In 1996, long-term WEC missionary Phyllis Kilbourn (pictured) founded a new ministry of WEC International called Rainbows of Hope. The ministry was a reaction to the devastating worldwide suffering of children who, as a result of events beyond their control, suffer pain and trauma.

Rainbows of Hope (ROH) is a specialized service ministry of WEC International serving WEC fields that desire to impact the lives of children in crisis/at risk for our Lord Jesus Christ. ROH's main aim is to help WEC fields initiate and conduct a ministry to children at risk/children in crisis doing so in fellowship with all WEC leadership concerned and where possible, through the local church. ROH is a networking ministry and is also available to help in the training of other organizations and mission agencies in setting up ministries for children in crisis according to its ability. ROH's service consists of recruitment, training, prayer and assistance in project development.

Rainbows of Hope International Headquarters, located in Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA serves WEC missionaries who serve local churches/communities who serve children at risk/in crisis who then may serve other children at risk/in crisis. The projects and the workers come under the authority of the WEC field/Sending Base or Supporting Sending Base of the country, local churches or other organizations.

ROH is a faith ministry and is developed according to the grace of God, however He provides personnel, finances and other resources.

Vision Statement:
To enable WEC fields to effectively reach out holistically to help children at risk/children in crisis become children in Christ as part of a community of faith. We fulfill this vision through prayer, by informing, training, and equipping WEC missionaries and their local churches/communities and by recruiting personnel who are called to share in this vision.

Training:
Production of training materials and seminars to help equip workers.

Recruitment:
By means of this website, our Opportunities Sheet and presentations in churches and colleges, ROH recruits short-term and long-term personnel.

Prayer:
ROH is developing a worldwide prayer network. A monthly Prayer Bulletin has been produced which gives the most recent updates on what is happening in the various projects. Some projects offer the possibility of adopting one or more children in prayer.

Ministry Development:
ROH assists WEC missionaries and where possible local churches in ministering to children, restoring their losses, and sharing the gift of hope with children at risk/in crisis. We desire for ministries to be:

• holistic: ministering to body, soul and spirit
• church/community based
• easily reproducible
• reaching out to families
• reaching out to communities

Network:
Where possible ROH works together with and helps organizations and mission agencies that work with children in crisis.

Rainbows of Hope affirms the beliefs that:

• every child is created in the image of God and, therefore, is a person of immense worth and significance, no matter what his or her racial, social or cultural context;
• children were important to Jesus' ministry and should be equally important to ours;
• ministry to children must include evangelism and discipleship;
• every child is endowed with God-given gifts and potential that need to be developed and celebrated in the church community;
• ministry to children is not just a means to an end but is rooted in our conviction that children are worthy of ministry;
• a parallel ministry to families is vital to prevent child abuse and provide healthy homes capable of spiritual nurture.

To see WEC International's doctrinal statement go to the WEC International website.