Report of the Board of Missions
1. “What’s happening at the Board of Missions?” I hear this question quite frequently. Quite frankly, it is the wrong question to be asking. The Board of Missions is a functioning agency of the Annual Conference of the BFC. But the proper question should be, “What’s God doing in the Bible Fellowship Church?”
Last night the attendance at the church I was attending was sparse. The weather forecast was for 6 to 8 inches of snow, and by church time the snow had already begun. That small group, however, gives an indication of the health of the BFC for the vision of world evangelization.
During praise time a retired missionary told of a person who was tremendously swayed by a copy of his book now in circulation in most of the Arab world. In the congregation was an appointee who just returned from a nearly three hour drive to a BFC in order to tell his story of God’s leading to uproot his family and head off to do church planting in Eastern Europe.
Also in that group were a retired missionary from India and another from Venezuela. There were also two missionary families who have completed service in Venezuela and Russia.
The service was led by a career missionary of the BFC, and the speaker was yet another appointee sharing his vision to sell his home and begin missionary service with his wife and five year old daughter! As I looked around that group, over 60% of the people in attendance have been on a short-term missions trip at one point or another in their lives!
Where could I begin answering the question, “What is God doing in the Bible Fellowship Church?” Would I tell the above story? Perhaps I would tell of the young woman who has just now settled into her new life in Kenya, or the one who has just left to learn Arabic in Morocco. Would I tell of the couple who are finalizing their studies and will leave this spring to work with Muslims in England or the young girl now teaching in Germany?
I would have to tell of the physical struggles, the attacks on the family, and the discouragements in ministry. I would have to also tell of the great cost to the BFC and the willing sacrifice that both the missionary and the church are willing to shoulder. The statistics at the end of this report are not merely numbers but rather reflect real people with a call of God to be in the ministry of world evangelism. They all come from BFC churches who have been willing to commission them and to financially support them. Behind each one of those names is an army of individuals who have committed to daily prayer and financial support.
Read the report, rejoice but also sense the great burden and responsibility that God has placed upon us as a denomination.
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. Missionary Care including field visits – We are available and willing to meet with those considering missionary service and our missionaries needing advice or counsel regarding their ministry. Visits to the field of ministry are made to help and encourage our missionaries as the needs arise.
2. Seminars – The BOM offers to the Bible Fellowship 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 at a fall Retreat Within a Retreat (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 to help you and your church partner 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.
3. Prayer Calendar – The Prayer Calendar can 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.
4. Board of Missions Website – The BOM 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.
5. Email Subscriber Lists
a. 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 125.
b. 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
6. 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. There is a readership of nearly 250 each week with a full archive on our website.
7. May Missionary Rally – This annual gathering of missionaries and Bible Fellowship 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. A children’s program has become a successful part of this day. This year’s rally will be held May 13th at Cedar Crest BFC.
8. Missionary In-Residence at Pinebrook Bible Conference Summer Family Camp – To promote missions in the Bible Fellowship Church the BOM will supply 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 Bible Fellowship Church. Additionally, the missionary will have opportunity to present their ministry during public meetings.
9. 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 Bible Fellowship Church.
Found elsewhere in this report is 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.
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.
Candidates and Commissionings
The local church continues to produce world bound missionaries. This year the Board of Missions processed a number of new applications and approved 13 candidates (Gena Bulgrien, Neil & Colanne Daniels, Larry and Michelle Davies, Zach Easton, John & Karen Elias, Melissa Hause, Jennifer Palmer, David & Sherry Shelly, Cindy Stevens). Three missionaries were commissioned for service (Efthemes and Irene Sioukiouroglou and Gena Bulgrien )
Individuals Ending Their Active Missionary Service
Dick & Peggy Blauser Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wayne Pauley Christar
Zach Easton Word of Life
Neil & Ivy Harding United World Mission
Jason Raines TIMO
Phil & Nancy Yerrington TEAM
Annual Reports From Missionaries
Annual activity reports from missionaries will be sent out by the missionaries themselves. These reports for 2004 will be sent out in early 2005.
Date To Mark On Your Calendar Of Events:
Friday, May 13th 2005 Conference-Wide Missionary Rally 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church, Allentown, PA