Mike’s Sea2sea Blog

“True holiness is a witness that cannot be ignored.” (Albert Edward Day)

….so last Sunday I had the privilege of worshipping with La Casa de Misericordia – a bilingual service that takes place in space offered to the 40some congregation at the Scott Mission in downtown Toronto. Parking near the University, I grabbed a Tim Horton’s before crossing the street car tracks at the enormous intersection of Spadina and College. I couldn’t help but think about the stories I’ve heard about the early 20^th century evangelicalism that was so vibrant in Toronto’s core – a movement in which the Alliance played a role.

It wasn’t the last time that day I’d make this connection….

Arriving early I sat and enjoyed the pre-worship activity (one of my favourite times in life, in any church, anywhere in the world), and watched as people with roots in Colombia, Mexico, Turkey and Toronto greeted one another. Joyful group. I was struck by young adult contingent obviously in leadership roles; sound and media, music, and service leading.

Now I love this stuff anyways, and always will, and felt very at home. But the service held a few surprises for me, so here’s the best one (so far): this young congregation (by average age and by its life as a community) took time to present and dedicate a new media outreach ministry, and some of  it’s first “fruit”: a Christian magazine.

Unique storytelling

3:16

Two sisters in Christ – young adults – presented their vision, through a very arresting keynote presentation, and then handed out the magazines for everyone. Poetry, unique photography, graffiti, life testimony, English and Spanish, articles of teaching, and creative writing. All these came from the hearts and pens of the congregation: Whoa! It was good!

Armed with a message of “God chooses unlikely people”, and story of the birth of the church at Philippi (Acts 16), I did my best to bring encouragement and challenge to this new community. Afterwards, I went to the sister who spearheaded the magazine project, and asked more about it.

“I attended the church for a year before accepting Christ” she explained, “and when I did I wondered what I could do for Him. I don’t play music, but I’m a graphic artist – it’s what I do. So I thought about preparing this.”

I asked her how she came up with the content. She said, “I wondered about that, but then, I just thought –why not them?”(Pointing to the church, now mixing after the service).

Creative prose and images

So using her skills, she put together images and literature that told the story of their encounters with Jesus Christ. Their purpose is: “Please, give them away to as many people as you can”.

OK, it hit me then and I still marvel at this: this combination of a diverse community,  a fresh experience of Christ and his love, using whatever was at their disposal to boldly tell the story of the gospel’s effects on their lives to the city of Toronto….and a certain confidence – or is it just joy? – that I detected as well. This isn’t 1910, but it is a little bit! (Just add electric drums and digital media….)

There was a line in my sermon that I really wanted to share – and I clean overlooked it/forgot that morning. I meant to say: “It’s not long after once you love Him, that you want to be on His team”. The church in Philippi was from day one a partner in Paul’s ministry after he left their city and traveled the Roman Empire (Phil 1:5).

LOL – as if they needed that line! They are already an example of it, right in the heart of this city:

*where a century ago fresh, confident testimony of Jesus was commonly written up, shared, as the world came to town.

*where  a young presbyterian Robert Jaffray would meet Jesus, and his unrestrainable energy for the spreading of the good news across the world would be supported by a home base…that shared a lot in common with La Casa.

*where a young Jewish immigrant, Morris Zeidman, would hear of the Messiah and give his heart to Christ and his service, be trained at Knox and then give his life to leading the many layered ministry of evangelism and compassion at the Scott Mission.

And by the way, you’ll find the adult grandson of Morris, Andrew,  there at La Casa playing a leading role alongside pastor Hernando, helping this church flourish, serving in the worship team, contributing an article to the magazine outreach, etc…

Now, as a century ago, is an opportune time in Toronto. What do we still lack to be a movement still capable of producing a witness as bright as our grandparents? We’re not lacking for people, for talents, for means to reach out……..La Casa reminds me that we have been given all we need, yet the greatest ingredient is the recent experience of the power and love of Jesus in our lives. That changes everything.

Celebrating the launch of magazine

“Who dares despise the day of small things…?” Zechariah 4:10

I thought this was a "fall" retreat?

Zinzendorf, Where are you now?

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of spending a weekend with a group of young adults from Rexdale Alliance church. About four weeks before that, I got to spend an evening with the young adults from Bayview Glen church. Coming up in January and February, I will be with Jaffray Alliance’s young crowd, and then the same group at First Alliance.

What a privilege to be with these adults who are coming to grips with what God is calling them to be. Bruce Cockburn writes a revolutionary song: “Lord, I’m scanning these crowds for some sign of your face.” I thought of that recently, but I think Bruce and I are looking for different things.

Cockburn’s looking for the Lord to raise up political activists, like Louis Riel, to shake up the status quo. There is no doubt that our world’s status quo is a disaster worthy of serious grief and prayer – but I’m not looking for a Riel.

I’m looking for Zinzendorf.

Well, not really. It’s not that we need a 18^th century German nobleman, or even the pietist church and missions movement he helped launch…it’s that we need people to step out in fresh loyalty to the call of Jesus.

What was special about Zinzendorf? From his youth, his heart was captured by the person of Jesus, and his personal devotion to Jesus was a like a fountain that made life flow for many others, eventually touching nations all over Europe and around the world. As we talked about this at the Rexdale retreat, what stood out for me was that though he was one of the wealthy and important people of Europe, the charm of that was lost in his youth – and instead he moved easily between rich and poor, and between various Christian groups (in multiple countries) that would normally be at odds…starting little small groups of Christ followers wherever he went. His prestige and power was just something to steward well for His Lord. (His contagious motto: Be true to Christ, Kind to All People and the Gospel for the Nations).

One example: The coronation celebrations for King Christian the 6^th of Denmark (1731). (Can you imagine the well-dressed, rich and mighty of the continent mingle with one another in Copenhagen, roaming in palace halls?) But Zinzendorf …he’s finds a new friend. A slave from the West Indies: Anthony Ulrich, a new Christian.  Soon they find they are kindred in Christ and Anthony convinced the count his family and other slaves need someone to bring them the gospel. Zinzendorf raced back to the community of religious refugees on his property that recently experienced a fresh work of the Holy Spirit – and challenged them with this need. One of the young men from that group committed his life that night, offering to become a slave himself if it will aid in bringing the gospel to the slaves of the island of St. Thomas. The Moravian missions movement is born…

It convicts me, because I, after all my learning and loving of Jesus, still struggle to look good, to perform well, and to advance myself among whatever crowd I am involved in. Who am I trying to impress? Why? I want to be free from that – and to lead this next generation to be free from that as well. I trust that loyalty to Christ will break the unhealthy (idolatrous) loyalties we keep  – and that He is sufficient to lead us and equip us to address the real needs of our world with the gospel unhindered by the lines of race, economic status or culture.

Scholars and world changers

So, spending time in our churches, and with these young people, what I look for, long for, work for, is a response to God’s summons to a total surrender to His purpose and plan. As we worked our way through the text of the Rich Young Ruler, I sensed God calling me afresh, and I know he is at work in the young people Rexdale, and in many other places, too. “Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85). The hunger is definitely present.

Another German, writing to strengthen faithful Christians and new leaders in that country during World War Two, put it well:

“And if we answer the call to discipleship, where will it lead us?”

Listening to Jian Gomeshi on CBC radio interview people about the flood relief (or lack of) in Pakistan, it’s interesting to hear the phrase “compassion fatigue” come up so often.

But I know all to well what it means.  It means that I can be moved with compassion easily the first time, then less so the second, and nearly none the third. Quickly I can go from being a concerned citizen of the world, to feeling like “I’m not really sure this is making a difference” (For example, gifts to major disastors)…. But I wonder if I am just responding to media pictures of disasters, and not to the Holy Spirit’s work in me.  It seems pretty clear that guilt doesn’t last very long. Even altruism (I’m a good person who helps others) doesn’t have much a hold on me. But what does keep a grip on me is the way Jesus loves. The problem is, I’m so used to thinking about compassion through guilt, or through achieving some credit or self worth by helping, that I think I still am still missing the path of true Christian charity.

I will never run out of what God has asked me to give.  Right?

From my understanding, there’s a surrender that occurs (ever heard the story about St. Francis and the leper?), that frees me to embrace the need of the moment.  The way Christ had compassion was founded on the dignity and worth of the sufferer in the eyes of the Father. And of course, it’s first known to us in the way we have been loved by Him.

In some lesser ways, I think I have experienced this “surrender” to love, but I’m rusty. I need practice!

Here’s a reflection posted today from musician Steve Bell – but he gets to the good stuff when he sings the song included in that blog. That’s some basic theology – to love those whom God loves. (And the Foodgrains bank idea is something our Alliance missions family is involved with as well.)

____

Still reading? Here’s a strange thing that happened to me about 6 or 7 years ago.

I was doing dishes, listening to CBC news at 6, which I did nearly every day. The story was about thousands fleeing battle scenes in Iraq.  I have always been deeply moved by the mass movements of people due to war (Macedonia/Kosovo, for example in the 90’s). Because of so many TV images in my head, it was easy to imagine the many kinds of people trying to make use of the hot, sandy roads.

Well, it was like I went into a period of time where God was trying to tell me something, through a kind of strong visual picture. I stopped doing the dishes, and grabbed a pen and paper and wrote out what I was seeing:

I’m standing at a simple table beside a road, like what I was imagining in Iraq. The table is full of bread and I have a supply of water – coolers and bottles. I’m pretty much alone, but very concious of my task: to give out as much bread and water as people will receive. So I’m offering water and bread to weary people, refugees carrying their belongings. I’m offering it to American soldiers. I’m offering it to terrorists with guns. I’m offering it to women, and offering it to dictators. I’m offering it to the kids, and even splashing them as though it were time to play.

And I never run out. It seems right to just keep on giving it to absolutely anyone I can, because I won’t run out and I’ll never run out.

This  image totally captured my heart and mind for some time. There may be more to it than I picked up, but it seemed to me the bread and water are Christ and his gospel. But they are not only emblematic of “the good news about him”, but the picture was also about my material capacity to supply the needs of each person that was on that road.  As though all I needed to do was be faithful in giving what I had, and God would see to it that I would not run out.

It burned it me a conviction that’s grown, and is always being tested, that His gospel is sufficient for the needs of our world.

Dalton

On the first weekend of August, I took some time off work, jumped into my Cavalier and made the trip from my current home in Markham to my old home in Ottawa to visit my mom. My nephew Kevin now lives with her and sleeps in my old room.  Most of my clothes have been replaced with his, but my bookshelf is still intact.  On the shelves, you’ll find old yearbooks, non-fiction novels that I have yet to read and random stuff I never fully dealt with (keychains, rulers, even an old alarm clock that’s shaped like a drum set).

I decided it was time to do some cleaning for Kevin’s sake.  As I was going through the shelves, I found a green binder.  I opened it up to find a community profile of Moose Factory, Ontario.

13 years ago, my youth group, alongside another youth group from Cobourg, Ontario went up to Moose Factory, Ontario on a missions trip for two weeks.  I skimmed through the rest of the binder, which included chapters of books we had to read pre-trip, native customs sheets and my pre high school testimony.

I spent some time sitting on Kevin’s bed just remembering those two weeks: The team who went up, the families who welcomed us into their homes, the faces of the kids who we met.  I was also reminded of a great lesson I learned while in the James Bay region that has stuck with me until this day.

It was the first day we were in Moosonee as the full team (the Cobourg group was there a few days earlier).  We were in Moosonee Baptist Church for a service.  I believe it was an evening service.  After the service, we had a debriefing.

Dave Enns, the youth pastor from Cobourg, stood up in front of the group of teens, and shared how he felt we did on our first day together: not well at all.  His grievance was with our sitting arrangements.  During the service, we all sat together in one section, while the locals sat by themselves.  Our group size did rival the overall congregation of the Baptist church, but we were not looking outward with our seating.

‘Who did you meet tonight?’  he asked.

*silence*

‘What kind of message are we sending by huddling together?’

*silence*

‘Why are you here?  To enjoy each other’s company, or to serve the people of Moosonee?’

*silence*

It might seem harsh to lay down all these thoughts on the first day, but we did prepare and pray long before we boarded the Polar Bear Express.  On that night, we failed.

Dave’s words hit me hard.  He was completely right.  We fulfilled the Great Commission by going to Moosonee, but we failed it by not being in Moosonee.

I asked Mike, my youth pastor at the time, to chat.  I remember feeling like a complete failure, forsaking everything we prepared for to find comfort with my team, turtling instead of engaging.  After that night, our team found focus.  Our basketball and VBS camps went great.  Not without hiccups of course, but had Dave not spoken up, the trip would have been much different than it turned out.

I’ve been on several missions trips since that summer of 1999.  But ever since that trip, I have a high sensitivity to those we go to serve.  I am intentional with meeting those who I don’t know, in putting myself out on a limb to show why I’m here and whom I serve.  I’ve eaten unusual foods and  butchered foreign languages all in the hope that my life in Christ would be displayed through, not only my words, but in my actions.

These short-term missions trips that are happening daily are opportunities not only to share the gospel of Jesus Christ (our primary objective), but also to engage the people who we are sharing the gospel with.  My church just sent a team to Mozambique a few months back.  One member of the team is a part of my small group.  We decided as a small group (without her knowledge) to each give her a letter, a verse or an encouragement for each day she was in Africa.  My note went something like this: Go and show Christ to them, but be open for Christ to reveal himself through them.

We bring our agenda, thoughts and hopes on these sort of trips, yet often, God flips our ideas and reveals something much deeper that we could not have anticipated

When I hear or read stories about great missionaries of the past, the level of faith I see challenges me. People simply believed God for impossible things.

Think of all the people that encouraged Henry Martyn to turn his back on a successful life of influence in England. Or the early Alliance churches that waited for months for news from Toronto son Robert Jaffray while he travelled Asia, establishing leadership centers in China and Indonesia (the latter thrived despite being established over the same years as the Great Depression in Canada and the U.S.!). I marvel at these heroes, but marvel even more perhaps at those that could send them, believing that God was at work.

It feels like something is lost in our churches today. No generation has it all together, so I’m not pining for different times.  But we can learn from a history of faith. It will look different in our times, of course — but I can’t wait to see what faith expressed in our times will look like. Here’s three elements that concern me:

Faith in God working through ministry that’s beyond my reach:

I love the common story of a person who has gone on a Short Term Missions trip, walked around with one of our workers overseas; removed from “home” culture, they see a new people, pray with an emerging church, hear the heart of a missionary, perhaps serve alongside them in some small way. I believe that in this “small” world, we can have more and more people bringing gifts, news, love and encouragement to our IW’s, experiencing an important education in return.

BUT; a word of caution. Short Term Missions is not a replacement for faith. It can help us grow, it can do so much, but if a person “needs” to have an STM experience in order to be missions minded, something’s wrong. “We want to do a missions trip” is the default answer of so many churches who want to drum up support for missions. It may be a good idea – but missions supporters are not consumers. It is a question of the heart, not of the method — a heart steeped in a biblical worldview regarding the purpose and identity of the church, a heart confident of the need for the gospel, and it’s power to save every person. The other motives that creep in are – let’s face it – common to the middle class traveller from North America. I want to do good somewhere, I want to see new things, have new adventures. That is a foundation of sand. You just can’t build eternal things on that.

God uses us still, despite our cultural baggage, but it’s healthy for us to go deeper, seek His voice, and let the Word examine our motives. Then go after that! Or better, send someone to learn for you, and welcome the news they bring back as precious and revolutionary.

Can you believe God is working, even though you yourself are not there right now?

Faith in God working through people beyond my reach.

I love the technology that makes it possible for me to have Skype call with a friend from Poland, or Thailand; read the tweets of a colleague in Mexico City; emails that feature pictures of a building project in Central Asia — all before lunchtime! Let’s make the most of it!

At the same time, it is not fair to an international worker to say “Out of sight, out of mind.” Even as they embrace new technologies (I love to see churches helping IW’s do this), surely faith in someone’s God-anointed ministry would require us to purposefully remember them even without fresh news! In the Kingdom we should be able to enjoy a close relationship without 24-7 tweet and status updates!

This is especially important now, when so many of our friends are serving in countries where too much information may bring suffering and persecution for them, or for those they are close to. They need our faithful prayers more than ever, yet they cannot “compete” with the modern world for messaging. But maybe we need to go against the grain for them, using “old school” methods: talking friend-to-friend, passing the news around the church by word of mouth (without glossy photos or videos!).

The workers need prayers for miracles, let’s not leave them high and dry!

Faith in God working on a schedule beyond my reach:

So often (not always, not predictably) the first workers who arrive among a given people group will experience hardship and little fruitfulness. Witness the first American workers to arrive on the shores of Congo – today believers are everywhere, but there was years of difficulty at the beginning. Some people died, and some came home discouraged.  Today the C&MA is sending people into regions where they face monolithic, seemingly impenetrable systems of culture and life built on other religions,  or a “post-Christian” mentality that rejects the gospel out of hand because of  some false, previously taught or encountered version of Christianity, or even authoritarian persecution of anyone confessing the name of Jesus.

Do we have the faith needed to respond to this, according to God’s schedule?

I’m not sure if anything has been lost. But it does seem like we have yet to see the rewards for flexing the muscles God have gifted us with. What will real faith look like as we are stretched in the coming 50 years of missions?

Answer: The local church.

Last week I had a series of meetings with my fellow missions/local church connection people from across Canada. We met each day (and had a great lunch) at Levis Alliance church in Quebec City (actually it’s Levis, directly across the St. Lawrence). Part way through, we had the privilege of hearing the testimony of the pastor – Serge Roy.

I enjoyed hearing this brother’s story. He came to Christ much later in life, and as God worked, he began to study and learn more and more. The local church, and pastor Jess Jesperson, were supportive, and soon Serge was studying at IBVIE. IBVIE is school for leadership training that serves the Quebec region. It’s based in Montreal, but has held night courses for people of churches in the Outouais (Gatineau), and Quebec City.

His focus as pastor now at Levis is not only the “every day” ministry of the Levis church, but making disciples of all peoples, whether or not it benefits their community in some way. Recently, they have become involved in ministry with Mexican migrant workers on a local farm — people who will obviously move back to their region. “Our job is not to build our church, but to build the kingdom!” said Serge.

The day before, I had a great phone call with J., a muslim background believer who began his journey with Christ about 4 years ago in Ottawa and attended periodically the church I served in. He had moved back to Montreal to live with his family, and I was concerned for this young, intelligent student who was coming to grips with what to do with his life. I had always seen J. as a future leader, who might have a powerful testimony among Arabic “2nd” generation Canadians.

Praise God! When we talked, I found out he was continuing on his faith journey, reading his Bible, listening to TV preaching (well, why not?) and sharing about Jesus with others. It was obvious he was doing well — but just as obvious that he needed what Serge had — a chance to go deeper in understanding God’s word, and a community to nurture God’s call on his life (wherever that may lead).

So, I’m going to try and link J with IBVIE, and hopefully he’ll meet up not only with bright, faithful people who are dedicated to preparing leaders –but also he’ll have the chance at experiencing the treasure of having a local church “take him in”, love him and ultimately launch him into a lifetime of church-shaping ministry in Quebec (or wherever God leads him).

Local Church: Refining Furnace or Big Comfy Couch

I remember that people that came for discipleship in my church, were often like this. I admit, it was a struggle at times to seize the opportunity and give real energy to someone “ready” for that extra time and effort. Yet I myself am the fruit of some very direct leadership of others in my life.

I think we like the idea that “God calls someone”. Can you see Moses taking his shoes off before approaching the burning bush? Disciples leaving their nets, and following a Rabbi of exceptional authority?  Paul, blinded by light on a road near Damascus? Call – well, call seems pretty clear!

But do we like the day in, day out privilege of preparing someone? For Moses, it was a lifetime of preparation. The disciples had to take 3 years of “Jesus University”.  Paul spent years studying both pre and post conversion, and was eventually brought under the wing of Barnabas in a wild church plant in Antioch.  All of these people, at one time or another, would have easily been overlooked as leaders.

All I’m saying is that great leaders for our movement of churches won’t magically appear for us, pre-prepared, theologically trained, full of our shared vision of Christ in us, the hope of glory. I think God brings leaders to us all the time, but it’s our privilege to — by His grace — deliberately fan into flame the gifts they have, and teach all that we know. Very quickly (it will seem later) how we trained their thought and imagination will one day, full of God’s power, shape our own and re-shape the church.

I love the way the local church in Quebec partners with IBVIE. What about the rest of Canada? Can we, do we, do this with Ambrose?

Are we still hoping somebody will suddenly appear to lead us?

Looking back at General Assembly, I have to admit one of the highlights was the brief sharing times of things God was doing locally and internationally. One of them really shook me and some friends I was sitting with.

It was the testimony from a young evangelist from a Muslim background and was introduced to Assembly on the final night by M, one of our ECD international workers. Together they are reaching people in places where politicians, diplomats and CNN would convince you: “that’s impossible”.

He shared his stirring life story of God’s saving power,  and he concluded in a loud voice, almost crying in desperation: “But I have just one more thing to tell you church in Canada; why 20 years? Why did I have to wait 20 years for someone to come and tell me and my family about Jesus? Now there’s a whole generation of people with hate in their hearts. Why?”

Boom. It just hung in the air for awhile. It was near the beginning of our final commissioning rally, but we could have ended it right there. His cry touched something vital that we all share as C&MA people – despite our many-layered diversity.

One of our younger leaders felt this too (Trina Pinzon, youth leader at an Ottawa church) and she wrote me about how General Assembly “… fuelled my passion to be committed to and for the gospel as Paul did. I want to know more and experience the Jesus that Paul knew in a deep true way that he was able to say as in Philippians 1:21 “for me, to live is Christ and to do is gain…. The image that remains in my mind until today is the [testimony mentioned already] guy who grew up in the refugee camp and at the age of 20 encountered Jesus and has then been living for Christ…..he is living Philippians 1:21”

How quickly we can be moved by a “clear and compelling” call. That gives me hope. I personally believe that our C&MA churches are still moved by a God-inspired, simple reminder that the gospel is the  remedy for the deepest wounds of the world in which we live, and the church is God’s chosen instrument to apply that remedy. When we are confident, full of faith about that, bold to speak  and act in our Globe and Mail world, well….what then?!

ECD Faces - Ready for the Future?

And my hope and prayer is that the next wave of leaders joining our ranks in the ECD — like Trina — have that deep certainty that the gospel “is the power of God at work” that was so evident in cry of the young Silk Road evangelist. There people like him wondering:

“Why are you waiting so long?“

In Aberdeen, South Dakota in the early 1950’s, the pastors decided together to invite an evangelist from Chicago, a singing group called the Cheye Trio, a bass singer named Joe Blinko, and a well-known pianist for a series of meetings.

Not many people came.

But a woman went forward one the first nights, and the young Alliance pastor noticed nobody paid attention. So he went and spoke with her. She knew nothing about church, had bleached blonde hair, smoked, worked in a tavern and lived in a basement apartment. They ran out of time talking, so he invited her back the next night. And the next. The third night, she suddenly “awoke to the claims of the gospel”.  Some kind of dramatic change came over her. The pastor was afraid that she wouldn’t feel at home in his church. He suggested she attend the Salvation Army citadel. She would have none of it! She wanted to go where the pastor was.

When she came, she had such a glow of joy and peace, and the Aberdeen Alliance people embraced her. Her life underwent a transformation. She had two small boys, around 8 and 10. Both became Alliance pastors!

My grandpa (the young pastor) has told me this story many times. I recently Googled the last name of the woman who went forward  and sure enough there’s some Alliance pastors out there, and how many people have encountered Christ through their ministry?

What do I love about this story? A life changed – yes. But after my experience as a pastor, I see the miracle in the moment my grandpa’s deciding to whether to go over and speak to this woman (at some local Christian event that was not going very well). I see the miracle in her coming back to the meetings. And – oh, I love this one– I see the miracle of the people of this Aberdeen fellowship put their arms around Ms. Salfrank and love her, ready to see where the adventure of following Jesus would take her and them together.

This story is local Americana. This story is also completely universal, experienced in a hundred thousand different communities, thousands of languages. Drink mixing smokers and railway workers in Aberdeen; cocoa farmers in Cote d’Ivoire and rebel soldiers in Lebanon … ‘chosen seed of Israel’s race, ransomed from the fall’…

What a way to change the world.

(Sign me up)

Joel Moriba Onivogui - Directeur de Mission EPEG

Dashed were my idealistic hopes of blow-by-blow blogging during my recent March trip to Paris, Turkey and Guinea. But over the next weeks,  I hope to unpack and share the blessings I received throughout the 18 days of travel.

The Gift of Collegiality

When my grandfather first shared some of the benefits of teaching Bible College, he emphasized the depth of relationships between colleagues and students. “Michael”, he said (with his trademark look that meant ‘Are you listening? This is important!’ ),  ”I could go anywhere in the world, and there would be someone there to take me in.”

While in Guinea, International Worker Dan Ibsen often arranged meetings for us with local pastors and national leaders. I think it was my favorite part, because it offered an insight into the relationships between our workers and Guineans, as well as the hopes and dreams of the people God has raised up for Kingdom leadership in that country.

One such meeting involved Pastor Joel. After initial introductions, Joel was asked to share his ministry. He told us about how the EPEG (Alliance churches in Guinea) has begun over the past few years to send out their own ministry people to live and work among the unreached cultures present in Guinea. His task was helping make sure that their missionaries had the training they needed, and  also to visit and cast vision among churches  and pastors about God’s heart for the nations, so that they support these bold workers in doing what seemed impossible – to cross tribal boundaries and present Christ.

My ears perked up – hey, that’s what I do! Though I think he does much more of the direct overseeing of missions work than I do, we were able to compare notes  on rallying churches to the bigger picture of reaching those who have not yet heard; what it’s like to meet with pastors who have concerns about how to fit this into the priorities of church life; how our workers can become discouraged when the work shows little fruit.

In other words, we were facing the same stuff.  The Guinean church is asking it’s people to look beyond their own people, even though there is a world of need there too, and sacrifice their resources, and some of them even to go and live among another culture that may reject them. They are being challenged to stand firm, and hold forth the gospel in an ethnically diverse,  majority muslim country.

Despite opposition, God’s redemptive purposes keep moving forward…..

And here’s another thought for reflection: there’s a “you” in Guinea, too! In fact,  all over the world, there are believers “sowing in tears” (Psalm 126), hope against hope, that God would bring his harvest. We really are the same, much more so than we think.

Are we about to have our least “regionally” influenced Assembly ever?

General Assembly, a meeting of C&MA leaders in Canada, is normally held in one of our cities, alternating between eastern city (like Ottawa or Toronto) and western (like Calgary or Saskatoon). But this time, over 700 leaders will holding Assembly in Antalya, Turkey!

In one of the MBA newsletters, it said that some leaders coming to Assembly may need to switch airports in Istanbul, making the trip across the Bosporus, which separates Europe from Asia. What a great illustration of the reality of unity – someone has to cross a significant bridge to order to arrive at their destination.

I’m a prairie boy, but have served in Ontario since 1996. I was wondering if having Assembly “off-shore” may impact or ‘dislodge’ some of our allegiance (or prejudice!) towards a given part of Canada.

And then came these Olympics! Underneath the “crude bravado” marketing (we didn’t need it!), it’s hard to miss the mix of athletes from all over Canada supporting each other, the hopeful cheering from across the country for the athletes, the shared appreciation of each person’s story. Seemed like regionalization was “hold”, even though regional identity was still an important part.

What will prevail when we meet together?

A favourite quote about being missions-minded : “This character develops not when a church –or it’s representative — leaves it’s geographic location. Rather, it happens when a church takes leave of the cultural loyalties alien to the gospel.”

I’m looking forward to times of corporate worship. So many different cultures, regions, languages, represented….and before us the bridge, built by Christ’s love for men. May it be that ugly loyalties well-known, and still others yet to be discovered in our hearts, can be dropped like Sid Crosby’s gloves after winning the big game.

Surely this is the joy of Ps.133. Holy Spirit! Keep me from packing my cherished grievances and bringing them along to crucial times of worship and decision-making.