Our Story
Our name, Empart, has been derived from the words ‘empowering’ and ‘partnering’. In this way, ‘Empart’ means to develop partnerships that empower one another in a mutually beneficial way.
God gave Jossy the vision of 100,000 communities being transformed by 2030 through the power of the Good News.
Our Story
Our story begins in 1995 with Raju, a ragged boy from the slums, and the two hearts God captured through his life. Jossy and Jenni Chacko met Raju while on their honeymoon, and were so moved by his story they invited him to join them on the rest of their travels.
Raju had no knowledge of his past, no family or relatives, and had lived his life in survival mode, suffering abuse and witnessing unimaginable horrors. Jossy and Jenni were deeply disturbed by some of the things he shared, yet captivated by his wisdom, street-smarts and hopeful dreams for the future.
After returning home, Jossy and Jenni struggled to return to ‘normal’. Something had shifted in their hearts. Jossy no longer felt so driven by his career, and he soon made a trip back to the field. During his trip, he visited a village where no one had ever heard the Good News. He witnessed people making extreme sacrifices in hopes of escaping the spiritual darkness they lived in, with no guidance to the Truth.
“I realised something monumental: this scraggy, uneducated, uncouth street urchin was just like me. I had always thought people lived in poverty because they made bad choices – that it was their fault. This meant it wasn’t my responsibility to fix their problems. I’d never had any real understanding of their world. Raju opened my eyes to see they were people just like me. They had emotions, just like me. They had desires and aspirations, just like me.”
- Jossy
With his heart now fully open and surrendered, God gave Jossy the vision to transform 100,000 communities by 2030 through the power of the Good News. Jenni and Jossy both resigned their jobs to give everything to the mission, and Empart officially launched in 1998.
Starting with a core team of five, today there are thousands of indigenous workers laying down their lives to fulfil the mission. With an average of 14 new communities started each day, there are now 30,294 transformed communities since 1998! We have so many partners who have joined our story in Australia, Switzerland, Germany, France, Canada, USA and the United Kingdom.
The work continues to gain momentum day by day. Will you become part of the story??