Missions Conference
Missions Conferences Missionaries are those individuals who have answered the call of the Great Commission to leave the comfort of their own home, hometown, and very often their home country and share the Gospel with individuals around the world. Thanks to technological advances such as email, Skype, and even Facebook, those in the supporting churches back in the United States can see and even hear instantaneous updates from these missionaries even though they may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away! Just this morning I was able to see pictures of a missionary friend of mine in Zambia who killed (and proudly displayed) a Gaboon Viper that was on the road, blocking their route. After seeing those pictures, I was able to “chat” with a seminary friend of mine in France in real time. Before signing off the discussion with him, we were interrupted by an individual in Uruguay I had met on a missions trip in 2008 who wanted to know how the church services went at our church the previous Sunday. Truly, technology has brought our missionaries closer to us than ever before.
However, even with all these technological advancements, nothing can compare to the excitement of hosting a Missions Conference at the church and getting to spend time with them, meeting their families, and hearing them preach in real life. It is always an exciting time in our church when the flags get put up on the walls, and plans for the missions banquet are in full swing.
Sometimes we can wonder what exactly our missionaries are doing on a daily basis. We can hear their stories of adventure and ministry when we have them into our church! We often hear of a world where the poor keep getting poorer, and social aggression makes us fall back on stereotypes and hate, and Christians are being called on to be agents of change. Our missionaries are doing just that. They are building bridges, serving the poor, breaking stereotypes, offering hope, all the while sharing the love of Christ with those around them. They know that it is only God who can change the human heart and it is then our privilege is to simply share in their lives by welcoming them into our missions conferences as well as our hearts.
Our recent Missions Conferences have welcomed:
- Paul and Kim Pelletier, missionaries in Laval, Quebec, Canada
- Mike and Amy Lyons, international representatives with UCLA in Monterrey, Mexico
- Mike and Carolyn Davidson, Bible and Ministry Instructors with International Partnership Ministries, Inc.
- Brian and Charity Collins, missionaries in Singapore
- Matias and Kristine Espinel, Missionaries on deputation to Uruguay, South America
- Nathan and Karie Owens, Missionaries in Cameroon, Africa
- Matthew and Michelle Conrad representing their ministry in Hong Kong, China Joel and Deanna Porcher, from Ghana, West Africa
- Jason and Adele Rice, representing their ministry in Slovakia
- Jonathan and Lorena Templeton, representing their ministry to Salamanca, Spain