CROSS CULTURAL PARTNERSHIPS

I cannot understate the importance of cross-cultural partnerships for a missional congregation seeking to develop an outward focus. When I first arrived at Landisville in 2001, a group of persons were already preparing to undertake a mission work team trip to Haiti. They were bound for our Pierre Payen Clinic which was building a hospital across the street. 10 of my people (most of whom were over the age of 60 at the time) were going to help with electrical work and other "finish work" jobs so that the hospital could be opened.

Later that year, I answered a request from our Commission on Missions to have Landisville enter into a sister church arrangement with our Navajo congregation located at Tsaile AZ. In 2003 we sent our first Vacation Bible School team to work at Tsaile. We made this a "family mission trip" taking 35 persons (age 10 through 80) to staff the VBS. In 2005 we sent an "encouragement team" to spend some time with the Tsaile Church as it had just lost a Beleganah missionary pastor and was transitioning to a new pastor (ultimately their first Navajo pastor, Everett Teller). We also went to plan a 2006 VBS trip, trying to incorporate the Navajo leadership in our planning and decision-making instead of a parachute dropping a team into their midst. 25 people went the next summer (older teens and adults). We saw a tremendous evangelistic result - 25 Navajo youth and adults became Christians - which sparked a spiritual renewal back home. We also coupled that with a work team which built much needed showers and a new porch to handle drainage for the church itself. In 2007 Pastor Everett and his wife Mary visited us. Two Christmases we assisted them with an outreach to their community families by providing Christmas gifts. Then in 2009 we took another 18 people to do still a third VBS.

The result has been that between Tsaile and Haiti, plus smaller groups going to Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Mexico - more than 20% of our congregation has now been on a cross-cultural mission field.

People who have taken this step are never the same - and the church has moved even further into a passion for outreach as a result.

In an upcoming blog I will share more on what God has been doing to shape my own congregation because so many people have found their way to a mission field on these short term assignments.