Quiz: Okay, it has been almost a month since our annual Missions Conference. Take the following quiz to see how many facts you remember. (Answers appear at the end of this article.)
_________________ 1. Field of service for Jeff and Susan Turnbough?
_________________ 2. Field of service for Steve and Becky Riggs?
_________________ 3. Future field of service for Angela Emerick?
_________________ 4. The major European city the Turnboughs call home?
_________________ 5. Number of children the Riggs have?
_________________ 6. Number of children the Turnboughs have?
_________________ 7. The missionary couple who worked with their son and daughter-in-law in the same field of service from August 2003 until July 2005?
_________________ 8. The percentage of the population of Spain that are actual believers?
_________________ 9. The missionary who presented a PowerPoint presentation showing many volunteers helping to convert a building into a church?
_________________10. The missionary who calls the Tidewater, VA, area home?
Trivia buffs will probably do well on this quiz. Others might say, “Well, I don’t remember all the details, but I know I profited from the conference.” You are right: you most assuredly profited from attending the services. Anytime we are confronted with cultures different from ours, and we listen to the heart of those called to spread the gospel in foreign countries, we are reminded that Christ died for ALL people.
Pro-Active Response: We have always been a “Missions-Giving” church. Proudly we have ranked high on the list of giving to International and Home Missions. But are we a “Missions-Minded” church? I propose that a “Missions-Minded” church will have a pro-active response.
1. Praying: Apart from the WNAC Pre-Thanksgiving week of prayer and the International Missions Pre-Easter week of prayer, we have no organized method for praying for ALL of our missionaries. Would it not be profitable for us to organize a Mission Prayer Band in our local church? Each person who joins is given the responsibility of praying for one country. Each person collects specific information about the missionaries, their families, their ministry needs. (All the information is readily available via the internet. http://www.fwbgo.com) Those who join promise to set aside fifteen minutes each week to pray for the specific needs of their respective fields. Can you imagine the impact such a circle of prayer would have on those missionaries? On those who are praying? Are we praying consistently for the Lord to call our own children to a field of service? What a reaping we could see if we prayed earnestly for the Lord to call each child who attends Children’s Church into full-time Christian service.
2. Giving: Consider the possibility of regular giving to a missionary. I know, at times you feel overwhelmed, maybe a bit guilty too, because there are so many missionaries needing money. Maybe you feel you cannot afford any more expenses. Pray and ask the Lord to help you “find” a source for ten or fifteen extra dollars a month. Use the envelopes in the pew and designate your gift to a certain missionary. If every person in our denomination gave consistently, missionaries such as Sean and Jill Warren (and the other members of the M-Team) would not have to come home this summer to raise more support. Have you ever considered estate planning? What a legacy you would leave and what reward you would receive by leaving a portion or all of your estate to FWB International Missions!
3. Going: This year’s conference presented the need for short-term missions work. Our church is blessed with people of varied skills and talents. Why not consider a week or two, or maybe even a month, to volunteer for a home or foreign missions project. Do you have construction skills, teaching skills, cooking skills, sports training skills, medical skills, people skills? You name it. Why not consider taking the entire family, kids and all. What a summer trip that would be! Okay, Prime Timers, what about you? The poet, TS Eliot, once said that the years between 50 and 70 are the most dangerous: “You’re always being asked to do something and you’re not decrepit enough to refuse.” We have many “non-decrepit” seniors who could go.
4. Sending: Need a motivation to support foreign missions? Try sending your own child or grandchild to a foreign country for either a short or long-term assignment. Trust me, your heart will pay attention, especially when you have to sign the form that asks where your want your loved one’s body to be buried in case of their death--in the foreign country or back in the States. Ask the families of Heather Scruggs and Josh and Alicia Crowe. They are learning what it means to pray, go, give, and send for missions. Ask our pastor who traveled to France a year-and-a-half ago; ask Doug Little, Director of Mobilization; and ask James Forlines, Director of International Missions. They all will tell you that a missions-minded church is a church that is sending out missionaries from it own congregation.
Okay, time for the answers. Look below to see how you did. Even if you failed this trivia quiz, you can ace the test. Ask the Lord to show you what He would have you do. Will you pray, give, go, send, or all the above?
Answers:
1. Spain 2. France 3. Central Asia 4. Madrid 5. Four 6. Two 7. Turnboughs 8. Less than 1% 9. Steve Riggs 10. Angela Emerick
No comments:
Post a Comment