The Christian life is to be lived out both locally and globally. Through our First Church mission partners, we can build churches, train leaders, fight injustice, support righteous causes, rescue the hopeless, send mission teams, inspire discipleship to Christ, and encourage long-term commitment to the gospel in our own community and throughout the world.
Rather than being simply a program of the church, First Church has a rich history with missions as its purpose. Each one of our mission partners has been vetted, prayed over, and endorsed by the Mission Leadership Team (MLT), with the authority delegated by Session. It is a process that the men and women on the team do not take lightly, as they know the importance of the church’s responsibility to be His hands and feet in the world through mission partnerships and support. Indeed, the MLT is at the core of the First Church Missions Ministry. Tasked with developing and carrying out our missions policy, the MLT also equips our congregation to become personally involved in the ministries we support through all aspects of praying, giving, sending, and going.
Bill Jones currently serves as the chair of the Mission Leadership Team. He and his wife Zarie have been involved in First Missions since they joined our church about six years ago. Both have participated in such projects as Operation Christmas Child, Compassion child sponsorship, and attending mission presentations. They love to be involved in God’s work and are great helpmates to His Kingdom. Bill said:
“After attending a mission weekend at a former church, I became truly inspired and motivated to participate in missions. Missionaries from around the world spoke to small groups in our homes and in Sunday school classes; one even delivered a touching message to the congregation on Sunday morning. Their stories and experiences seemed to open my mind with understanding and gave me a heart for missions—to spread the love of Christ outward, especially overseas.”
Bill has served on the MLT for over two years. His love of the Lord shines through in his work. Bill is an avid reader, and through his love of books, he is continually learning about new things happening in the world. He has a great passion for God’s people and is always interested in learning more, delving deeper, and asking lots of questions. The Epistle had some questions about the MLT; thankfully, we found the right person to answer them.
by RJ Flower-Opdycke
MLT “FAST FACTS”
The Team: The Mission Leadership Team consists of 9 to 15 members of the congregation who serve for a three-year term under the guidance of the Director of Missions. The only qualification is to have a heart for missions! Anyone interested in being part of the team should contact Trusha Barner.
Purpose: The team identifies missionaries and organizations that proclaim the gospel, make disciples for Christ, and serve compassionately to meet spiritual, social, and physical needs with a focus on poor and marginalized people and communities (Matthew 25:31-46).
Mission Partners: Missionaries seeking support from First Church complete a questionnaire that includes information about their background, plans for ministry and service, financial support needed, and where they are in the process of raising that support. We require that each missionary be sponsored by a sending organization. (See related article on page 14.) If chosen, each supported mission and missionary submits an annual report and a summary of their year in a variety of categories.
Responsibilities: Every request for support from a missionary or mission agency is researched and vetted for their commitment, transparency, needs, and stewardship of resources. Each MLT member picks several missionaries and organizations to stay in personal contact with and to pray for. The team meets monthly to present and receive updates from the field and to plan mission events. In preparation for submission of the Mission budget to Session, the team reviews each sponsored partner annually to recommend or withdraw continued support and to determine the level of support for the coming year.
Financial Support: Mission partners usually receive a few thousand dollars in the first year. Support in subsequent years may increase to over $10,000 depending upon the situation of the particular missionary or organization. First Church limits financial support to approximately 10% or less of any individual partner’s budget so if for any reason our support were with-drawn, it would cause them to leave the mission field.
by Bill Jones, Chair – Mission Leadership Team
How You Can Help:
1. PRAY for the missions highlighted in First Things First each week. (See related article on page 16.)
2. SHOW SUPPORT for our missionaries when they visit First Church. Our support for them is more important than we realize; our interest and questions offer encouragement and may even give them the strength to sustain their ministry work, which can often be daunting and difficult. By attending our mission events, we gain knowledge and understanding about communities and people who live in unlikely travel destinations.
3. DESIGNATE a gift to the church for a particular mission partner. If you feel a spiritual or emotional connection to a missionary or toward the specific work an organization is doing in the world, we encourage you to help support them financially.
