SENDING CHURCH - Baptist Bible Tribune

other missionary families CrossBridge supports.However, outside of the normal blessingsof being a sending church, it has helped us intouching the lives of one of our young familiesin our church. George and Luisa were recentlyin our church when I introduced them toPeter, who is Greek. Peter invited the Dimakosfamily and our pastoral staff to his restaurantfor lunch after the church service. We had awonderful time of fellowship and deliciousGreek food. While we were there, Peter andGeorge began conversing in Greek to eachother. Then they began to share in English howthey came to Christ and the difficulties that itbrought to their families. There’s no separationof nationality and religion. If you’re Greek ...you’re Greek Orthodox. So resentment, anger,and sometimes being disowned by their familyare the results when that person comes toChrist and leaves the Greek Orthodox church.During their conversation, George askedPeter where he was from. Peter told himhis family is from a small town and that hewouldn’t know it. So, George said, no, pleasetell me where you’re from. He told him,“I’m from a small village outside of Spartacalled Skoura Varvitsa.” Well, George wasoverwhelmed, as it is the same village he isfrom. After a few phone calls to brothers andsisters, they realized their families knew eachother and were somehow related to each other.As we were leaving, Peter asked George if hewould pray for him and his family in Greek.George began to pray and Peter began to cry.He told me he’s never heard such a wonderfulprayer in all his life. It’s amazing how God couldtake two men from the same village and bringthem together in a new country for His glory!Missions is personal at CrossBridge and being asending church made that happen!Ken McCormickTri-City Baptist TempleGladstone, ORTri-City Baptist Temple has been privilegedto serve as the sending church for threefamilies. Each of these families has helpedkeep our hearts sensitive to the needs of ourmissionaries. When one family had to leavethe field due to severe health problems, theyreturned to TCBT and helped start our missionteam. Knowing how easily missionaries canbegin to feel discouraged, disconnected, andexhausted when on the field, they now sendhundreds of cards to offer encouragementand to recognize birthdays, anniversaries, andother special days. The response has beenoverwhelming! Many of our missionaries havecontacted us, thankful for the thoughtfulnessand encouragement.Ron & Kathy Reasoner, RussiaThe Lord sent my family to Hillsboro, OR, in 1987 to startCorridor Baptist Church. After six years, the Lord calledus to Russia and Corridor became our sending church.This has given us an unusually close relationship withour sending church that has been nothing but a blessingover the past 20 years. Many of the core families werethere when I pastored the church. The church has grownwith us and our ministry in Russia. They provide us withan apartment when we are stateside.James & Lori Bradley, MexicoA good experience we have hadwith our sending church wasour commissioning and send-offservice. They made the servicea very special time and we trulyfelt that our sending church wasa part of what we were going todo on the field. We felt like theywere part of our team!Dwayne & Tammy Wright, EthiopiaThough there are many things our sending churchhas done for us, the one thing that stands abovethe rest is how our pastor prepared the church tosend us out. He preached one whole service onwhat it meant to be a sending church — that it wasmore than just sending monthly support, but thatwe were a branch of their ministry and that thechurch must be ready to pray, support, and go tohelp us in all areas of need and encouragement.Russell JohnsonInternational Bible Baptist ChurchMiami, FLThe most positive result of being a sendingchurch has been the continued influence of ourmissionaries’ lives on the people in our pewstoday. We differentiate between them andthe rest of our missionary families by callingthem our sent ones and keep them before ourpeople constantly. We have had entire missionconferences with just our sent ones.When they are present we always say:“This family sat in the same chairs you sit intoday and built the ministries that you are nowbenefitting from; they simply went out and arecontinuing to be used by God in _____.” Thisconnection motivates our people to greaterministry here and gives them a vision for whatGod could do through them elsewhere.The second positive result is therelationship we share with the churches theystart. We have churches that are our spiritualchildren and grandchildren in the ministry. Wetry to maintain genuine connections with manyof the pastors and their congregations and, inreturn, that creates a sense of multiplication inevery aspect of ministry.Herb HubbardBible Baptist ChurchSavannah, GAOne of the great privileges of a church andpastor is to have God call missionaries fromour midst. They become a great source ofencouragement to the people. They become anexample of sacrifice and remind us of our needto give and serve so they may continue to sharethe gospel. And they become a reminder thatGod loves people of all nationalities. The churchthat has the privilege of being a sending churchis blessed.Scott CarlsonPalm Springs Drive Baptist ChurchAltamonte Springs, FLBeing a sending church lets us literally send ourchurch into the world. Just like our children,they’ve come from us and although we can besad as they go, we are excited about what theywill accomplish for the Lord.R. D. WadeFirst Baptist Church of MeadowviewMesquite, TXOf the 275 missionaries we support, 42 aresent out from our church. I think the blessingof being a sending church is the personaland intimate relationship we have with them;especially those who have grown up in ourchurch! I think our people feel more of anownership of their ministry because they trulyare “our” missionaries!September 2012 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 13