replycharis crew

::GET TO KNOW US::

MONDO SCOTT
Leisure Activity: Mac Computers, graphic design, musical instruments,
Person I admire: Salena Weissner
Favorite author: John Piper
Favorite movie: The Jerk
Favorite verse: "To live is Christ, to die is gain"
Favorite food or restaurant: Pizza from anywhere. Any pizza place.
Book you’d recommend: The Holy Bible,
If I could meet one famous person it would be: John Piper
First question I want answered when I get to heaven: Why did you choose me?

SALENA WIESSNER
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JESSI TELLO
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5 Frequently asked questions

1. 1. What is replycharis? Replycharis is a small, unique local charity with a conviction to helping those in need while demonstrating the simple truth of love, grace and mercy. Click here for more information or see the About section on the homepage
2. 2. Where does my giving go? 100% of all giving goes to the various local and non-local service projects.So whether you decide to give finacially or non-finacially, your giving will carefully distributed to those who need. This charity is completely Non-Profit. Our staff is made of volunteer's.
   
3. 3. What religious affliation does replycharis hold to? replycharis is also unique in its approach to religious affilation. We are not directly associated with any particular church or denomination. However, as a chirstian charity we are grafted into the local and universal church, the bribe of Christ.
   
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5. 4. What is with the Bird in your logo? The bird signifies God's provision. Matthew 6:25-26 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

5. What does "be a better neighbor" mean? Well, it's simple. We are to love our neighbor as ourself. I would say a lot of us don't recognize the seriousness of this command. Therefore, we could all be a better neighbor to those around us, rich or poor, black or white, theist or atheist.

Contact info

Please email us with any thoughts, commments or questions you may have regarding replycharis.


replycharis@gmail.com

Mailing address
Replycharis
1769 First St.
Simi Valley Ca, 93065

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...Feeling Mercy.

What a difference it makes in everything, if we feel like we have just been rescued from torment and death! Picture your attitude on a Navy ship after being plucked from the ocean where you spent weeks adrift on a life raft. Or picture yourself rescued from a deep, collapsing mine in Pennsylvania. Or think of a nine-month battle with malignant cancer, only to hear the doctor say, "I can't explain it, but it's gone." Think about your powers of patience and kindness and forgiveness in those early hours of relief and rejoicing.
Now add this to your imagination (though it shouldn't take imagination, only Biblical revelation), that you don't deserve to be rescued. Let it sink in - pray right now that God would make it sink in - that you and I deserve nothing but trouble and persecution and sickness and death and hell. We are, the Bible says, "by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:3). "All . . . are under sin . . . and every mouth [is] stopped, and the whole world . . . accountable to God" (Romans 3:9, 19). The "wages" of our sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). We are under the curse of God's law, because "cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them" (Deuteronomy 27:26). Our natural mind is "hostile to God" (Romans 8:7). We are "strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). We are destined to be cast into "outer darkness" where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12; 25:30). If something doesn't intervene, our lot will be in the lake of fire where "the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest" (Revelation 14:11).
Therefore, all you Christians - all you believers rescued by the blood of Christ, who has become a curse for us - add to the relief and happiness of your rescue the bewildering wonder and the brokenhearted joy that you deserve none of this, but are lavished with unceasing mercy.
Then look upon your afflictions in this light. Think with Jonathan Edwards on your condition: "How far less [are] the greatest afflictions that we meet with in this world . . . than we have deserved. . . . The greatest outward troubles and calamities that we meet with . . . must needs appear very little things to the misery which we have deserved. . . A man may meet with very great losses . . . his cattle may die, his corn may be blasted, his barn may be burnt down and all the goods consumed, and he may be brought from a comfortable living to a poor, low, stricken state. This is very hard to bear, but alas, how little reason have such to complain if they do but consider how little this is, compared with that eternal destruction that we have been informed of." (Jonathan Edwards, Works [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997], p. 321)
Is it any wonder that Paul said to such people, "Do all things without grumbling" (Philippians 2:14). Ponder how you would react to things if you lived hour by hour in the heartfelt awareness that you are rescued from horrible death and eternal suffering, and that, in spite of deserving no help, you are lavished with mercy every day (even in the hard things) and will be made perfectly and eternally happy in the age to come.
Then add one more thing to your thinking. The one who rescued you had to die to do it, and he is the one Person in the universe who did NOT deserve to die. "Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).
O Christian, know your condition - the misery and the mercy. And let the horror from which you have been rescued, and the mercy in which you live, and the price that Christ paid, make you humble and thankful and patient and kind and forgiving. You have never been treated by God worse than you deserve. And in Christ you are treated ten million times better. Feel this. Live this.
(Taken from Desiring God. Written By Dr. John Piper)

Let Us repond to God's great mercy with good works onto others (r e p l y c h a r i s).

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Our logo

Jesus said..."do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:25-27
Scripture is clear that God will provide for those who seek his kingdom & righteousness first. Why worry about tomorrow when tomorrow has enough worries of it own! Therefore, the bird is symbolic of the amazing truth that if God's eye is on the birds, then surely His eye is on us!

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Love God & Love People

a simple response towards his loving kindness

God

• First of all, we do not exist to fight social injustice. We do what we do in obediance to God's commandments found in the Holy Scriptures. We respond to his commandments because of the great mercy and grace (Charis) which we have received through the Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.We attribute this overwhelming revelation entirely to God. He did everything. We do not claim to hide our agenda nor legalistically inforce it. We are believers within a world created by God. A world which is full of lovers & haters, friends & enemies, atheists & theists, the wealthy & the poor.
  

People

• In the 1st century, the religious authorities asked Jesus a question, hoping to trap him in his words. They asked:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law (The Old Testament set of holy rules)?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets (the whole Old Testament) hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40
Quickly, their mouths were shut! One of the Religious leaders replied, "Well said!"

We affirm with that religious leader. Love God and love people. We believe that our priorities should look like this: God first, others second, and ourselves last!

Outsiders

• We realize that not all have the same beliefs that we do. Like we said above, we do not force our beliefs on people, however we do not hide them either. We are very open to all kinds of people. We have many friends & family who are dear to us, but do not have the same views as us. We are so thankful that these people have still felt lead to help or perticipate in some way, fashion or form. The bottom line is, we encourage all to help.
  

• any questions email replycharis@gmail.com

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a seed, a dollar, a mission

It started out the smallest of all seeds. Who knows when it was planted. However, as this seed grew in the heart of one man, it soon effected many. In the summer of 2004, a thought came to mind as two friends began to wonder, "What can we do to help those less privileged?" When Christmas of 04 was a few months away, we had formed a purpose: "Lets give those who have NOTHING, something." The next step was to think of HOW we can do this. Oddly enough, while working at local Starbucks we began to collect $1 from individual customers whom we shared our vision with. It was then that we figured out that one person = $1; two people = $2 and three people = $3. As time passed, more and more people listened and more and more people gave (as we made there "Grande, soy, 2 pump vanilla, no foam lattes"). The idea was, "Just give $1", no more, no less. Coming towards the holiday, we had a little over $100 dollars. It doesn't sound like much, however when we realized that each dollar represented one person, the small number became overwhelming. Our mission became even more blessed when a pastor at a local church heard about what we were doing and felt lead to help us. Thanks to Mark McKinney at Discovery Church, we doubled our money to over $200. All we had to do was accept the offer to double what we had collected, obviously with the exception of breaking the $1 only rule, which we were so strong on defending to show that it doesn't take much to help. With some careful shopping and the help of our fellow barista's : Salena(now apart of replycharis), Aurick, Nelson, and some old friends: Denica, Nicole and Michelle, we had a wrapping party and prayer @ our local Royal & Madera Starbucks. In the end, we had over 30 Gift bags containing; gloves, beanies, scarves, flash lights, batteries, homemade cookies, drinks, playing cards, food and lots more. To top it off, each bag had $1 inside to signify how something little can spark something huge. On December 17th, 2004, Jessi Tello, Mondo Scott and a friend Aurick, headed off to Santa Monica, where we gave people (the homeless community) an expression of love uncommon to our world. A simple gift of God. It wasn't much but it was everything to them! It was small but has inspired something bigger!

Since then, we have carried out two Mexico trips. One during December 05, where we gave over 100 toys away to kids and their families for Christmas. This was possible through the help of many people, who saved there aluminum cans and donated the proceeds. As a result many smiles were manifested.
The second trip was during Spring Break 06. We returned to the same people for one reason. On the first trip one of the men asked us if we had any blankets or warm clothes. He was a father of five and all he could think about was keeping them warm during the cold nights. So we made a promise that we would return and on April 8th we did. Thanks to many people's donations, we brought with us 8 huge, 50 gallon garbage bags of old and new clothes, as well as shoes & new blankets, which were all well received. After this trip, we decided to put a name and meaning to our new found mission. We decided to create r e p l y c h a r i s.

As we take further steps towards the future, we look forward with much anticipation to those in need.

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You can do so much.

pray

• Pray that God would keep the vision of this outreach pure. Pray that he would direct us in the way that would please him. Pray that as we supply people with a temporary hope & fulfillment that He would open doors to share the eternal hope and fulfillment we cherish.

give

• We would be fools if we said that we could do this on our own. The truth is, we can't! This has always been possible through the action of other people. Whether it's a dollar, saving aluminum cans, giving old clothes, giving new cloths, donating shoes, or making homemade cookies, it has all been supplied by the generous giving of others! A list with our current needs is COMING SOON...
• email us replycharis@gmail.com

participate

• We would love to have anyone who is willing, to come and join us on one of our service projects. It doesn't matter who you are; family, friends or strangers. We will be posting up & coming projects soon...
• email us @ replycharis@gmail.com

inform

• Through simple observations of the day-to-day world we live in, one can see that people are in need. Let it bother you! (It has bothered us!). We should never feel comfortable when we know about the needy that surround us. We are always looking for new projects, big or small. If you have any ideas or creative thoughts please contact us.
• email us @ replycharis@gmail.com

create

• Take action yourself! One of our goals is that we would mirror something that everyone can do. You don't need us. Make some peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, go to the local park in your area and feed some homeless folks. Sit and listen to their stories. Make a new friend. It's just that simple. You know the people around you. Ask yourself, "What can I do?"

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Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.

THE WHO: Jessi Tello, Mondo Scott, Salena Wiessner & the many who have felt the conviction to help in any way, shape or form.
THE WHAT: Reply Charis is simple. It is nothing more than the mere response on behalf of the undeserved divine grace and mercy bestowed upon us, from God, through his son Jesus. We simply respond to these divine mercies with good works towards others. The word “charis” (khar'-ece) comes from the Greek word “grace”. Grace is simply defined as undeserved merit. Technically defined, grace is the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues. These virtues compile of good deeds seen throughout scriptures. It is the blood of Christ by which we stand. It is a gift, by which we accept through faith alone, not by any good works or doing of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9). As one reflects on these mercies it becomes overwhelmingly obvious that there is no reason to be complacent in life when it comes to those in need. So in response to God's kind mercy, let us do all that we can to love others as ourselves. For more info Click here
THE WHERE:
Wherever.
THE WHEN
Whenever.
THE WHY:
As believers, we have an obligation to those less fortunate. In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus said: ”For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (see the passage in context)
This verse along with many more has become a great conviction for us to take action.
THE HOW:
Through simple observations of the day-to-day world we live in. It doesn’t take much to see that there are people all around you in need. How many times have you passed by a homeless person or lied when someone asked you for spare change? We’ve all been there in some way. However, we cannot end there. We must go forward. Through everyday people like you and me, we can make a difference!

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