We were surprised in 2020. Covid surprised us, and our plans mostly fell apart. But God also surprised us and, in the midst of loss, we saw some amazing things come together. For example, a WO worker in Asia and the Middle East whose mobility was curtailed and couldn’t carry out home medical visits, rejoiced to find young Christian brothers and sisters willing and able to jump in make deliveries. WO theological trainers who had to cancel plans to teach in a Southeast Asian country, retooled the course to teach remotely and saw students immediately pass on what they learned to other leaders. And WO workers in another Asian country who were forced to move their small group Bible studies to Zoom, were thrilled to see participation increase and members who were previously timid blossom.

Covid distancing forced many of our workers into more solitude, more quiet reflection, and more fun family time. It wasn’t what they were aiming for in their goals, but God aimed them there anyway, and we thank him for how deeply it fed their souls. Our thanks also go out to you – the financial supporters of our global workers. At the beginning of the pandemic many predicted that mission agencies’ contribution income would drop by 25%. That was not our experience, as contributions remained steady.

In this Annual Report, you’ll see our attempts to measure what God did in and through World Outreach in 2020. One of the numbers in the report that brings me most joy is the number for Total Weekly Witness you’ll find on page 3. It represents the average number of times each week that the members of our church planting teams brought Jesus into their conversations with not-yet-believers in a way that would invite further spiritual interaction. In the places where many of our people work, this is challenging under normal circumstances. With the distancing and isolation that Covid brought, I expected the number to go down from last year. Instead, it increased – from 242 to 267 times per week!

Most of what we planned for 2020 fell apart but, praise God, everything he planned came together beautifully. I hope this report will help you praise our surprising God.

Grace and peace,

Phil Linton
EPC WO Director

I recently read a post on the art of leadership. One of the key takeaways for me was this: A good leader breaks down complex goals, issues, problems, etc, and helps people approach them by couching them in simple language or story. Jesus did this for us multiple times in the Gospels. For me the best examples are: the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, and his parables of the Lost Coin, the Lost Sheep and the Lost Son in Luke 15.

Next week our church is sending 16 of us to New Mexico on a short-term mission trip to the Navajo Nation. As mission trips go, this one seems fairly simple from the outside: Cut and deliver wood to the Navajo people for fuel and cooking. However, all mission trips have various layers and levels to them, and this one is no exception.

Since we are already considering a return trip to this area, this trip becomes an exploration of future possibilities: When it comes to the issue of poverty, the needs are endless. Do the people there need a well? Do they need more medical aid? Clothing? Other basic necessities?

Our trip is also a team venture: Great friendships can be built on a mission trip, so long as everyone keeps their ego in check, stays flexible and trusts the Lord to lead. This is a crucial facet of a trip.

We are hoping and praying for opportunities to meet and share Christ with the Navajo people. So our adventure is primarily spiritual and relational in nature. And when we open our hearts to love God’s children, we also open the door to whatever kinds of changes he wants to bring about in our own hearts so that we grow in Christ.

Yes, many layers and levels…but let’s do our best to keep things simple.

Here are my three goals for our group on this trip:

1. Give all the credit to God
2. Develop a heart for our neighbors across the world
3. Develop a heart for our neighbors across the street

Give all the credit to God: Like I said, we keep our egos in check and make sure we are doing what we are doing in order to honor and glorify God, not ourselves. Corollary to this idea: Don’t mess up the work that the resident missionaries are already doing. It’s not about you; it’s not about our group. It is about helping cross-cultural workers do what God has called them to do.

Develop a heart for our neighbors across the world: It is easy not to care about people who live far away in another world. And yet the Uyghur people in northwest China are currently enduring a holocaust situation; the country of Myanmar is suffering yet another military junta; Christians around the world are being persecuted now more than ever in the history of the world. Hebrews 13:3 reminds us: Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. At the very least we are to remember and pray for our neighbors far away. And at most we do our best to go to them and love them in the name of Christ.

Develop a heart for our neighbors across the street: My sincere hope in taking people to Haiti, to North Macedonia, to New Mexico, or wherever, is for each of us to see the needs in our own community more clearly upon our return; and more importantly, to create ways to engage ourselves and our churches to meet the various kinds of needs we encounter. And most importantly, that we will help all our neighbors understand Goal #1: God gets the credit for our work, for their lives, for salvation, for grace, for all that is good; for without him, his leadership, his Holy Spirit, his movement, we are lifeless and can do nothing. On the other hand, as the Gospel of John says: “… anybody who is living by the truth will come to the light to make it plain that all he has done has been done through God” (John 3:21).

May the Lord lift the pandemic and, more importantly, open our eyes to our neighbors across the street and across the world.

Written by Brad, an EPC Pastor

 

 

 

As we being 2021, EPC World Outreach wanted to let you in on 3 opportunities to connect with us and pursue a call to missions – both abroad and in your own neighborhood.

The EPC WO Missions Cohort is a space dedicated to engaging young adults that are interested in missions; Through mentoring, fellowship, and study together, this cohort pursues God’s leading and discerns the call towards the field. Cierra H., a member of the current Missions Cohort, has found her experience to be invaluable…

 

 

As I’m writing this today, my birthday has just passed.  I was born on August 23, 1960.  I was born to a godly young couple, and from before I was born, I was in church.  My mother was singing in the church choir while she was pregnant with me.  I have been in church my entire life; I grew up surrounded by the gospel.  I went to Sunday School, sang in the youth choir, went to youth camp, recited parts in Christmas plays, and memorized John 3:16 at an early age.  I came to faith very early in my life and have been sustained and uplifted by that faith to this very day.  I’ve known the gospel my whole life.

Somewhere in the world today there is another man who just had a birthday.  This man was also born on August 23, 1960.  But unlike me, he’s lived nearly 60 years now and has never one time in his life heard the gospel.  He can’t quote John 3:16; he’s never heard it; never read it.  He’s never been to Sunday School; never attended a worship service.  He’s never had a Bible.  He’s never heard a Christian song.  He was born on the same day I was, but perhaps has never even heard the name, “Jesus.”  Whereas I have been surrounded by the gospel my whole life, he has never one time been exposed to the gospel in any form.

Oswald J. Smith is quoted as having asked, “Why should anyone hear the gospel twice until everyone has heard the gospel at least once?”

That is a convicting question for me.  I think about it often, especially when my birthday comes around and I reflect on my life.  Over the last number of years I’ve come to pray a particular prayer on my birthday.  I pray for the gospel to reach that man; the man born the same day as me, who has never heard the gospel.  I pray that in God’s sovereignty and by His grace the light of the gospel will somehow pierce the darkness in which this man lives; that he would have the good news of the gospel presented to him in a way that he could understand it, embrace it, and believe.

I don’t know if we will celebrate birthdays in heaven.  But I do wonder if one day I might meet this man in eternity and find that the gospel did reach him, and that he came to faith.  How glorious the thought of being able to celebrate with him his “new birth-day!”

When is your birthday?  Would you take a moment right now and pray for that person born the same day as you who has never heard the gospel?  Also, would you consider praying with the leaders in your church family about becoming involved in the EPC/WO Engage 2025 strategy to plant churches among Unreached Muslim People Groups?  Perhaps your church would even consider adopting an unreached people group.  For more information on unreached peoples, check out https://joshuaproject.net/.

 

Written by Wes Tuttle. Wes Tuttle leads worship and missions at River Oaks Community Church