In 2010 MMW built and launched Divine Pizza and Ribs in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Over the last 8 years, Phnom Penh has changed a great deal. The population has nearly doubled, urban infrastructure developed, businesses proliferated and with it tremendous competition. Divine Pizza and Ribs has been squeezed between low price leaders and high-end establishments.
Today there are dozens of pizza places in the city, including 7 Dominos Pizza outlets. This has required MMW to subsidize DPR operations financially for a number of years, because we believe in the life changing impact we have with our employees.
From our inception, we had a vision to create a platform for Christian witness and outreach, using commercial enterprise as a vehicle. This mission through business model has proven to offer empowerment through real jobs that provide income, vocational training, and the dignity of a good job, opening a way out of the crushing effects of poverty for our employees and their families. As we have launched new enterprises in other places around the world, we foster Smart Generosity: changing the paradigm from dependency to empowerment.
With the substantial evolution of the marketplace in Phnom Penh, we face the dilemma of responding to the changes and continuing to achieve our mission – infusing the Gospel into commercial enterprises to empower people around the world to overcome poverty and injustice.
Our philosophy of ministry includes 3 primary values with which we evaluate a mission through business opportunity.
• Gospel: sharing the love, mission, and message of Jesus Christ.
• Humanitarian: ministering to basic human needs caused by poverty and injustice.
• Sustainability: creating commercial enterprises that becomes self-propagating.
When these three values are working together, we see significant impact for the benefit of the communities where we operate.
I will be visiting with our DPR staff in Phnom Penh during the week of August 13 to evaluate options and opportunities to make sure that we are optimizing all three values in our ministry philosophy. Please be praying for wisdom and discernment for everyone involved. Most of all pray for effectiveness in our mission to empower employees, their families and communities to thrive in the Kingdom of God.