3 minute read
Board of Missions Chair Brad Bailey
Brad Bailey
When I look back over the past year and think of our missionaries, Romans 5:2b-4 comes to mind:
There has been plenty of suffering to go around–sickness, death, mourning, loneliness, isolation, stuck in-country, stuck out of country, a missed wedding of a daughter, prevented from being at the deathbed of a loved one, delayed or rejected visa applications, uncertainty, ministry disruption—the list could go on and on.
The encouraging part is that over the past year, we have seen time and time again the perseverance of our missionaries in the face of
suffering. We saw total surrender and reliance on God and his promises to sustain through the darkest moments. We saw a renewed reliance on prayer and seeking the comfort of our Father. We saw creative new ministry ideas and implementation. We saw deep compassion for the “least of these” who were hungry and homeless, and tangible action to help. As with the list of sufferings, these examples of perseverance could go on and on.
Praise be to God for the exceptional individuals and families that have answered God’s call to serve him as College Church missionaries!
I believe one of the reasons our missionaries fared so well during this past year is due to the preparedness received through our Missionary Prep Program (MPP). The MPP is an intense one- to two-year program designed to train and prepare College Church missionaries for a career and life in missions. While Board of Missions members come and go through limited terms, the missions pastor and staff are a constant. They do a great job, year after year, of running this exceptional program of equipping our missionaries before sending them out. It is exciting to note that we currently have seven couples and five individuals, a total of 19 people, in various stages of the program.
I believe another factor of our missionaries’ perseverance through this past year is the care provided by College Church. Again, kudos to Curt Miller and the missions staff for making missionary care a top priority. The Board of Missions has a care and furlough committee that spends significant time in making sure our missionaries feel loved and cared for. College Church members faithfully pray for and financially support our missionaries. We constantly get feedback from our missionaries on how well they feel supported, loved and cared for.
Also, praise be to God for the faithfulness of the congregants who continued to give financially to College Church through this year of hardship. We were able to fully fund our support commitments to all missionaries and partner organizations, which include the following:
▸ 121 missionary units (208 adults serving in 41 different countries)
▸ 13 partner seminaries located in 13 different countries
▸ 7 other partner organizations
It was a huge blessing that our special offerings geared towards missions, the Missionary Christmas offering in October and the Thanksgiving Eve offering in November, were as high or higher than in recent years. What a blessing to our missionaries! Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity of support to College Church missions.
Who would have thought that I would conclude this report by saying that I think it was a great year in the ministry of missions at College Church. Yes, there were hardships and suffering, but we witnessed suffering that produced perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope— hope of the glory of God!
