Mission ConneXion

Hope – To Keep from Drifting!

October 31, 2017

By Bill MacLeod, Executive Director

Peter Greer, President and CEO of Hope International, is no stranger to Mission ConneXion Northwest! While he comes as our Plenary Speaker this January, he has often led workshops in the Business as Mission track over the years. Hope has determined that 2 billion people around the world do not have access to financial services and that only 2.7% of microfinance institution clients are served by Christian organizations. So this is the ‘niche’ that Hope International seeks to fill in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

Peter has also written one of the most important books of our generation on the topic of Mission Drift – how organizations get off base when it comes to keeping the gospel central – and he’ll be speaking at Leadership ConneXion on Friday, January 19^th from 9:00am to 4:00pm.

We recently caught up with Peter to ask him a few questions about himself, his calling, and why he’s coming in January:

Peter, you were brought up in a Christian home, but what were the circumstances that ushered the hope of Jesus into your life? My father pastored a church in

Boston, and each Sunday, we were in the front row. My dad would open Scripture and share passionately – but even more significant was the way that my father lived out his faith, not just on Sundays, but on every day of the week. My parents were—and still are, to this day—one of the clearest, most authentic expressions of Jesus Christ that I have witnessed. My faith became my own in high school, and I was shaped by international missions experiences, as well as Camp Brookwoods, a Christian camp on Lake Winnipesauke. Our camp counselors were college students, and I admired watching these college students going all-in for Christ. To see these students, who were just a little older than me, sold-out for God in the ways they spoke and lived their lives—it left a lasting impression on me, encouraging me to not just commit my life to Jesus, but to make it central to all I do.

How has that hope transformed your life and led you to express it in cross-cultural settings both here in North America, and overseas? At the airport as I was about to depart for my first international job in Cambodia, I can remember my mom praying for me. It’s a prayer that I have never forgotten. She prayed that I would love all people with the love Christ has shown to us – and specifically, that I would love all people with equal urgency, whether that person was living in poverty, or an individual with abundant wealth. Since that time, I have met with many people living on less than $1 per day and I have met with many people of extraordinary wealth. My goal is simply to love God and love people, recognizing that we all have great need and we all have great wealth. And we are all invited to run towards the hurting, and ultimately love our neighbors with the same unconditional love that Christ has shown us.

What can we expect, and how would you like to see people respond to the unique emphasis you will bring to Mission ConneXion Northwest this January 2018 with regards to our “There is Hope” theme? In my role with HOPE International, I have been absolutely wrecked by the brokenness in the world. I’ve experienced challenges with governments and seen the reality of poverty—and quite frankly, it can feel overwhelming. In the face of enormous physical and spiritual need, we all can wrestle with, “What can I do?” But pain becomes the backdrop for the love of Christ to shine brightly. I hope that at Mission ConneXion Northwest, we will be able to see and celebrate glimpses of the Kingdom breaking through around the world. In my role, I am inspired by people like Anasita Zita, a blind Rwandan widow. From the surface—and certainly from a material standpoint—she had very little. Not only does she live in one of the poorest countries in the world, but she is also doubly-marginalized as a woman with a disability. Yet, she thrives. She has started multiple businesses, beautifully lives out her faith, actively serves her community, and loves other people incredibly well. She models courageous generosity and a heart of service. Stories like this give me hope, a hope that pierces through desperation and desolation. When tested, we will emerge either proven or broken, either buoyed by hope or sunk by despair. With the Spirit’s empowerment, I believe that we can love and serve well, unleashing hope to a world that desperately needs it.

I don’t know about you, but I need the Hope that only Jesus can give, and I do not want to drift off God’s calling for my life…so I can’t wait to hear what Peter has to say to us this January!

Register for Leadership ConneXion: Mission Drift.

Register for Mission ConneXion Northwest 2018: There Is Hope.

Hope for India, and US

October 3, 2017

By Bill MacLeod, Executive Director

Dr. Samuel Stephens is the 3^rd generation leader of the India Gospel League (IGL), founded in 1948 by his grandfather. Dr. Stephens has been used of the Lord throughout India but he was a “barefoot pastor “, himself until 1988 when his father died and he assumed leadership of the ministry.

He authored The Kairos Moment, that describes what he believes is a nationwide “opportune time” for all of India today – where doors are open and where people are receptive. Indeed, he shares how there are nearly 8000 baptisms every day in India! This is significant since recent legislation in India has curbed missionary efforts which has meant IGL has had to adjust its efforts to fit the “new normal”.

Following receiving his doctorate recently from George Fox University, we had an opportunity to get better acquainted. His response to our questions show he is living proof of our “There is Hope.” theme…

What were the circumstances that ushered in the hope of Jesus into your own life? You came from a long line of Christian leaders, but when did Jesus become personal?

Having been led to the Lord at a very early age, I can say my encounter with Jesus, the experience and joy of salvation, has been an ongoing source of hope and encouragement all my life. Of, course I have had my own ups and downs, my own failures and moments of despair; but the grace of God has always kept me aware of the light at the end no matter how dark the tunnel I was passing through at whatever point and stage of time.

A significant part of that can be attributed to my family’s Christian heritage. As a child my parents constantly reminded me and my siblings of how God rescued our family out of spiritual darkness and hopelessness. We were kept aware of the stark difference that Christ made in our lives, compared to people around us.

How has that hope transformed your life and led you to express it in cross-cultural settings both throughout India, and even here in North America?

I hold very vivid and fond memories of accompanying my parents as they went into remote villages bringing the gospel. I remember crossing rivers and traveling in ox carts, being carried on my father’s shoulders for miles as he and my mother would walk to some villages. These memories are precious to me and I cherish them.

But the deeper and indelible impressions left on my heart are the remarkable transformation of individuals, families and entire communities because of the Gospel being brought to them. I consistently witnessed this amazing phenomenon growing up. It may be difficult to picture the hopelessness of the people living in these primitive villages six decades ago. The Gospel message – the Good News- was the best news to these people and it still is. The Gospel is their only hope to bring them out of darkness, oppression and even social and economic backwardness. I have seen people by the thousands liberated from these bondages. This experience has spurred me on over the decades to boldly move into unreached areas all over India and Sri Lanka and in more recent years NEPAL as well, witnessing amazing results.

What challenges / opportunities are you seeing in India to that Hope, and what parallels do you see for us in North America we can learn from you on?

On one hand vast geographic areas and people groups of South Asia remain yet untouched by this transforming power of the Gospel. Although India has had Christian witness from the very first century and has been under the influence of foreign missions for more than three centuries, the Gospel has not crossed urban boundaries and gone into the primitive rural villages where most of the population reside.

On the other hand, our experience over the past three decades is that where the Good News is heard for the first time, enormous numbers of people are responding. We must move with greater vision and urgency, being sensitive to different people groups rather than blinded by the lens of historical patterns, traditions, and restrictive human agendas.

I am often confronted with the question, “Why isn’t God working in the West the way He is in other parts of the world?” He doesn’t have to and He won’t. People are different, cultures are different, world views and daily experiences and needs vary from one to another. The only common strategy that God has for everyone is the strategy for salvation and redemption through the cross of Christ. The tactical plan to implement that is left to the local church in every context. We come alongside new church plants and equip the church and its believers to reach out, evangelize, and impact their neighborhoods and communities – and they are multiplying. That’s the New Testament plan and it can be done.

What would you like to see people attending Mission ConneXion Northwest 2018 to come away with, and how would you like them to respond to the unique emphasis you will bring with regards to our “There is Hope.” theme?

I would like them to leave with a clear understanding of the current move of God and be convinced that amidst all the current winds and storms the Church is going through, there is Hope. God is continuing to do with the same vigor and momentum what He started – “Making everything new.” The victory has been won, the destiny is fixed. The Church is not walking toward victory but walking in victory if it is walking and staying in step with God.

Register for Mission ConneXion Northwest 2018: There Is Hope.

The Basics of School Partnerships

August 29, 2017

Written by Stephanie Wieber
Director of City Gospel Movements at the Luis Palau Association

The consistent, enduring presence of a caring adult in a young person’s life can be the difference
between staying in school or dropping out, making healthy decisions or engaging in risky behaviors,
and realizing one’s potential or failing to achieve one’s dreams.
— The Mentoring Effect

With more churches than schools in most communities we have an amazing opportunity to step in and be the difference. Creating a church-school partnership will take time, patience and consistently showing up, and the reward will be life giving. According to beUndivided there are a series of steps to take in order to begin a church-school partnership.

Hope that Must Be Shared!

August 29, 2017

By Bill MacLeod, Executive Director

Not long ago I sat down with Jamie Winship, one of our plenary speakers for this January’s Mission ConneXion Northwest event. His coming to Christ prior to becoming a policeman in Washington, D.C. is intriguing enough, not to mention his learning dependence upon the Holy Spirit to share his new-found faith in an environment generally incompatible with Christian witness. Little did he know that the Lord was preparing him to spend over 25 years in the Muslim world, teaching people how to hear from JESUS and live in His Kingdom. Reflecting on our “There is Hope.” 2018 theme, he recently shared with me how hope transformed his own life, and what he anticipates for January…

What is an “Unreached People Group”?

August 1, 2017

Some people groups have thriving, evangelizing churches already living among them. Odds are, if you are taking this topic in a local church, your people group falls in this category. We refer to these as reached people groups.

This does not mean that everyone in the people group is a believer. It doesn’t even mean that everyone in the people group has heard the gospel. It simply means that there are disciples and churches within the people group who able to finish the task. It means that lost people in that people group have access to the gospel, whether they have actually heard it or not. Disciples and churches within that people group can evangelize and disciple the people around them better than anyone else, and that responsibility rests on them.

Why Your Call to Missions Matters & How to Find It

August 1, 2017

A guest article from our friends at TEAM.

Written by Jessica Hulbert

When you pair a longing for adventure with a desire to share the hope of Jesus Christ with the world, missions seems like the natural next step.

How can you discern whether your passion is leading you on the path to cross-cultural ministry work?

On Hope, Worship, and 2018

August 1, 2017

By Bill MacLeod, Executive Director

I recently interviewed Paul Ramey who will be leading worship for us at this January’s Mission ConneXion Northwest event, when our theme will be “There is Hope.” I wanted to get a better feel for who he is as a man, and as a worship leader of one of Portland’s most dynamic fellowships. His responses really touched me – so I thought you’d enjoy hearing his unique perspective on hope, worship, and this January…

Bill: What were the circumstances that ushered in the hope of Jesus into your life?

Paul: I grew up as a pastor’s kid

Be a Part of Someone’s Story: Volunteer at MCNW!

July 3, 2017

Mission ConneXion Northwest 2018 seems like forever away, seven months will fly by before we know it!

As we look toward January, we are expecting a potential record number of attendees, and our Steering Team is already putting volunteer teams into place. Some positions require training in advance, and some can be easily summarized a few days before the event, but all of them require willing hands and hearts.

Since the plenary sessions and workshops are available for free following the conference, we are hoping that mission-minded people would be wiling to make the sacrifice and serve as needed.