Is God Calling You?

This short clip asks how you feel God’s call to ministry and outreach. We are firmly convinced that Christians are called to missions. We can’t tell you exactly what that looks like for you, but we are eager to walk that road together with you.

We invite you to investigate whether there’s a place for you to serve at the EFCCM!

BuzZ Online Episode 4

I shamelessly call myself a communications geek. I love how communications interacts with culture, how it shapes it, and is shaped by it. I love its wide range of tools, and I love connecting with people who are wired the same way. And, that is where Carissa comes in. She is a fellow missions communicator, and agreed to join me for this episode of the BuzZ Online.

Do you want to be involved in getting people excited about missions? Do you have skills in any area of communication? Maybe even something you didn’t think of using for communication like art, drama, creative writing, etc.? I’m looking for people that can offer stories, photographs or even ideas from a pew perspective, or from those who give and go, maybe from someone you know closely. If you’re a part of a Canadian EFC congregation, even better!

If you want to get involved, drop me a line and let’s chat! I mean it!

Signs of Summer in Hungary

Intense! That’s how it sounds to me. Signs of Summer (SOS) is an annual opportunity that enables a team of youth to engage in unique ministry that combines sign language and dance. Norm and Michelle in Hungary usually head this up together, but as Norm was recovering from a serious illness in Canada, he was unable to be there this year. The show went on under Michelle’s leadership. Molly, Mya, Cheri and Charlotte (two are EFCCM MKs from Ukraine!) were the four teenage participants in 2007′s SOS, and Trudy Ann, formerly of Okotoks Free Church, came from Virginia to cook and help wherever needed!

Dance can be compelling way to demonstrate the truth of the Gospel — add the intensity of Signing and you have music that goes straight to the heart. But to get it to the point where it clicks, it needs a lot of work. As soon as the team of four arrived in Hungary, they were met with full, ten-hour days of teaching and rehearsal. With diligence they were able to learn the movements and the accompanying sign language for the seven songs in their chosen repertoire. And then they took them to the streets and to camps in the region. They were able to use these gifts to share their dances with others, and gain meaningful interaction with local youth. Often their conversations went far beyond dance. Their long-term impact on their peers began in July, but will continue for some well into the future and, we pray, even into eternity!

Signs of Summer has a unique presence. The signing team took their work to the streets engaging with strangers where they were able to start conversations and answer questions. But a more meaningful interaction developed when SOS visited the camps. “Hands” were a recognisable theme of SOS, both in what they do and in the ways that they communicate, and each day the team focused on a different facet of sign or dance to pass on to the campers. Their plan to do manicures for one afternoon class fit in with the morning English classes “reality” games and they ended up providing TLC to almost all of the female campers! With the language barrier in such evidence, caring touch communicated so much more than limited words ever could. This was needed to break down the perceived differences, and build a strong bond between the girls and the campers.

Each member of the SOS team has talked about how stretching this experience was for them, and how fulfilled they are to have lived into it. A big thanks goes to Michelle and Norm for the sacrifices they made in making this year’s team feasible, and sticking with it against all odds. And thanks also to everyone on the team for their strong commitment despite some initial uncertainty, and for the effort they poured into this outreach event!

BuzZ Online Episode 3

Thank you for joining us for Episode 3 of the EFCCM’s official podcast! This time around I have a conversation with someone who needs to be quite vague with his identity and location, but who is pretty specific about his calling.

Community development is a fascinating concept that looks at the community as a whole, and tries to develop strategies for them to improve in every way. From health to personal finance, this type of work has begun to have a deep impact in local communities.

If this urges a response in you, please add it to our comments section below.

The Missionary as Celebrity?

“I feel like a celebrity!” It’s a comment that my wife and I have heard a number of times photographing weddings this summer. We both have cameras going, and there are untold numbers of other cameras clicking and flashes flashing, so I guess it’s understandable that the couple would feel as if they’re being hounded by paparazzi. Of course inevitably after saying it, the couple starts acting the part, mock-preening and pandering to the camera, if only for a moment.

One of the things I’ve been thinking recently is about how expectations thrust upon people are reflected in their own behaviour. Often expectations are formulated from preconceived ideas of what a person fulfilling a certain role would look or be like. It’s weird where that takes us. Tragically, at its furthest extent people feel like they can’t even come to church (or to God) unless they’ve “cleaned up their act”. That entirely misses the point of grace, and the freedom of the gift. And there’s this odd pressure for an authority figure to look like they have everything together, and that they should be throughly spit-shined. I have come to the realisation that that’s just not true. So what does the quintessential missionary look like? I assert that they look just like you!

Missionaries exist in every age, race and income level. They don’t get a unique tattoo, or share a secret handshake. They would be the first to tell you that they are normal people. (And at least most are… ) What makes them different is their willingness to be sacrificially obedient. They are willing to assume certain risks and losses to follow the dream that God has given them. But then, shouldn’t we all be living that way? That’s where God’s deepest blessing is found. If living sold-out to God sounds like a dream worth living, why not contact us? Maybe there’s a way we can partner with you to make that happen in your life. Because after all, isn’t God’s opinion worth more than that of a bunch of people with cameras?

St. Petersburg Summer Institute

Judy and Gordon returned recently from St. Petersburg, Russia where they headed up this year’s English Summer Institute (SI). This is a short-term program that brings a team of Canadian teachers into Russia to offer unique, specialised training in teaching and business. This year’s SI was very successful: though they had only 23 enrolled back in May, they ended up with over 100 students attending!

A lot of the legwork was done beforehand, such as connecting with former students, handing out flyers to the community and announcing the school at many local teacher events. Building personal relationships is a very important goal for the SI, and we strive to build continuity from year to year. This year, 60% percent of the teachers who came had attended previously, and the rest heard about the courses this spring. There were 3 returning students amongst the business class’s 22 students.

The facilities that Menno discovered last fall are well suited to the continuing program. The director, Konstantin, has the same desire to share the Gospel with the Russian people, and was gracious and helpful to us. We were able to set many things in place for next year.

This year’s team was mature, hardworking and interacted well with each other and with the students. Once again, there were many meetings and outings after class that were just as important, or more so, than class time. The team appreciated having Pastor Jack participate in the singing and sharing time. His daily impersonation of biblical characters who had a crucial encounter with Jesus captivated the students’ interest and allowed him to freely share the Gospel.

There was a definite Christian presence on the campus this year. A big thank you go to Tanya and her late husband Peter who prepared much of the groundwork for the team!

Some highlights:

• Students of one of Peter’s Bibles Studies attended the course together, ate lunch together daily with their teacher, Esther Wiens. They shared that they feel like sheep without a shepherd, and are hoping another Canadian will come to lead them.
• One student in this group, Vadim, asked Gordon if they could have a prayer meeting after classes. They met several times and were excited to have Christian fellowship.
• Christian students were witnessing to their friends, and we saw progress in these Russian seekers. There is a great need for a Canadian worker to maintain friendships, English classes and Bible Studies if this Christian community is to continue and grow. Please join us in praying for this!

Do We Really Need a New Missions Lingo…?

Let’s face it. This missions gig has been around for a while now. I mean Jesus passed along the Great Commission to his disciples roughly two millennia ago. There’s a part of it that is ancient, but there is a part of it that is new and fresh every day. I worry that there is a “same ol’, same ol’” mentality that’s crept in, and I’m not the only one with that concern. In fact there is presently a huge undertaking to revamp the words we use to talk about faith, in every arena, especially missions. But this is taking us to a place that feels slightly strange to me…

I think needing a new language presupposes that our existing language is somehow deficient. Here I’m referring to instances like replacing the very word “missions” with “global outreach”, or “international ministry”. A “mission field” is being replaced by “host country”. Please don’t misunderstand me: I get it. It’s a quest for novelty. My fear is that it’s going to cause more problems than it solves.

I’m the kind of guy who’s not opposed to change, or variety, but I need to be convinced that there’s a good reason for it. So I’m putting this question to you: Is this new language a real need in the church? Or can we stretch the existing ideas of “missions” to include the new ministry opportunities available to us in the 21st Century? As always, I’d love to have you add your opinions to the comments below.

Missions As a Career?

The missionary career is a fascinating choice. There are so many components to global outreach in the contemporary world. Some parts of ministry deal with the abstract parts of people: the soul and the emotions. Others deal with the basic necessities, like food, water and medicine. And in between, missionaries try to live a ‘normal’ life…

Growing up in Africa, my parents used to say that cars were the great equaliser. It didn’t matter if you were driving a brand new Benz, or a 25-year-old Datsun. When it broke down — they all did — you were stranded. Parts were a nearly non-existent commodity, and mechanics used any number of ‘innovations’ to keep a vehicle running. (Some ‘innovations’ caused more problems than they solved!) Missions is a choice that turns your entire world upside down, and changes everything you think you know. But there is no better vantage point to understand God’s grace!

A career in missions is birthed from a heart to do something. To help somehow. How are you feeling that desire in you? Maybe it’s to be involved in humanitarian relief. There is an increasing amount of attention currently being paid to the poverty, disease and suffering that is prevalent around the world. It’s an understatement to say that there’s room for a whole lot more! There is also a deep need to share the reality of Christ’s love to people, to explain and share faith in tangible, accessible ways. At the EFCCM, we are pursuing and celebrating causes like these all over the world! If there was one thing you could do to change the world, what would it be? And how would you start?

BuzZ Online Episode 2

Welcome to the 2nd episode of the EFCCM’s BuzZ Online! Click on the graphic above, and the podcast should start in your computer’s media player. Or you can right click and save it to your hard-drive.

In this episode, I talk to a couple working in Southern Ukraine about some of the stories they’ve experienced, and challenges they face. They have decided to remain anonymous for the purposes of this podcast, so please don’t link to this file using their names, or add their names to the comments below, even if you recognise them.

You are invited to take a listen! And please feel free to add any comments you may have about this podcast.

DBI Update

One of the most important ministries under the umbrella of the EFCCM is Leadership Development. This is where we prepare and deploy new ministry participants. There is such a need for those who can offer counseling, those who can understand and explain Scripture, and those who can stand strong for the Gospel in all areas of life. Dnepropetrovsk Bible Institute (DBI) is one such ministry operation.

DBI is really the hub of our operations in Ukraine. It provides training and resources for all levels of ministry leadership in the country, and is highly connected to the growing local churches. We celebrate with them their recent graduation which marked the first class of fourth-year grads! Offering a third and fourth year to complement the existing two-year program has been a long-time dream of the Ukraine team, and we share their excitement in watching it happen. This gives the opportunity for more in-depth ministry training specifically tailored to those who are heading towards full-time ministry.

Pray for DBI as they make preparations to start another year in the fall. Pray that the instructors would be able to rest and prepare themselves to teach, and especially that the students who join would come with an eagerness to learn and explore God’s will an call on their lives.