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“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
- Matthew 28:19-20, New International Version
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Our focus, rationale and approach to missions are neither complicated nor overly sentimental.
It is simply rooted in obedience. As the above words of Our Lord instruct us, we seek only to hear, understand and move. As an organization, we do not pretend to have the facilities or resources to meet the overwhelming needs of mankind nor can we expect to cover its vast geography with the gospel on our own. However, we can be used by God in "rifle shot" fashion to line up completely with His plans and humbly connect the resources of heaven to specific regions. We believe that the key is to wait on God's specific instruction and then be ready, willing and able to move decisively.
Experience has taught us that God always has His people strategically positioned. We strongly believe in the pooling of God's resources and always seek to join with local organizations already active in a region. We constantly maintain and open new dialogues with other Christians to try and build a network - a global local partnerships. The benefits of this approach transcend the obvious stretching of resources as it also serves to graft together the different streams of the church. We see the body as a broad tapestry of many colors and shapes. We aspire to be a significant piece, uniquely positioned to touch and influence others while being transformed in the process.
Our current discernment has led us to focus and actively pursue missions work in a handful of regions. In each instance, we have established key local relationships with either well-established ministries or individuals.
Current regions of emphasis include:
- India
- Israel
- Mozambique
- Romania
Our missions programs seek to both bring and receive a blessing. We bring resources, energy and prayer to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ. We return home with a new cultural perspective and frequently a fresh understanding of the intensity of God's power that has the ability to turn our world upside down. Signs and wonders rekindle faith and can be an incredible catalyst for change once written on the hearts and minds of just a handful of individuals.
We seek to staff our trips with individuals that have willing hearts, a service mentality and the desire to pour themselves out as an offering to God. We take great care in creating our teams and have structured an application process that tries to identify such character attributes as maturity, humility and respect. Additionally, we actively integrate youth into all our programs and have structured training opportunities that introduce them to missions in a fun, low-risk environment. We have witnessed the profound impact and beautiful synergy of God mixing the generations as they come together in service. We see the fruit of enduring relationships upon which a rock-solid church community can take shape. In missions we see the dynamic Bride of Christ -- obedient service of the full community of believers, moving in power to advance the Kingdom of God. |