The seed of Flourish
Flourish is a ministry God has provided for women in need to build livelihoods that impact and transform their lives and that of their families. It is also a ministry where God enables the volunteers to witness the seed of His faithful providence, to grow the seed of our faith and giftings and to enable us to share the seed of His Word, His light and hope.
Flourish was started in 2011 by Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC) as a Missions Livelihood Project. Then called âProject Love Cambodia,â Flourishâs first group of ladies were from Prek Toal Methodist Church, Steung Meanchey, Phnom Penh.
In 2012, the BRMC Womenâs Society of Christian Service (WSCS) placed a large order for crochet crosses for Motherâs Day/WSCS Sunday. This started us on a nation-wide crochet outreach campaign where we taught crochet in all Methodist institutions across Cambodia. All glory to God, we managed to fulfil more than 1,600 pieces of crochet crosses and provided jobs for more than 20 women.
In 2014, God extended our mission field to Chress Church, Community Outreach ServicesâImmanuel (COSI), Post-COSI Integration Programme (PCOSIIP) and the area of Odem.
When COVID-19 struck in 2020 and Singapore went into its Circuit Breaker, Flourish evolved to include local artisans referred by BRMCâs Outreach & Social Concerns (OSC). Thanks be to God for opening more doors as we went through the Circuit Breaker.
Today, Flourish is a volunteer-run ministry supporting more than 20 ladies in Cambodia and seven ladies in Singapore.
How you can help
- Buy our products
Check out our webstore at www.craftedtoflourish.com. Every product you purchase will enable more to be made, which will provide more jobs for our artisans. Custom or bulk orders are always welcome. 100 per cent run by volunteers, and all proceeds go towards healthcare, education and community development for our artisans.
- Volunteer
Are you someone who believes in our mission? We need all the help we can get. We are calling for befrienders, product designers, sewers, crochets, social media storytellers, photographers, videographers, models, content creators and business development professionals. As long as you have a willing heart to serve, come alongside us and join the Flourish family.
- Gift Resources
If you own a factory with raw materials such as fabric, yarn and leather to donate or have a company seeking corporate social responsibility projects, or are someone who shares our vision and would like to support our mission, we would love to hear from you!
How you can pray for us
With a grateful heart of praise and joy, we give thanks to the Lord for birthing the Flourish ministry. Do pray alongside with us for the Lord to enable:
- beneficiaries and families to be healed physically and emotionally and to live transformed lives redeemed by His grace and hope
- beneficiariesâ families to witness the new dawn in their lives and together as a family seek to know and accept the Lord as their Saviour
- volunteers to serve as one united body emboldened by Godâs love, be faithful in following the Lordâs leading and wisdom, and be strengthened to journey with the beneficiaries and to share the Good News
- those who are able to participate in this ministry through the sharing of their time, resources and talents to assist as artisans, donors of materials or partners to journey with the beneficiaries
- the volunteers and missionaries involved to rejoice always in whatever we do, to pray continually for all involved and to give thanks in all circumstances so that Godâs light shines forth in all lives and His Name be lifted high and glorified
âHow beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!â (Isa 52:7)
The journey with our artisans
BORN INTO LIGHT
Who do we turn to
when life becomes
unbearable?
When happiness is nothing
but a hope whispered
in the dead
of yet another sleepless night
When the person who promised
to love us
becomes the very reason we lose
our faith
When illness strips us of
every dream
weâve dared to dream
When our families remain
only to remind us of the hurts we carry,
the losses we bury,
and the brokenness we try so hard to mend
When we live
only so our children
wonât need to face the darkness alone
With heads to the floor
we weep
until our bodies feel like nothing
but the smoke
of unanswered prayers
And then, one day
on a day unlike the rest
a window opens
And hope begins to make its way
back into our fractured hearts
Our fellow women arrive
with hearts open
and hands raised for service
And we begin a beautiful exchange
of time, talent and stories
Our hands,
formerly cusped
in perpetual prayers
now in service
to craft something beautiful
Hope is the fabric of healing
that we weave
With every stitch
we become stronger
Together, we dream and build a community
committed to all creeds, convictions
colours, cultures and conditions
We work towards a vision
of Godâs eudaimoniaâ
United by our love for each other
and our Creator
Building a world where
‘light in darkness’
is not just another idea
Itâs who we are
itâs what weâre made of
itâs what we were born to do.
This poem describes the Flourish manifesto of how Flourish reaches out to women going through challenging situations in our broken world. Many are single mothers struggling to raise their children on their own, after going through difficult relationships. Others may be going through difficulties due to critical illnesses. Whatever their situation, Flourish is committed to journeying with them, providing a sustainable livelihood for them and a life of dignity for them, their families and community, that they may see the hope and light of our Creator.
Caroline Ng-Cheng, Jessie Yong and Cara Chiang are members of Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC) / Photos courtesy of BRMC