Articles for tag: Missionaries

July 15, 2020

Michael C. Mack

Ask the Lord . . . to Send Workers!

By Michael C. Mack We planned the articles for this issue on March 20, the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 916 points and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the nation’s largest city was “now the epicenter of this crisis” in the U.S., with 5,151 coronavirus cases and 29 deaths at that point. We were a nation looking for some sense of hope in the midst of a crisis we didn’t even understand. People’s anxiety was palpable and pessimism itself took on pandemic proportions. On that day, publisher Jerry Harris and I talked on the phone

July 15, 2020

Daniel Schantz

Sharon’s Vision

My wife, Sharon, always wanted to be a philanthropist and donate millions to visionary causes. Alas, she married a teacher, not a banker. Even so, she has found ways to practice philanthropy on a shoestring. Creator. Most mornings my redhead works at her sewing machine, making quilts in bright-colored patterns. She donates most of her creations to International Disaster Emergency Service (IDES), a Christian church organization that uses relief work to implement evangelism. They auction off her quilts, and the proceeds go to the relief efforts. Most of her quilts earn between $200 and $500, but some have gone for

November 30, 2018

Christian Standard

Give Your Church an International Flair this Christmas

By Emily Drayne   Have you ever wondered how Christmas is celebrated in other countries? Do they bake cookies and set them out for Santa? Do they hang stockings from mantles and have Christmas trees full of ornaments and lights? Many Americans could benefit from learning the traditions of other countries. Incorporating an international flair into your end-of-year services is easy. Here are five ways to expose your church family to missions during “the most wonderful time of the year.” 1. Host an “International Christmas Week” at your church. December is not a normal time for a missions emphasis, but

November 10, 2017

Christian Standard

Elders Champion Missions 

By David Roadcup   An effective elder-shepherd team connects to the missions initiative of the congregation. Elders should be the greatest proponents for mission service in the body of Christ. By following Jesus” marching orders, we can facilitate and support the missions outreach of our churches in the most effective way possible. Good elder teams are involved in missions!   In Acts 20:17-38, Paul, who is on his way to Jerusalem, arrives by ship at Miletus and calls for the Ephesian church elders to join him there. (Paul had planted and nurtured the Ephesian church.) When the elders arrive, Paul involves them

September 6, 2017

Christian Standard

Remember Me

By Diane Stortz With missionaries in the family, she had become pretty good at saying good-bye, although it”s never easy. This time, the leave-taking felt especially difficult, because not only were her daughter and son-in-law returning to the mission field, but this time they were taking their 7-week-old baby, Solomon, her first grandchild. One of the first things Solomon”s grandma did when she got home from the airport was frame some of the many pictures taken during those first seven weeks of Solomon”s life. She placed three in the family room, one on the piano, one in the bedroom, and

July 20, 2016

Christian Standard

Risk or Rust

By Jim Tune You probably haven”t heard of Andrew and Debbie Jones. Together, they have five kids. They”ve served all over the world. In 2015 alone, they worked in Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. They”ve done some work recently with Syrian refugees. Andrew calls himself a thinker and a nomad. He was an early and influential voice in Christian blogging. Debbie worked with hippies, refugees, social activists, and spiritual seekers. As I write this, Andrew is recovering from African diseases, including malaria. He”s had four blood transfusions and countless needles.

July 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Full Circle

By Raymond Bodley His name was Larry, a 20-year-old soldier who came into the church in Frankfurt, Germany, in the 1980s. When he arrived, he seemed to be running from what he thought was expected of him, while also searching for where God could use him. I wondered how he fit into the U.S. Army mold, though he was really smart. When I met Larry, he was a “gun bunny” who carried howitzer shells from point A to point B. After he dropped two or three shells, however, the command decided to make him a driver for a captain. That

August 21, 2015

Christian Standard

‘Story of God’ . . . for All Mankind

By Jennifer Johnson Story of God was designed simply to enhance a sermon series””and now it just might go international. Sherri McCready originally developed visual and performance art to accompany a four-month sermon series focusing on 16 key stories from Genesis to Revelation. At the time she was the creative arts director at Highland Christian Church in Asheville, NC, and her husband, Shannon, served as lead pastor. “Shannon was burdened by how many people don”t read the Bible””or anything else,” she says. “He began researching missionaries who dealt with people groups without a written language and how they communicated the

March 16, 2015

Christian Standard

To My Brave, Upstanding Trees

By Daniel Schantz The sharp blade of my shovel slices into the soft dirt. I am planting an apple tree. I lift the heavy scoop of brown gold and fling it to the side, and the fragrance of fresh earth meets my nostrils. When the crater is about a foot deep and three feet wide, I stand my bare root apple stock in the middle and spread out the spidery roots. Then, I pack black loam over the roots until the cavity is filled, and stand back to admire my work. There”s not much to see. Just a “stick” about

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