January 1, 2023
Remember the Children initially raised funds to help orphans and took medicines to orphanages, Andy Baker says. Later the ministry began focusing on finding Romanian families for orphans. Soon that work expanded to helping at-risk children living in extreme poverty. Eventually, RTC saw the need for communities of faith in places where the gospel was not having an impact and began planting churches . . .
June 3, 2022
When she was growing up, Sarah Putman never considered herself a missionary candidate, but through a roundabout path, she is now serving in Romania and helping refugees who have escaped the war in Ukraine.
April 14, 2021
Mountain Mission School of Grundy, Va., celebrates its centennial anniversary this month. When the school was started, 17 denominations had mission schools in the Appalachia area; today, Mountain Mission School is the only one still operating.
October 24, 2020
Going to Bangladesh was not my idea. As an expatriate living and working in South Korea, I already spent my days navigating cultural differences and chipping away at language barriers. But, since I had also recently become co-leader of the missions team at church, when it came time for our biannual trip to Bangladesh, I was informed it was “my turn.” And, just for good measure, I was “in charge.” I admit, I didn’t welcome this news with unrestrained joy. Still, I supported the aims of the trip. Our destination in Bangladesh was a small, experimental community created for widows
September 22, 2020
By Crystal Kupper The word grandma used to be very scary for Jayme Walker Hill’s foster daughter. “Any time I would talk about my grandma,” said Hill, her foster daughter would share from her own life experience, saying, ‘My grandma was mean.’” “We would try to avoid that word, but she would still cry and be very fearful around older women.” Hill and her husband soon learned that their new foster daughter had been abused by her former adoptive parents, an older couple. The girl, now 19, operates at about the mental level of an 8-year-old. But this isn’t a
November 26, 2018
By Carla Williams You want your Christmas season to be as meaningful and Christ-focused as possible, but when it comes to gifts, it can be difficult to escape the trap of overcrowded malls or flash Internet sales. As you ponder your list of loved ones to shop for this Christmas, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to give something that makes a difference for the kingdom around the world? Many ministries and mission groups sell thoughtful, meaningful gifts that help sustain and serve their gospel purposes. This year, you can give gifts that truly keep on giving! _ _
January 17, 2016
By Danielle Hance We have all seen the dismal images of bellies bloated by malnourishment. We have cried at pictures of shoeless children and children who are smaller than healthy children half their age. According to UNICEF, there are more than 150 million orphans worldwide. What can we do to make a dent in such a large number? Some people respond by adopting an orphan. While that is a noble calling, not everyone can do this. But most of us can live out the call “to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). Here are 10 ways
January 15, 2016
By Justin Horey Hundreds of thousands of children in America are living away from their parents, desperately in need of a family to keep and care for them. Many Christians have seen the need. Here are some of their stories. Alone and afraid, seated on a chair in the unwelcoming waiting room of a government office, holding a small plastic bag filled with a few personal belongings (or, worse, holding nothing at all). This is not the picture of an international refugee; this is how life in America”s foster system begins for thousands of children every year. Tom and Peggy
November 10, 2014
By Derrick Ritchie When Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” we believe this calling is for not only individual Christians, but the church as well. I confess this is a challenge, because our church will give more than $85,000 to missions this year. There are always things I would love to do with this money inside the walls of our church. Really, I have a long list in my head! But I believe God will bless our local ministry in relation to our generosity to missions and missionaries around the world as we advance his
August 30, 2013
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27, English Standard Version). By Chris Barras I”ve read James 1:27 many times, and I”ve taught it on it a few occasions. I”ve always found it a difficult text to apply. James says we should care for widows and orphans, but in a young church like the one I serve, I just don”t know any widows. I”m not sure I know any orphans, either. And I don”t think I”m the only
August 29, 2013
By Brian Mavis In 2004, 39 people gathered in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the first Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit. This year more than 2,500 people drove and flew from 49 states (what”s up, Vermont?) and more than 20 countries to Brentwood, Tennessee, to attend the annual summit. In just nine years, the orphan care ministry has widened, deepened, and become a legitimate movement. Getting Wider The foster/adoption/orphan problem is huge and complex; there are more than 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. Of those, adoption is an available option for 120,000. Every year about 40,000 foster
February 22, 2013
“You are a Christian only so long as you constantly pose critical questions to the society you live in . . . so long as you stay unsatisfied with the status quo and keep saying that a new world is yet to come.” “”Henri Nouwen By Brian Mavis If your spouse calls and says, “I”ve just been in a car accident,” the first question out of your mouth will show what you really care about (and it will also have a direct bearing on your marital relationship). Asking, “Are you OK?” reveals love for your spouse and results in compassion and healing.
By Jennifer Taylor When Marcus and Julie McClure began to investigate foster parenting, they had no idea it would change not only their family, but their church and city as well. “The McClures became foster parents and ran out of room for more kids in their home, but felt a huge burden to do more,” says Chris Hornbrook, lead pastor at Momentum Christian Church in Chula Vista, CA. “They had a vision for encouraging and educating the people in our church””and the Christians across San Diego County””to get involved in foster care and adoption.” The McClures started Rooted in Love,
By Jennifer Taylor Danielle Ott, a member at Traders Point Christian Church (Indianapolis, IN), began dreaming about the possibility of a citywide foster care/adoption event coordinated by several area churches. A conversation with one like-minded acquaintance grew to a small group of people from five churches meeting at Starbucks to discuss ideas. The Answer the Call Conference launched May 19. “There are so many people who feel God”s call to adopt or participate in the foster care system, but they don”t know where to start,” she says. “We wanted to encourage and equip them to move forward in a meaningful
August 15, 2011
By Dale Reeves When Beth Guckenberger told me that we had an opportunity to advertise the cover of her book, Relentless Hope, on a car that would be racing in the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup on July 9, 2011, I was absolutely thrilled! I immediately shared with my marketing manager the opportunity to have Standard Publishing represented at the Kentucky Speedway. We started wondering, Has anyone ever advertised a book in a NASCAR race before? Before long we were providing art files to NASCAR driver and Back2Back supporter Michael McDowell, and we quickly realized that he is a great
June 30, 2011
Standard Publishing author Beth Guckenberger has teamed up with NASCAR driver Michael McDowell to promote orphan care. Guckenberger, director of Back2Back Ministries, is a veteran of efforts to help impoverished children across the globe, with a focus in Mexico, Nigeria, and India. But this is the first time NASCAR has been a part of the solution. McDowell, an up-and-coming NASCAR rookie, wants to do his part to support Guckenberger”s ministry. That includes putting the cover of Guckenberger”s newest book Relentless Hope on his car as he competes in the Quaker State 400 at the Kentucky Speedway July 9. He”ll also
June 29, 2008
By Ken Idleman Janice and Faye Rosvit are twin sisters who left their very close-knit family circle, their aging parents, their beloved Colorado Rocky Mountains, and promising country-western singing careers to enroll in Bible college. There they studied phonetics and missions before eventually traveling to more than 100 countries of the world. They have been destitute, sick with dysentery, separated from loved ones, and stung by a Portugese Man “O War. (And that hurts!) Why would they do all of this? Kevin D. took his wife and children to the jungles of Panama to fight the drug traffic in the United
January 3, 2008
By Brandon Smith _____ Read the main article: “Provoking Change: A Review of Catalyst Atlanta” Â Â The Catalyst conference, true to its name, has kindled motion. It has invited the next generation of Christian leaders to become change agents in the ever-evolving church. In the last decade, more than 100,000 young leaders accepted that invitation by attending a Catalyst conference. They come from every corner of this country, representing every major denomination. It”s clear that Catalyst is having incredible influence upon churches and Christians everywhere. We in the Restoration Movement have also been summoned to engage in the action.
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