The Crown Ministry Center began when Johann van der Ham prayed, “PLEASE LORD JESUS FILL MY MIND WITH VISION AND MY BONES WITH HOPE!”

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The answer to Johann’s prayer?  He had a vision.  In this vision a large tree planted in the center of the African continent began to grow.  From out of this tree there were many roots growing and breaking up the ground wherever the roots would go.

 

It was years later the interpretation of this vision would come. 

 

A Foundations for Farming (FfF) team visited Malawi and conducted a training at the orphanage where the van der Hams were working. As Johann learned about the FfF program of least soil disturbance, crop rotations and mulching, he grasped the vision’s meaning.

 

“The soil holds the key to breaking poverty.” Thus was birthed the acronym ROOTS. 

RESOURCES  OUT  OF  THE  SOIL.

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In 2009 a property was purchased on the outskirts of Blantyre where subsistence farmers could come for training. It became common for those early adapters Johann trained in the FfF principles to experience triple crop yields. But the blessing of increased yields came with an unexpected downside. An increase in cash caused increase in tensions between husbands and wives.

 

Johann began to see the relevance and need for financial trainings.

 

In 2012, Crown USA visited with Johann in Blantyre and a partnership was birthed between Crown and FfF.  The message of Crown and the message of FfF was married at the Crown Stewardship Center.  FfF stood for stewardship of the land.  Crown stood for stewardship of finance.  These two are joined together by a common heart attitude of humility and a servanthood towards the poor. Crown and FfF put words and action to the ROOTS vision God had given Johann.

 

Vision draws people. Always share vision. And always share knowledge. These two together will bring hope.

 

The original vision God gave to Johann is not about a tree or its roots. The vision is about the people who will be coming to the Crown Stewardship Center. These people are themselves the roots in the vision. They must be equipped as trainers who train others so that poverty in Africa can be broken.

 

The Crown Stewardship Center located at Blantyre will serve Malawians with relevant trainings and help them to understand who they are, what they have and how to best use their resources for the glory of God. We are laying a foundation for sustainable development and flourishing with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone.