.H.A.P.E. (Spiritual Gifts, Heart or Passion, Abilities, Personality, Experiences) to assimilate new and “older” members into God's place of service in our church and the Church and the world. Patterned after Willow Creek's "Networking" and Saddlebacks "S.H.A.P.E program.

● Assembled and trained a small group of interviewers personally meeting with each person to help them get "connected" and assimilated into a place of service in our community of believers.

● Helped people see the connections among their Spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personalities & their experiences. ..that they would feel part of something bigger than themselves, the body of Christ.

● Started a new ministry, C.P.R. Career Path Restoration for people out of work and desiring to find new employment. Had a weekly prayer and networking meeting.

● Part of a group that helped start "Free Medical Clinic" for uninsured.

● I did make good use of my top 5 Strengthsfinder 2.0 “strengths”. “Connector”, “Belief”, “Achiever”, “Responsibility”, “Relator.” Each one played a vital part of the ministry I was apart of.  Resigned in October of 2005 to devote more time to other interests and volunteer opportunities to better make use of my gifts, talents, abilities and strengths. 

Volunteer: CPR Career Path Restoration

CPR Career Path Restoration at Eastbrook Church
A weekly prayer and encouragement group meeting at Holy Grounds for anyone looking for a new job was begun sometime in 2002.

Attendees were encouraged to use LINKEDIN as a "tool" for connecting with potential employers and people at Eastbrook. Not limited to Eastbrook people. A new Linkedin Group was started. Eastbrook Community Group for attendees and people connected with Eastbrook Church and continues. Formal meeting group was ended somewhere in 2011 but Richard continues to meet with individuals both in our church and not in our church as needed for anyone wanting to use linkedin as a tool. Eastbrook Community group on linkedin is for Eastbrookers looking for a new job to connect with other Eastbrookers who can post open jobs at their place of employment on the group.