Report of the
Board of Missions
All self consume, all sin destroy! With earnest zeal endue
Each waiting heart to work for Thee; O Lord, our faith renew!
Lord, send the old-time power, The Pentecostal power!
Thy floodgates of blessing, on us throw open wide!
Lord, send the old-time power, The Pentecostal power!
That sinners be converted and Thy Name glorified!
Many have read with passion the account of the transformed disciples rushing from their meeting place proclaiming the Good News in the languages of the people. The result of the day was the conversion of thousands of souls touched by the Gospel spoken to them within their own cultural background.
Reading the account in Acts 2 prompts many to cry out to God, “Thy floodgates of blessing on us throw open wide!” God has repeatedly answered that prayer throughout the history of the BFC.
Just in the past few weeks the following took place:
· A sixteen year old girl told me of her assured call of God upon her life for career missions.
· A high school senior emailed me the news of her acceptance into a mission training college to pursue her call for missions that she has had upon her heart since tenth grade!
· A retiring couple sat in my office and shared their plans to step into career missions.
· A young man declared that he was praying for a career change to pursue missions.
· We received two applications from people ready to go.
· As I am writing this I am waiting for a couple to arrive that want to talk about their future in missions
· At our last board meeting we approved a couple who have sold all to begin their deputation.
When you consider that last year, twenty-seven BF churches sent out 56 short term mission teams and individuals, and as I write, four different BFC young adults are overseas on a one-to-two-year mission- related ministry. A retired BFC pastor and his wife have just completed an overseas ministry.
It is certainly evident that the “floodgates of blessings” are indeed open wide upon us. God is giving our people a passion for His world.
To assist our churches to meet the expanding call of God upon us, the Board of Missions provides the following services to the Bible Fellowship Church:
1. Seminars: The BOM offers to the BFC churches a host of informational resources.
· Design Your Impact Workshop – This five hour seminar enables church leaders to discover their congregation’s key characteristics and resources (their DNA) and move toward identifying a strategic missions focus that can unleash powerful, new global dynamic from their church.
· Knowing God’s Will Seminars are conducted each year on a denominational level in a fall RWR held at Pinebrook, but is 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 on our website (see #3) of all our missionaries that are available for 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.
· Short-term Planning advice and assistance in partnering with your missionaries by means of short-term missions trips through the services of Chris Merrick, Short-Term Projects Coordinator and Nelson Randolph, Short-Term Partnership Coordinator.
2. Prayer Calendar: The Prayer Calendar can now provide your congregation prayer information that is current. The new format now provides an attractive readable prayer aid that can be provided to the churches at a reduced rate. Nearly 1900 are sent out each month.
3. Board of Missions Website: Started this year, the website is quickly becoming a focal point of information needed by everyone interested in missions in the BFC. This site continues to grow with information useful for both the church leadership and anyone seeking God’s direction for possible service through the Board of Missions. Personal support needs and biographical information are now continually updated and available 24 hours a day. There are also helpful links in planning short-term or career missions involvement. You can log onto the site at www.bfcbom.org.
4. Email Subscriber Lists:
· 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. Readership is around 100.
· 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. Readership 190
5. 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 place 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 chair people, laymen, and students. Readership 230 each week with a full archive on our website.
6. May Missionary Rally: This annual gathering of missionaries and BF churches provides a world-wide panorama of missions, both local and overseas. It also provides networking opportunities and interaction between churches as they endeavor to highlight God’s heart for the world in their church.
7. Missionary In-Residence at Pinebrook Bible Conference Summer Family Camp: This year starts a new effort to promote missions in the BFC by supplying a missionary family for each of the eight weeks of family camp. The campers in each week will have opportunity to interact at a very personal level with a missionary from the BFC. Additionally, they will have opportunity to present their ministry during public meetings.
8. Office activities:
The office remains the hub for donor and church information and financial processing. We compile and maintain all the necessary information to keep you abreast of the financial needs of the entire missionary family. Addresses and birthdays are kept 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 board are totally dependant upon the financial support of the BFC.
To follow are the statistical information and financial reports 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.
Board of Missions: Ralph M. Soper, Chairman; Dana E. Weller, Director; Daniel G. Oswald, Financial Secretary; James W. Harris, Secretary; Donald S. Faust, Leroy O. Herb, Jacob J. Susek, Jr., Gerald L. Schlonecker, Thomas P. Shorb, and Robert A. Sloan.