UKRAINE: Refugees Flood Western Ukraine
Residents of western Ukraine are hosting refugees in their homes and helping them obtain provisions as these displaced people attempt to flee to Poland and other Eastern European countries.
Articles for tag: Missions
February 22, 2022
My Heart for Ukraine
"I lived in Ukraine for five years," Laura McKillip Wood writes. "I made some of the best friends of my life there, both American and Ukrainian. I met and married my husband, Andrew, another missionary there. . . . Needless to say, I have watched the events unfolding in Ukraine with anxious interest."
DeWelt Retires from Ozark but Not from Ministry, Missions
Chris DeWelt is moving on to the next chapter in his life. But he’s not going to slow down—at least not much. “There’s always plenty to do,” said the longtime director of intercultural studies at Ozark Christian College, who retired from that position at the end of 2021.
November 23, 2021
When You Have Enough Stuff: Donations for the Kingdom This Christmas
As you look over your Black Friday list, consider these ideas for giving a meaningful and tangible donation to a mission organization this year.
November 1, 2021
How COVID-19 Is Changing Christian Missions
Missionaries and mission organizations share their stories.
November 1, 2021
Restoring the Power of Pentecost
By Michael C. Mack Every day you and I face many challenges, and biggest of them all may be how we choose to perceive them. As the apostle Paul put it, we can fix our eyes on what is seen or what is unseen, on what is temporary or what is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Our perspective makes an incalculable difference in our lives and, by extension, the lives of those around us. How you view the articles in this issue will make a difference, too. A main theme for this issue is missions. One article describes how COVID-19 is
November 1, 2021
Opening Closed Doors
Tools and Strategies for Sharing the Gospel in Restricted Nations
November 1, 2021
Great Opposition or Great Opportunities?
A Top 10 Prayer List for Countries Most Closed to the Gospel
June 23, 2021
Lake James School of Missions—A Gathering Rich in History
The 85th installment of the Lake James School of Missions July 25-31 is shaping up as one of the most highly anticipated gatherings in recent history, according to organizers.
April 21, 2021
Amor Ministries Eager to Resume Short-Term Mission Trips
After a yearlong travel hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the leaders at Amor Ministries are hoping they can begin leading short-term mission trips again in June.
October 24, 2020
The Future of Evangelism, Missions, and the Church
The headline “51% of Churchgoers Don’t Know of the Great Commission” from a Barna report in March 2018 caught my eye and caused me great concern. The report said that for 25 percent of churchgoers, the term “Great Commission” sounded familiar, but they could not remember the meaning of it. Only 17 percent of churchgoers said they had heard of the Great Commission and knew what it meant. Although not even half of any age group knew the term Great Commission well, the youngest adult generation was the least likely to recognize it. Only 10 percent of millennials (those born
October 16, 2020
Church Preserves City’s Apple Butter Makin’ Tradition
By Jim Nieman The annual Apple Butter Makin’ Days festival in Mount Vernon, Mo., was canceled—yet another casualty of COVID-19—but then Mount Vernon Christian Church stepped up. The church participates in the festival each year. In fact, MVCC is one of three organizations that actually makes apple butter on-site during the three-day event at the Lawrence County Courthouse square located downtown. “Our recipe is the best,” MVCC lead pastor Jeff Kruger confided. (It’s the old Stotts City Union Church apple butter recipe that has been passed down through family members.) So, upon learning the three-day event was canceled, MVCC—a church
February 22, 2020
A Social Presence that Spreads the Gospel
Laura McKillip Wood Terry pounded the steering wheel and cried. It took her last ounce of restraint not to throw open the car door and march right back into the boarding school to collect her son’s things and take him home. Who cared if the mission organization she and her husband, Kevin, worked with required them to send their child to boarding school? Was it even worth it? “Please, God, just give me my son back!” she cried. In the stillness that followed, the assurance that God was working through them in their ministry settled her heart. “I loved Jesus,
January 2, 2020
River of Life
By Laura McKillip Wood “When I was 14 years old, I traveled with my father to a little town in the middle of nowhere to teach one man. This man was planting a church in his house. My dad went there every month to teach him, and when I saw this, it really touched my heart. He left the city where we lived, a classroom full of students, and a big church where he ministered to go to just one person in a small town.” Jeff Fife watched his father on that trip. He saw his father’s care for that
December 25, 2019
From ‘Never’ to All-In: Let’s Start Talking Trip Leads to Missions Career
By Laura McKillip Wood Melvina’s hands shook as she dialed 911. “I found my dad on the floor! I can’t wake him up!” She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself as the operator instructed her to begin CPR. Within a few minutes, paramedics arrived, but it was too late. The heart attack was fatal. They pronounced Melvina’s father dead at the scene. In many ways, this event marked the end of Melvina Brown’s childhood: “I was 17, but his death turned me into a 30-year-old.” She made decisions about the funeral and bought a casket. She began
November 2, 2019
Innovative Disciple-Making Using Social Media
By Laura McKillip Wood The smell of fresh bread and pastries wafted around Eugene* as he stepped through the bakery door in Banja Luka, Bosnia. Shelves of baked goods lined one wall, and people quietly spoke with the cashier as they made their purchases. Eugene noticed two young men his age standing near him. One man wore a jacket with the name of a band on it. “I like that band,” Eugene said. After chatting for a moment, Eugene sat down with David and Petar. They drank coffee and talked about their shared love of music. As they prepared to
November 1, 2019
How to Stoke a Passion for Living Out Christ’s Mission in Your Church
By Michael C. Mack We planned this issue to tell the stories of mission works located on six of the seven continents around the world. (We know of no mission to the 4,000 people who live in Antarctica during the summer months!) The idea is to demonstrate the ongoing fulfilling of Jesus’ mission to “go and make disciples of all nations” and to be Christ’s “witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth.” We hope these stories help kindle a passion for preaching the gospel message to the whole world . . . but let’s not get ahead
October 18, 2019
A ‘Singular’ Mission
By Jerry Harris Some might argue it’s a fine point to draw a line between the “n” and the “s” in the word missions, but I have always felt it there. Having graduated from a Bible college that emphasized the need of going “to the uttermost part of the earth,” I felt my commitment to Christ was measured by the space between where I started and where I went. There were mission requirements for my degree, and I remember asking the head of the missions department whether he valued foreign mission work over domestic ministry. I chose a domestic path
October 1, 2019
Morning Glory Christian Academy (Guatemala): Catalyst for Life Change
By Reggie Hundley San Raymundo, Guatemala, is a rural village of about 26,000 people located 31 kilometers north of Guatemala City, the nation’s capital. A blend of indigenous citizens of Mayan descent and Ladinos of Spanish descent live there. The region’s illiteracy rate is extremely high. Public schools are free, but uniforms, books, and transportation are expenses the impoverished residents cannot afford. Rather than attending school, many children roll wicks for fireworks throughout the day to help with family finances. About 5 kilometers north of San Raymundo, hundreds of students study at Morning Glory Christian Academy. The school was started
October 1, 2019
Pioneer Bible Translators (Papua New Guinea): To the Least and the Last
By Greg Pruett When Al Hamilton was founding Pioneer Bible Translators in the early 1970s, William and Robin Butler were among the first missionaries he recruited. Al had heard William explaining a Greek assignment to a friend in the campus bookstore and, on his way out the door, tapped William on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Sounds like you would make a good Bible translator.” That comment planted an enduring seed. In 1975, at a snowy National Missionary Convention in St. Louis, William and his fiancée, Robin True, went forward to give their lives to the work of
