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It's Not Okay
by Minister of Missions, John Chung
Missions is our participation in God’s plan to reconcile his creation back to himself in Jesus Christ. Each year our missions conference reminds us that we are in a battle to advance the kingdom of God in a world that is sinful, broken, and often opposed to God’s purposes. We are in an epic struggle, not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
There is much in our world that makes us realize that the work is not done. We all experience or see things in life that break our hearts or anger our souls to the point of declaring, “It’s not okay!” When we open our eyes to see the world around us there is no shortage of injustice, corruption, oppression, disease, genocide, gendercide, starvation, homelessness, persecution, and evil in our world. Not only is there human suffering here on earth, but we live with the reality that there is the future eternal suffering of hell for too many people who are without salvation in Jesus Christ. On a personal level, it’s not okay that we have friends, neighbors, colleagues, classmates, roommates, and family members that have yet to hear the saving message of the gospel. On a corporate level, we send missionaries and support partners all around the world as part of God’s mission because we are not okay with the fact that there are still 2.8 billion people and 6933 ethnic groups who have yet to hear the good news of salvation. In addition there are over 2000 people groups that still do not have the Word of God in their own languages. These things are not okay.
We need to be reminded that a church that remains self-centered and indifferent is not okay. Believers who remain apathetic and powerless are not okay! Our lack of discipleship and disobedience to Jesus is not okay. These things in my life are not okay with me. As a church they are not okay with us…and most importantly they are not okay with God. So what are we going to do about it?
Fredrick Buechner wrote, “Vocation is where your greatest passion meets the world’s greatest needs.” In this year’s conference we desire to rise up as a church, to commit ourselves and our vocations to God, and to live out our passion for God’s mission together. We need to proclaim that Jesus is the solution for the brokenness of our world. There are too many things that are not okay.The question remains, what are we going do about it?
MEET THE SPEAKERS
STUART & SINDIA FOSTER
Stuart and Sindia Foster work with Serving in Mission in northern Mozambique doing Bible translation and theological education. After many years they are nearing completion of the Bible translation into the Lomwe language and are now starting on the Takwane Bible. They are also involved with establishing and teaching in Bible schools across Mozambique.
BILL & PAULA HANNA
Bill and Paula Hanna serve with the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Thailand. They support people who are translating the Bible into their own language in fifteen different language groups throughout Southeast Asia. They work with teams of translators providing training, encouragement, and ongoing consultant support, and help them to ensure that the translated scriptures are faithful and accurate.
ANDREW & ANNE MAY
Andrew & Anne May serve as Mid-Term Missionaries in South Africa at the Andrew Murray Centre, partnering with our long-term missionaries David and Deborah Bliss. Andrew serves as Director of Prison Ministry in eleven correctional centers and Anne serves as Operations Director for the Centre. Their ministry provides discipleship and missions training for over five-hundred prisoners.
PAUL & MICHELE MARTINDALE
Paul and Michele Martindale served as missionaries in Morocco, France, and Spain. They now work with Pioneers training churches in the USA to serve and love Muslims both here and abroad. Paul directs the Summer Institute on Islam and is on loan to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary where he teaches Islamic Studies and Cross-Cultural Ministry. Michele currently completing a masters in social work.
KRISTI VROOMAN
Kristi Vrooman is a Mid-Term Missionary and has served with Greater Europe Mission as part of a church planting team in Cologne, Germany since 2010. A classically trained singer and french hornist, she leads the church’s music ministry, and plans and performs in a wide variety of evangelistic concerts. In addition to her artistic work, Kristi is also active in street evangelism, outreach and discipleship.
JIM & ANDREA Z.
Jim and Andrea Z. serve with SIL in Central Asia as Bible Translators. Jim over sees translation projects in the region and his team is finishing up their country’s language project. Andrea serves on the leadership of Hope Academy a school that provides education for missionary children in that region. Their heart is to see the church in Central Asia built up and empowered.
MISSIONS CONFERENCE 2011 SCHEDULE
[ Friday, Nov 4 ]
7 pm, Family Missions Night
[ Saturday, Nov 5 ]
11 am, HumaniTEA with Women’s Ministry
[ Sunday Nov 6 ]
8:30 & 11 am, Sunday Morning Worship Guest Speaker
9:45 am, Virtual Prayer Meetings: join missionaries around the world in prayer
12:30 pm, Virtual Prayer Meetings: join missionaries around the world in prayer
4 pm, Sunday Evening Worship Guest Speaker
5:30 pm, Virtual Prayer Meetings: join missionaries around the world in prayer
[ Tuesday, Nov 8 ]
7 pm, Café Missions Night with missionary guests
[ Wednesday, Nov 9 ]
7 pm, All-Church Evening of Worship & Prayer
[ Thursday, Nov 10 ]
7:00 pm, Café Early 20s Missions Night with missionary guests
[ Friday, Nov 11 ]
7:30 pm, College Missions Night with guest speakers John Chung & Andrew May
[ Saturday, Nov 12 ]
9 am, Men’s Missions Breakfast
[ Sunday, Nov 13 ]
8:30 & 11 am Sunday Morning Worship Preacher: Gordon Hugenberger
9:45 am, Children’s Christian Formation Classes with missionary guests
12:30 pm, Missions Luncheon (reservation required) Speaker: Stuart Foster
4 pm, Sunday Evening Worship Preacher: Walter Kim
