About
History of We Encourage, Inc.
Jim Tyberg, Founder
We Encourage, Inc. was formed in 2012, and originated with the goal of providing a way for people to support Bitrus and Monica Audu in their ministry with Christ Missionary Outreach in Nigeria and at the same time be able to receive a tax deduction as a charitable gift. Bitrus attended our church, Pasadena Covenant, while enrolled at the International Seminary in El Monte, CA. Several of us came to love Bitrus at that time, and were so impressed with him and his humble, yet powerful ministry to people in the rural areas of northern Nigeria. When Bitrus came to our church, it was no accident. The first Sunday he was there, and having chosen our church in a “random way” because he liked the idea of the word “Covenant”, he was given a seat next to someone who greeted him in his own language, Housa, and it turned out to be Dr. Charles Kraft, who Bitrus knew through esteemed reputation and was dearly loved back in his home territory.
Out of that initial relationship with people at Pasadena Covenant and especially those serving on our board, I was led to form a non-profit so we could try to assist my friend Bitrus and since that time we have also fallen in love with his wife Monica who with our support has visited us now a couple times. Once We Encourage, Inc. became established it was through word-of-mouth contact that we collected some funds from friends of Bitrus and sent that along to Christ Missionary Outreach. In 2014, as many people in northern and rural Nigeria fled the assault of Boko haram, Dr. Mohrlang (translator of the Bible to the Kamwe people) heard of We Encourage, Inc. and through his contacts has supported our efforts in Nigeria through the ministry of Christ Missionary Outreach to assist the Kamwe refugees.
We Encourage, Inc. has assisted another African friend, Philip Sesay, in Sierra Leone. Initially we assisted Philip by paying for the balance of medical costs for his daughter who received life saving therapy in Ghana. Soon after that, Philip again became involved to care for his church and countrymen, serving and sheltering these people over the 10 year blood diamond war and now dealing with the ebola crisis.
In the meantime We Encourage, Inc. has expanded a bit. We also have forwarded support to OneYearRoadTrip (http://oneyearroadtrip.com), a ministry of a young family who are part of our church family. This is an exciting ministry experiment to discover how youth around the country have found ways to support their communities and fundraise to make it happen. We look forward to documentaries on the Webb’s experience and learn how these ideas may possibly be applied right back here in Pasadena. We Encourage, Inc. also looks to the broader community around Pasadena Covenant and assists individuals and programs that make a difference in this neighborhood.
We Encourage, Inc also assists individuals who may not have access to other established means of support. We Encourage, Inc has assisted a retired missionary who is no longer under denominational care, and we have helped a family who was devastated by medical expenses and the challenges of lost capabilities. We Encourage, Inc evaluates these opportunities when a gift can mean taking a step towards more autonomy.
We Encourage, Inc. applies all donations towards the ministry, and underwrites overhead charges through personal funding.
We Encourage is a tax exempt non profit 501 (c)(3) corporation that is a publicly supported charity under IRS rules. Our Tax ID # is 45-5038501. All gifts and bequests are tax deductible and all gifts and bequests are received with the understanding that our organization has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds.
We Encourage invites you to make a submission to us if you see a need in our community. Our Board will review your submission, determine if it meets with our Mission Statement and let you know whether it will be added as a specific mission project to receive funding.