by Sandi Austin

“I do believe God’s primary agent of restoration and transformation of society was given to the church.” ~ Ken Cruz

Missionary Ken Cruz is the focus of our December/Christmas Compassion Offering. The Heart of Longmont United Methodist Church hosted Cruz back in September of 2017, and got a first-hand update of his service in Cambodia with the General Board of Global Ministries. It is through churches such as Heart of Longmont that Cruz receives financial, spiritual and emotional support.

For 12 years, Cruz has served in Cambodia as a Community Development Specialist with Community Health and Agriculture Development (CHAD).

Ken Cruz and his family have lived in Cambodia and Laos for many years, and he enjoys coming to the United States periodically to visit Methodist churches and talk about Cambodian families becoming self-sufficient and being lifted out of poverty. His work focuses on community organization and resources, a lot of that work being among the poor.

CHAD’s programs include health care access, food security, income generation, holistic ministry, and climate change resiliency. In the knowledge that each individual is made in the image of God, CHAD takes a “whole person” approach in lifting people out of despair and poverty.

“Mission to me is building hope and building dignity … helping people to uncover their true identity and claim their rightful place in God’s creation.”