Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace. (-Colossians 4)
Our recent Men’s Breakfast featured Greg & Julieann, serving in remote parts of Asia. Julieann’s parents were married here, and her father was a big help in the cemetery relocating project some thirty+ years ago which enabled essential parking for our church.
This couple inspired us with their account of relocating to restricted and hazardous places, learning new languages and skills to enter the world of those who have never about Jesus. The “Core Values” of GlobalServe, the mission agency they started, speak to us, for how we also can better reach our worlds:
Servanthood – We go to serve, not be served. We go as learners, not imposing our home culture on the people we minister to. For us - we also need to translate our faith and experience in a sensitive way, with humility and openness to continue listening and learning.
Creativity - We must be willing to move out of our comfort zone and use creative methods that will aid us in our goal of seeing churches planted. For us, that may mean inviting a friend to Coffee House or Men’s Breakfast. Or it may mean going with friends to their hobby or area of interest where we can develop a relationship of grace.
Integrity - Simply, we do what we say we do and we believe that honesty opens hearts. For us, we resist any manipulation or making ourselves sound better than we are. We spend time with people in their hard times and losses when we cannot explain or fix, but show that we care.
Narrative Teaching – We are committed to teaching the whole narrative of God’s Word, starting from the beginning, in order to build a firm foundation of truth. We are alert to the need for friends to understand a biblical worldview of historical and universal truth, including about where we came from, what our problem is, and how we find hope and healing.
Interdependence – Not self-sufficiency; we desire to have a strong partnership with the church. For us, our best resource for strengthening a fresh and contagious faith can be each other.
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