The Equipper Newsletter
March 31, 2015
Churches Equipping Saints for Service
   
 
 
 The Great Commission in Reverse
 

Thanks to guest author Alice Klement for two articles on serving cross-culturally. --KK

Jesus commanded his followers to go into all the world to teach, baptize, and make disciples. In my opinion, though, we haven�t exactly been filling planes with eager folks going into all the world to share the Gospel.

But I�ve seen an amazing thing in my corner of the world, and I�ll bet it�s happening where you live, too. God is giving us another chance! He�s bringing all the world to America. I noticed this when my little grocery was suddenly filled with people from different cultures, whose conversations I didn�t understand. I soon discovered that there is a refugee resettlement area between my home and my church. In addition, my church is located on the edge of the large University of Texas Health Science Center which brings in a wealth of international students every year.

I felt a responsibility for all these people. God had placed them literally in our backyard. Who was going to reach out to them in His name, if my church didn�t?

God also opened doors, sometimes dramatically. One day Bo, a student at the medical center, walked into the church office and asked for someone to teach him about God. Well, that was a call to action, if there ever was one!
 
  In My Living Room? A Cross-Cultural Confession
 
 
It�s hard for people to believe we want them in Heaven if we don�t want them in our living room.�

�Ralph D. Winter, missionary

Ouch. This quote hit me between the eyes! You see, I have been involved in cross cultural ministry for some time. In fact, I�m working to mobilize my entire congregation to impact our international community for Christ. (See �The Great Commission in Reverse.� LINK) I teach in my congregation�s ESL school, I share Saturday breakfasts with international students, and I�ve led mission teams to Hong Kong, Poland, Macau and Haiti. I thought I was doing a great job crossing cultures. . . .  (continue reading)

 
 
 Good Stuff
 

 
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The Equipper Newsletter published monthly by
Karen Kogler, Equipper Church Volunteerism Resources