There are so many needs around the world today. As Christians, we are called to serve others and help meet these needs. Maybe you feel called to go overseas to minister to people living in poverty. Or maybe you just want to become more aware of the challenges in other countries and discover if there’s a way for you to assist.
Servants in Faith and Technology (SIFAT) would love to come alongside you and help you discover how you can serve God and others. Learn more about this great organization below.
History and Vision of Servants in Faith and Technology
SIFAT was officially founded in 1979, but the idea was birthed several years earlier. Ken and Sarah Colson, along with their four children, moved to Bolivia in 1976 to be the pastor of a church. They saw the struggles of the local people and wanted to help, so they co-founded an organization in Bolivia called Centro Nacional de Tecnologia Sustenible (CENATEC). In 1979, they returned to the U.S. to establish SIFAT. CENATEC and SIFAT still work closely together.
The vision of Servants in Faith and Technology is to create awareness about the real needs of people around the world and then encourage and equip Christians to go meet these needs.
What Does SIFAT Do?
The first thing Servants in Faith and Technology does is to create awareness. Many North Americans have never been to a developing country and have no idea what life is like for billions of people: struggling to feed their families or survive simple diseases. SIFAT allows people to experience how much of the world lives without them having to leave the United States.
SIFAT also provides training in how to minister to people in a holistic manner. They train Christians in community development work, specifically how to use various forms of technology to improve people’s way of life. They firmly believe the gospel transforms every aspect of a person’s life – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
They mainly accomplish this by hosting people on their beautiful, 176 acre campus for a one to three day retreat. During these retreats you will receive training and experience things that will help equip you to be able to meet the needs of others in a sustainable way. You will get to experience first hand what poverty is like in other countries, learn about sustainable gardening, and how SIFAT trains people to solve real problems while overseas. You can read more about the details of these retreats here.
The third thing SIFAT does is find financial partners to complete projects. Some people they have trained have become trusted partners, and these partners can request funding for community development projects like clean water or food production.
Where Does SIFAT Work?
The headquarters for Servants in Faith and Technology is in Alabama, and that is where the training happens. SIFAT primarily supports projects in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Uganda. They also have projects in many other developing countries including Nigeria, Liberia, Pakistan, Haiti, Zambia, Kenya, and the DRC.
At the moment, SIFAT only sends short term teams to Bolivia, Ecuador, Uganda, and sometimes Zambia. These trips are typically 8-12 days long. Before Covid, they were taking teams regularly, and they hope to be able to resume again shortly.
How Can You Be Involved?
Servants in Faith and Technology provides many ways for people to be involved. You can:
- Go on a short term trip as mentioned above.
- Participate in one of their retreats, internships, or training sessions to be better equipped to go serve.
- Donate money to help complete one of their current projects.
- Volunteer to help maintain their campus or as a Learn & Serve staff or counselor.
Ways to Pray for SIFAT
As with any ministry, SIFAT would greatly appreciate your prayers. Please pray:
- God would stir in the hearts of many Americans to want to join a retreat
- For more covenant partners and individuals to be willing to support projects
- For more people to be raised up to go on a short term international trip or volunteer with the retreats on the main campus
Good Neighbor Insurance loves the work Servants in Faith and Technology does. We provide their workers with travel health insurance so their important ministries can continue to bear fruit. If you are interested in learning more about the organization or how you can get involved, visit their website (https://www.sifat.org/).