FROM THE FIELD: Update From Croatia
From an RBC missionary at work in Slavonski Brod, Croatia:
One bright spot from this past summer has been the surprising response of Slavonski Brod youth to the gospel. As short-term teams came and went throughout the summer, we held a number of outreaches and Bible studies for Croatian teens. A few teens have stuck around and shown great interest in spiritual things. Until the end of the summer, a group of 6 youth formed a core group that came together regularly for both social outings and for times of Bible study. One of these 6 placed her faith in Christ in July. Three others have shown that they are close to making a similar decision to become followers of Jesus.
Please pray for these teens. The start of school has presented challenges to the momentum that was going during the summer. Other commitments are causing some to scale back their involvement with the group, and we see each other less frequently. Pray that they would continue to be interested in spiritual things despite the busy, demanding schedules of high school students.
Would you take a few minutes right now to pray for our missionary, these teens, and other gospel seeds planted in Croatia this past summer?
FROM THE FIELD: Update from Mozambique
Our missionaries in Africa, the H’s, have spent years learning the language and culture of a particular tribal people group in the Mozambique area. Recently, they were able to begin teaching the Bible chronologically from creation to Christ. Last year, several tribal people trusted Christ as their Savior for the first time in history.
The H’s missions agency recently sent this report from a tribal man there who accepted Christ as his Savior:
“I believe there is only one God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. I believe that He send His only Son, Jesus, to pay the price for my sin. He saved me! He is the Redeemer. He is my Redeemer.
“Now, I am not afraid of death anymore. Sure, I am afraid of the pain and sickness and what that can do to this body of mine, but this is only temporary. Now I know where I am going when I die. I know the footpath to God. I know I will be with Him one day I am going to Heaven!
“There are only two footpaths in this life: one goes to God, and one goes to the eternal fire. I have found the right path, the one that leads to God! I am saved!
“Thank you so much for coming to tell us this. I did not know the right way. Now I know! I am saved!”
Please continue to pray for the H’s, for this tribe, for the new followers of Christ there, and for many more to come to know Jesus and make Him known.
FROM THE FIELD: Missions Update from Brazil
Six years ago, Eduardo de Mello Ribeiro was released after serving 18 months in a juvenile detention facility in Brazil. He was saved by Jesus from a life of violence and crime. Shortly after his release, he began volunteering with Open Arms in his town. Open Arms Worldwide is an RBC-supported organization that mobilizes, prepares, equips and aids Christian leaders and volunteers in implementing transformational, faith-based, children and youth outreach projects among the world’s poor.
Today, Eduardo is a full-time missionary with Open Arms in Brazil. He has started three outreach projects, has led countless young people to faith in Christ and also works as a counselor with men struggling with chemical dependency. In 2011 Eduardo, after years of stubborn perseverance, succeeded in opening a door for Open Arms back into the facility where he served his time. He put together an “A-Team” of Open Arms volunteers and began ministering to the boys (between 12 and 18 years old) in that facility.
It is my great joy to have walked with Eduardo over the years and I anxiously look forward to his reports. Last month was a special joy. Let me share with you some details from a recent correspondence with Open Arms:
“In early July, twenty-nine (29) new inmates arrived at the facility. On Saturday, July 15, during a visit from the Open Arms team, Eduardo was blessed to lead twenty (20) of those young boys to faith in Jesus Christ! He and his team are now actively discipling them in the Word. This is what we all are laboring for, friends. This is what our prayers and gifts each month mean in the lives of real children. God is using you to change the future of these young people. Praise God! I give thanks to Him for each of you and your faithfulness. May we all never tire of doing good!”
Missions at RBC: FAQ, Part 5
WHAT IS A SHORT TERM MISSION TEAM?
Short Term Mission Teams used to be called Summer Mission Teams because they almost always occurred in the summer months. Now these type teams occur year-round. The purpose of RBC Short Term Mission Teams is 3-fold:
1. To assist and bless a missionary that RBC supports currently.
2. To introduce RBC attendees to mission work first hand.
3. To educate the RBC congregation about missions.
HOW ARE SHORT TERM MISSION TEAMS FUNDED?
Short Term Mission Teams are primarily funded by the individuals who make up the team. If there are individuals who cannot fund their portion of the team cost, the Missions committee will consider their shortage. The Missions Committee also considers material costs the team may have in areas such as printed materials, construction materials etc.
HOW ARE SHORT TERM MISSION TEAMS FORMED?
Most teams are developed out of a desire of a someone in the congregation to meet a need they see in a particular ministry or from a gift that person may have such as evangelism or working with children etc. All team proposals must first go through the Missions Committee for approval and if the Missions Committee approves the team then it goes to the Council of Elders for final approval. All teams have a team leader who is responsible for the team’s organization, administration and oversight. RBC has a policy that you must be 16 years old to be on a team unless you have a parent on the team with you and the team leader approves of the youth (Youth ministry teams are the exception to this rule).
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part one)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part two)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part three)
Missions at RBC: FAQ, Part 4
WHAT IS THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA MISSIONS CONSORTIUM?
The NOVA Missions Consortium is a consortium of five local churches – Reston Bible Church, Chantilly Bible Church, Immanuel Bible Church, Cherrydale Baptist Church and Grace Bible Church – whose goal is to cooperatively help missionaries from these five churches get to the field more quickly. Each year, one of the five churches is allowed to put a missionary from their congregation before the consortium for potential support. This rotates each year so each church has the opportunity to put a missionary before the consortium once every five years. If a church’s turn to put a missionary before the consortium arrives and that church does not have a missionary in the pipeline, they are simply skipped over and the next church in line gets the opportunity.
WHY A CONSORTIUM?
The goal of the consortium is to have these five local churches get to know the consortium missionaries very well and be able to support them at at least 75% of their need. This accomplishes several goals: First, when a consortium missionary is home on furlough they will not have to travel around the country visiting their supporters as most of their support is coming from these five local churches – they can stay locally and get more involved at each church during their furlough versus just visiting for a weekend or a conference, Secondly, it allows the missionary to focus less on support raising and more on preparing themselves to get to the field.
Currently there are 10 consortium missionaries. Three of these ten consortium missionaries are “home grown” RBCers. $25,900.00 is collectively given in monthly support by the consortium churches to these ten missionaries. 2011 is RBC’s turn to present a missionary.
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part one)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part two)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part three)
Missions at RBC: FAQ, Part 3
HOW DOES THE COMMITTEE OPERATE?
The Missions Committee meets monthly and operates mostly by consensus and discussion. The committee does not use the Roberts Rules of Order (a widely-used set of procedures for deliberative assemblies). The Missions Director develops the agenda and the Financial Secretary, Ray Baldwin, presents the financial report at each meeting. Typically, we have at least one and as many as four missionaries attend each meeting to give a report on their ministry. Only those missionaries who happen to be in our area when a meeting is scheduled attends the meeting to give a report. We typically do not bring in a missionary just to attend a meeting. Periodically, we have an actual vote on an issue. There are three issues that must be decided by an unanimous vote; taking on a new missionary, stopping the support of a missionary and making a change to the Missions Policy. These three decisions must go to the RBC Council of Elders for final approval.
WHAT IS THE RBC MISSIONS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM?
RBC has had the privilege of sending out numerous people from our congregation over the years to be full-time missionaries. In order for RBC to be the “sending church” for a missionary, that family or individual must attend RBC and go through the RBC Internship Program. This program is designed to help one get from a desire to be a full time missionary to actually getting on the foreign mission field. It is customized to tailor each applicant’s individual place in their walk with the Lord and their desired type of service, such as church planting or support work. The Missions Committee and the Council of Elders must approve all those who enter the Internship Program. Entering the program does not bind the person or the committee to any final decision and it does not guarantee future financial support. Upon successful completion of the Internship Program, the Council of Elders must give their final approval on the person becoming a full-time missionary. Each intern is assigned a personal counselor that walks through the program with them individually, makes periodic reports to the Missions Committee and holds the intern accountable for completion.
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part one)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part two)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part three)
Missions at RBC: FAQ, Part 2
HOW DOES THE COMMITTEE TAKE ON NEW MISSIONARIES?
This is by far the most difficult decision that the Missions Committee makes. When finances are available to take on new missionaries, the Missions Committee reviews a list of missionaries who have expressed interest in being considered for support by RBC. The list is prayerfully reviewed, and the Committee prayerfully picks from the list a family or two (or however many is possible to come for an in person interview with the committee.) Prior to the interview, the missionary must complete RBC’s Service Application. This application is reviewed by all the Committee members prior to the interview. After the in-person interview, the Committee prays for one month to decide whether to support the missionary. Once the committee makes their decision, and if it is a positive one, the Committee’s recommendation for support goes to the Council of Elders for final approval.
DOES THE COMMITTEE TARGET CERTAIN PARTS OF THE WORLD OR CERTAIN TYPES OF MINISTRY?
Although church planting has always been our highest priority, the answer to the question is no. We trust the Lord to lead us to the ministries and parts of the world He desires RBC to become involved with. Our desire is to “Know Christ and Make Him Known” but after much discussion and experimenting, that is as tight as a box we desire to put ourselves in.
WITH THAT AS YOUR STRATEGY, WHERE DO YOU SUPPORT MISSIONARIES AND WHAT TYPE OF MINISTRIES?
We support people in every region of the world. The ministries we support include: church planters, evangelists, Bible teachers, missionary children teachers, home and field office administration, computer operators, language translators, tribal workers, pilots, mechanics, member care providers and orphan ministry.
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part one)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part two)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part three)
Missions at RBC: FAQ, Part 1
Reston Bible Church desires to see solid, biblical, growing churches planted around the world. We define “missions” as a ministry outside the continental United States or a state-side ministry which supports ministries outside the continental United States. We support approximately 220 cross-cultural and national missionaries, many of whom have been raised at RBC. In this short series, Bill Hurley, Director of Missions at RBC, answers frequently-asked questions regarding our missions program.
HOW IS THE RBC MISSIONS PROGRAM FUNDED?
The Council of Elders at RBC have made Global Missions a budget line item to which they give $128,000.00 per month. Most all of this is committed and given to missionaries in monthly support. RBC currently supports 220 families around the globe. In addition to that budget figure, the program receives all monies designated to specific missionaries and all monies designated to missions in general. The designated gifts are given to the specific designated ministry. The monies given to missions in general are used by the Missions Committee to give to one-time needs of the missionaries RBC support. In the fiscal year August 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010, the Missions Committee was able to give out $50,194.00 in one-time gifts to meet specific needs of our missionaries.
The Local Missions budget is also a line item in the budget and most of the budget ($6750.00 per month) is given out each month in monthly support to the 15 various local ministries RBC supports.
WHAT IS THE MISSIONS COMMITTEE?
RBC has two separate missions committees, the Local Missions committee and the Global Missions committee. The Local Missions Committee oversees those we support who have a ministry within the 48 continental States. These include campus ministries, YoungLife, Sanctity of Life, prison ministry, etc. This committee consists of four people.
The Global Missions Committee administers those we support outside the 48 continental States. Some of the people we support are located within the 48 states, but their ministry is global. This committee consists of 15 people currently.
I do not recruit committee members. In order to serve in this ministry, the person needs to be led by the Lord. The process to join is simple – they let me know they are interested, I meet with them and I make a recommendation to the Elders and they make the final decision. Both committees, for the most part, operate by a simple majority. On a few very important issues, such as taking on a new missionary, the decision must be unanimous. I chair both committees.
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part one)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part two)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part three)