Missions Ministries that Work: Christ’s Church Mandarin

By Jill Thomas

We have had great success in missions in the short time I”ve served as local and global outreach director with Christ”s Church, Mandarin Campus, in Jacksonville, Florida.

One of our biggest successes in local missions has been in getting many more people involved. Between our neighborhood groups wanting to take on more local projects, and families in the church who want to start serving each month with their children, we”ve seen many new faces serving the community on a more consistent basis.

We have also seen more life change because of our missions programs. Several adults and even more students have come back from mission trips changed forever. One young woman has dedicated the next step in her life to learning Spanish so she can continue to visit countries and tell people about Christ. A middle school student who just returned from a trip is already at work raising money for next year”s trip. Another young woman who just returned from Cambodia was so inspired by an organization she visited there that she is planning to return to that country to serve with that group for a year. It”s amazing to see what just one week can do to inspire people to serve God on a bigger level. That”s our goal for missions: to grow more disciples into better disciples to continue building God”s kingdom all over the world.

I continue to see the greatest challenge in missions as getting more volunteers committed on a deeper level, on a regular basis. We tend to have a good core group of volunteers who show up for everything we offer, but aside from that small group, the commitment level among individuals and families is sporadic. I”m working to build a better team of volunteers and team leaders who are more involved on a deeper level to play an important role in what we do.

During my year and a half here, I have sought to sustain and increase interest in missions by constantly keeping our programs in front of the congregation, building relationships with people who have never had a missions experience, and making our systems and programs as effective as possible. I”ve attempted to improve and increase communication, and keep a detailed and accurate calendar of upcoming events for the congregation.

Jill Thomas serves as local and global outreach director with Christ”s Church, Mandarin Campus, Jacksonville, Florida.