Category Archives: Missions

Haiti Earthquake Relief

January 13, 2010 By in Cultural Issues, Missions Tags: , 4 Comments

As many of you have heard by now, the island nation of Haiti was hit by a 7.0 earthquake leaving massive devastation in its wake.

In response to the devastating reports concerning the effects of the earthquake in Haiti, the church is being given the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in ministering to the poorest of the poor.  There are around 9 million people in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere.  Latest reports say that over 3 million have been directly impacted by the earthquake and thousands have been killed, trapped, or missing.
 
This Sunday, we are collecting non-perishable/relief items to send to Haiti with a relief team.  Please bring items to church this Sunday, where there will be a bin for the items.
 
Suggested items:
–       Canned goods
–       Blankets, tarps
–       Bottled water
–       Clothes, shoes
–       Non perishable food items
 
Contact person: Olivia Allmand Olivia.Allmand@mac.com, 407-733-0526

Hunkering Down at Urbana '09

December 29, 2009 By in Evangelism, Missions Tags: , 2 Comments

urbana tuesday 008

I know. Doesn’t look like my compadres are doing much hunkering down at this missions conference! Snapped this photo on our way to lunch. Simply gotta have a photo of the arch!

We’re deep into day two. Thought you might like an idea of what a day at Urbana is like.

urbana tuesday 001

We start with inductive Bible study at 8:30 AM. This morning we studied John 2:1-11. We learned about the lavish way Jesus supplied the need of wine for the wedding reception that almost ran out of the same. The leader challenged us to think of ways we might show the abundant grace of God in reaching out to others who don’t know Christ. I immediately thought of our painting outreach to my widow neighbor last August. An abundance of grace and love rained down through that effort.

urbana tuesday 007

The morning general session follows at 10:45 AM. InterVarsity spared no expense in making the praise singing time a full-blown production, as you can see. I’m thinking I would like a bank of lights like this in our new building. Just kidding!

Expository messages working through the early chapters of John’s gospel have made up most of the teaching emphasis in the plenary sessions so far. But some speakers have ventured into social concerns and the challenge of how to meet staggering needs around the world while also attending to making disciples by preaching the gospel. Our delegates from OGC have impressed me by their determination to think biblically about what they hear and to evaluate with an appropriately discerning mind and heart. They make me want to be a better pastor.

In the afternoon, a wide variety of seminar options test a conferee’s decision-making capacities. Many topics have standing-room only crowds.

After dinner another plenary session follows with more praise singing, teaching, dramatic vignettes and other artistic media expressions to communicate the various needs of global missions.

The day ends with our groups meeting for debrief and prayer from about 10-11:00 PM, way past this old gospel soldier’s bedtime. But I managed to make it all the way to the end last night.

For some reason now I feel the need for nap.

Please continue to pray for us that God would speak to us and all who have come to St. Louis for the sake of the fame of the Name of Him who gave His life for the nations.

Greetings from Urbana '09!

December 28, 2009 By in Evangelism, Missions Tags: , , 4 Comments

Urbana '09 050

We made it! Man, it’s cold in St. Louis. Suddenly I like living in the tropics.

Danny, Bethany, Julia, me, Jillian, Carissa, and Ashley all got here our separate ways safe and sound, weather and holiday travel issues notwithstanding.

The photo was taken in the exhibition hall at the Pioneers venue. Jillian is doing the recruiting thing while here underneath that huge globe partially visible in the background.

We have joined some 17,000 other believers from over 100 countries for InterVarsity’s global missions conference. We got off and running last night with the opening session and have enjoyed a day of Bible study, seminars and more. God is working in our lives. I hope to get these dear ones travelling with me to do some posting along the way. It won’t be easy. The schedule is packed. I’m cutting an afternoon seminar to do this post and some emails at, get this, Bubba Tea and Cafe where the wifi is free!

One quick thought from me about last night’s opening session has to do with this image:

hand 002

Sorry, I blurred this a bit, but do you have any idea how hard it is to take a still digital photo of your own hand, one-handed?

Last night we were reminded of this text from Isa. 49:

15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.

This is God’s answer to the charge that He forgets His people. Preposterous! Notice what v. 16 doesn’t say. I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands.. He says, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

I never saw that before! But it really wasn’t the point. The speaker wanted to encourage us that our mission wasn’t as big as we might think. He also later got to the point that it is bigger than we think when he went after the global aspect of evangelism. But this was about our individual witness. Our mission as Christians is as small as the person we work with, live near, or go to school with. At one point he asked us to write on our palms the first name of someone in our sphere of influence who needs Jesus. Then he had us thrust our hands into the air. I thought of Larry. I am praying for ways to introduce him to Jesus and His covenant keeping in love in 2010.

What about you? What name would you write on the palm of one of your hands?

May we be a church that realizes that our mission isn’t as big as we think it is and find ways to incarnate the person of Jesus in the lives of the lost.

Glad to Be Urbana Bound

December 10, 2009 By in Missions Tags: , 2 Comments

From December 27 through 31 I will have the privilege of attending Urbana ’09 in St. Louis. Urbana is the Intervarsity International Missions Conference held every three years. It is just about the single most important event of its kind in the realm of global missions. If you want a picture of what these five days will are like, watch this brief video.

Our team of six from OGC who are headed that way in a few weeks recently met together for dinner. We talked about our motives for attending. Other than never attending one of these before and not wanting to miss the experience, mine are simple. I believe God shows up uniquely in these kind of venues and I am eager to hear what He will say to me. Furthermore, I want Him to enlarge my heart for the cause of global missions so I can be a better sending pastor. And finally, I want to know better the hopes and dreams of these dear ones pictured below who are going as wellUrbana Team

From left to right that’s Bethany, Ashely, Carissa, Julia, me, & Danny. Each one has his or her own desires and dreams related to giving up a portion of their winter break to attend Urbana. I am excited to see what God will do in each of their lives.

The cost of travel, lodging, and conference fees total about $950 each. The mission committee will partially subsidize their expenses, and all are committing some of their own personal funds to the trip, but every one of them could use a little extra help with their finances.

If you feel led to help support our team with an extra gift this Sunday or next, please mark your memo line of your check for “Urbana” and we will see that it gets divided up among the members. Thanks so much!

A Spiritual Revolution in Iran

November 30, 2009 By in Missions Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Oh, my, the gospel is indeed the power of God unto salvation for those who believe!

I read this report today in Voice of the Martyrs’ Newsletter, December, 2009 issue about the current spiritual climate in Iran, third on the world watch list of countries most likely to persecute Christians:

There is a revolution going on in Iran, but it is not a revolution at the ballot box or among marchers on the streets. It is a revolution embedded in the soul of many Iranians.

Iranians are coming to Jesus Christ. Not just a few, but thousands. Recently one of our Iranian contacts told us that if Christians say the name Jesus out loud in a public place, people will come up to them and ask more about him. Many are so hungry for Christ that they will pray to receive him as soon as the gospel is presented to them. Some estimate that there are now more than 1 million Christians in Iran, and the number grows daily (p. 12).

The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14)! The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church Jesus builds (Matt. 16:18)!

What's a Church to Do with So Many Support Requests?

November 11, 2009 By in Missions Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Most of us have had numerous “asks” in recent months with several folks from our church heading for the mission field in one direction or another. Truthfully, there are more to come. We’ve got “asks” from new candidates for the mission field as well as already deployed servants whose support has deteriorated with the economy. The demand has the potential to strain relationships in our midst in one way or another. 

Here’s what we all can do when an “ask” comes our way to keep the process redemptive as opposed to divisive: 

  1. Welcome the request as a possible opportunity to invest in the kingdom for eternal reward. Treat the occasion as a chance to revisit your stewardship of wealth and evaluate whether or not your priorities are in order.
  2. Take the matter to the Lord in prayer and see what He tells you to do.
  3. Whatever He says, as best you can determine, do the missionaries the courtesy of replying with your answer so they can know what you can or can’t do. Please don’t let the awkward nature of having to decline graciously, if that is the case, keep you from timely communication. They would rather know that you cannot participate than for things to remain unclear.
  4. Remain open to different responses to different requests depending upon changes in your circumstances and how the Lord might lead in unique circumstances. Evaluate each situation independently as God directs.

 We are a relatively small church. The requests have mounted on our limited resources. Everyone understands that, especially people within our flock trying to raise support. However, the only way they are going to know if God is raising them up for the mission field or keeping them there is if they exhaust all their available contacts. Their church family is the first line of support. I am encouraging all candidates to contact our membership in light of such thinking.

Thank you in advance for your willingness to press ahead with processing of support requests. Please pray with me that the Lord will unleash the resources of heaven for each and every servant He wants on the field for the cause of the gospel from OGC.