Report of the
Board of Missions
In one of the final visions of Ezekiel, he watched a trickle of water from under the threshold of the temple become a mighty torrent. This impressive river has healing powers that turns even the Dead Sea into an active and potent fishing source with every kind of fish being caught. (Ez. 47:1ff)
This truly is a vision of what God is doing in this world today. The harvest that is taking place around the world easily compares to the great catch of fish from the Dead Sea! Therefore to write a report of the happenings of last year would be as useless as printing a page from last year’s newspaper. It would be like capturing a cup of water from the surging river Ezekiel saw and attempting to explain its Divinely curative properties that heals everything in its path.
Rather than give you old news and information, allow me to give you resources to keep your church abreast of what is happening in missions in order that you may have the most current BFC information for prayer and partnership.
1. Prayer Calendar.
The Prayer Calendar can now provide your congregation prayer information that is current. We have attempted to keep the lag time between receiving requests from missionaries and printing the Calendar to a very few short weeks. This is in contrast to a three month delay that was part of the original prayer calendar. Electronic E-mail has made this possible. Also included in this document are the latest missionary address changes and BOM news.
2. Daily Prayer.
Daily Prayer is a daily e-mail you can receive that allows you to not only view the Prayer Calendar request for the day, but also receive up-to-the-minute news and prayer requests from the field.
3. Friday Prayer
This is an in-depth prayer document produced each Friday and sent by e-mail. This document, meant for missionary-to-missionary communication, is also available to a select group of other prayer partners.
4. Let’s Fish.
This is a newsletter, produced each Wednesday intended to keep those interested in short term missionary trips and possible career missionary involvement on the cutting edge. It is a tool for the exchange of ideas as well as prayer and ministry opportunities. This document enjoys a readership from ages 14 years thru adult, and backgrounds that include pastors, missionaries, youth leaders, mission chairpersons, laymen, and students.
5. BFC BOM Website.
Started this year, the website is quickly becoming a focal point of information needed by everyone interested in missions and the BFC. This site continues to grow with information useful for both the church leadership and ones seeking God’s direction for possible service through the BOM. You can log on to the site at www:bfcbom.org.
6. Seminars.
The BOM offers to the BFC churches a host of informational resources.
Global Focus seminars provide an intensive weekend course that begins with understanding Biblical principles and God’s heart for His world and then gives many cutting edge applications for becoming a world-wise church with balanced outreach ministry from your “Jerusalem” to the uttermost parts of the world.
Knowing God’s Will seminars are conducted each year on a denominational level in a Fall RWR held at Pinebrook, but are also useful as a weekend course for a youth group in a local church setting.
P.O.M. (Parents of Missionary) Retreats. This weekend retreat seminar is designed to keep the parents of our missionaries on track with the ministry of their sons and daughters (and grandchildren) overseas.
Culture Link Seminars is a program that prepares your short-term missionary teams to be fully prepared for ministry. This is a necessary seminar for any church serious about getting the most from a cross-cultural experience.
Speaker Resource. The office personnel remain available for mission emphasis in local congregations. This includes all stated public worship services, Sunday School, mission conferences, and special events. The office also provides a complete listing of all missionaries that are available during the times of your missionary event needs.
Mentoring Services are provided to assist a church’s board of elders and missions committee in developing a comprehensive, long range and balanced outreach plan that uses every member in God’s global cause.
7. Office activities.
The office remains the hub for donor and church information and financial processing. Churches receive the necessary information to kept abreast of the financial needs of the entire missionary family. Addresses and birthdays are keep up to date for missionary committees and societies. Receipting of financial donations are meticulously recorded for both the donor’s and the missionary’s records.
The members of the board and the home office thank you for your continued sacrificial giving to the needs of our missionary family. We remind you that the operations of the office are completely dependent upon the financial partnership of the BFC.
Found elsewhere in this report are the financial and statistical information that will give you a glimpse of what God is doing. An updated list of all the missionaries and sending boards is also in the Annual Conference Yearbook.
The minutes of the final meeting of the Task Force created by the Board of Missions and the Board of Church Extension are provided in the Addendum. The resolutions have been approved by both of the boards to be offered to the Annual Conference.
Whereas, Dana E. Weller has been elected by the Board of Missions to serve as Director for three years, therefore be it
Resolved, that the election of Dana E. Weller as Director of the Board of Missions be ratified for a term of three years.
Board of Missions: Ralph M. Soper, Chairman; Dana E. Weller, Director; Daniel Oswald, Financial Secretary; James W. Harris, Secretary; Leroy O. Herb, Jacob J. Susek, Jr., Gerald Schlonecker, Thomas P. Shorb, David R. Way and Donald Faust
Addendum
Task Force Report
The Task Force of the Board of Missions and the Board of Church Extension met at the agreed upon time of 10:00am at the office of the Board of Missions on Thursday, January 16, 2003.
Present were Dana E. Weller, Ralph M. Soper, David E. Gundrum and Richard E. Taylor.
The report of the independent committee reviewing the work of the Task Force was discussed. The Task Force agrees that, while the committee has suggested that the plan for Great Commission Ministries not go forward at this time, much positive material for discussion has been generated.
David E. Gundrum submitted a list of positive factors from the issues considered by the Task Force:
1. A new level of cooperation between BOM and BCE
2. A new focus on helping struggling churches
3. A new way to administrate in a combined way
4. A new denominational administrative center
5. A more comprehensive view of church planting as a BFC focus
6. The involvement of more people in BFC missions
7. A motivation for greater corporate structure in the BFC
8. A positive move beyond “territorialism” and mistrust by the BOM and BCE
The following will be submitted to the two boards for their approval:
Whereas, An independent committee has reviewed the work of the Task Force comprised of representatives of the Board of Missions and the Board of Church Extension, and
Whereas, this committee is of the opinion that a merger of the two boards should not be a priority at this time, and
Whereas, The two boards are in agreement that the consultation of these boards has produced many positive concepts for future development among which are the following:
-A new emphasis on cooperation between the Board of Missions and the Board of Church Extension
-The advantage of sharing denominational facilities and administration
-The need to provide a support network for struggling churches
-A comprehensive view of church planting in the Bible Fellowship Vision,
therefore, be it
Resolved, that the material entitled, “The Bible Fellowship Church Missions Statement of Purpose” presented to the 117th Annual Conference (page 14, 2000 Yearbook), be withdrawn, and further
Resolved, that the Board of Missions and the Board of Church Extension be encouraged to pursue further cooperative efforts.