3 Tips for Organizing an Overseas Church Mission

Guest Post by Camille Johnson from The Bereaver Blog. The views and opinions expressed in the article and associated links are those of the author, and although we strongly agree with the premise of the article, all specific details may or may not necessarily reflect those of ad Dei Gloriam Ministries. We have no relationship with any of the organizations linked within the article.

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Organizing a church mission to another country is a wonderful way to bring a congregation closer together and show young members of the church how to spread God’s love around the world. This is a big undertaking, but if you're feeling overwhelmed, take a business-like approach. Establish steps for reaching your goals and get as many people on board as possible, taking into account each individual’s needs and finding out what motivates them.

Baptist Press notes that preparing for a successful journey involves a great deal of work and planning, including consideration of some of the challenges that are involved in traveling overseas with a group of teenagers. These three tips will make organizing an overseas church mission more manageable.

1. Involve Church Youth in Fundraising Efforts

Mission trips are more successful when participants feel comfortable around one another and have invested time and effort in preparing for the trip. That’s why you should involve your church youth from the very beginning by including them in fundraising efforts. The trip will hold more meaning for them when they have worked for it.

Popular youth fundraisers include selling faith-based candles, using church scratch cards, selling cookies and cookie dough. Your young church members also may hold car washes, bake sales, yard sales, or other community events to raise money for their trip.

Because you will involve the community in your fundraising events, you should advertise in your church bulletin, on your church sign, and in local newspapers. If your church has a social media page, put a few of your youth in charge of creating and sharing fundraising events because it is an inexpensive way to reach a larger audience.

If you plan to stand in front of local stores with cans to collect donations, design matching T-shirts for your mission participants to make them more visible and credible when they are out and about in the community. Of course, everyone should pack their shirts and wear them on the mission itself when the time comes.

Another important fundraising tool you could use is marketing via email. Email marketing has a very high return on investment, so you should leverage it for raising funds and awareness for your mission trip. If you can use the email list of your whole church’s congregation, then you should have no problem reaching your fundraising goals.

2. Make Sure Everyone is Onboard with the Mission’s Purpose

When organizing a mission trip overseas, the church’s mission should be first and foremost in everyone’s minds. Operate under the understanding that you are representing your church and are traveling to do public service and be the face of your church in another part of the world. It’s important for you to share the purpose of the mission with your young participants and their families so everyone understands the trip is not a vacation. You should create a mission itinerary, a daily schedule, and a list of mission goals and share them at the first informational meeting.

3. Clearly State Your Rules and Get Signatures Early in the Planning Process

You also should clearly state your expectations and team rules from the beginning so church members know the do’s and don’ts of the trip and can agree to them well ahead of time. State and explain the rules to parents at the introductory meeting but also invite mission participants to attend so you can spend the evening answering questions and assuaging parents’ fears.

For more ideas on when to hold meetings, which information to share when, and which forms you will need, check out the numerous resource-rich websites like YouthWorks and Faithward. Keep in mind that if you are traveling to a country that allows people younger than 21 to drink or has a reputation for heavy recreational drug use, you should make it very clear that your youth will not be participating even though the laws differ. Studies show that exposing teens to alcohol at an early age puts them at a greater risk of developing drug and alcohol problems later in life, as noted in TIME magazine.

Similarly, experimenting with drugs early in life or using them socially as teens also leads to a high risk of becoming dependent and affects brain development. Alcohol and drugs have no place in a church mission, and you should reiterate these points at your introductory meeting.

Lastly, you may want to clearly state what items they can and cannot bring. It’s also important to give them reminders of important items to bring, such as medications they take daily, clothes that suit the climate, and chargers or power banks for devices they’re bringing along.

Planning an overseas church mission trip requires a great deal of time and organization. But, if you involve church youth and parents early in fundraising and informational sessions and clearly state your purpose and rules early on, you will have a much more successful and meaningful trip.

Day of the Christian Martyr 2020

Tomorrow marks the annual Day of the Christian Martyr, and many Christians are paying special respect and honor this weekend to the legacy of those who have sacrificed their very lives for the advancement of the gospel. This day is chosen based on early church tradition that the Apostle Paul was martyred on June 29 in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero in the mid-to-late sixties of the first century AD.

The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), an interdenominational Christian missions organization that has been serving our persecuted brothers and sisters worldwide for over fifty years, maintains a memorial to Christian martyrs at its Oklahoma headquarters. This year's special inductee is Central African Pastor Jean-Paul Sankagui (Graphic courtesy of VOM).

Pastor Sankagui’s inspiring story is courtesy of the Voice of the Martyrs:

Pastor Jean-Paul Sankagui planted a church in a Muslim neighborhood outside Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, in 1993. He maintained good relations with the community for years.

But civil war between Seleka rebels, government forces and anti-balaka militias changed everything.

Most of the pastor’s church members fled the area as hostility increased toward Christians. And even the pastor’s wife, Mary, urged him to leave the area and work someplace safer. But Pastor Jean-Paul stayed in obedience to what he believed God had called him to do.

On Feb. 7, 2017, Islamists shot Pastor Jean-Paul to death outside his church in Ramandji before looting and burning his house and church. Mary said they killed her husband because the community no longer wanted Christians in the area. She and Pastor Sankagui had been married 48 years and had 11 children and 17 grandchildren. After losing not only her husband but also her home and all her possessions, Mary had no choice but to leave the area.

Five other evangelical pastors in the region also were killed in the first five weeks of 2017. Pastor Jean-Paul knew the risks, counted the cost and willingly stayed to shepherd his small congregation and serve as a witness for Christ in the neighborhood.

For those who would like additional information and resources about Pastor Sankagui and/or the Day of the Christian Martyr, we encourage you to visit the VOM website for the Day of the Christian Martyr 2020 podcast, and a prayer guide for the Central African Republic. There are also additional resources for your church or small group.

We have supported our friends at VOM for years and believe them to be one of the most vital ministries for our modern turbulent times. In particular, we'd like to alert our readers to a particularly urgent need of our sisters and brothers, not only in the Central African Republic, but also in Nigeria, Sudan, Pakistan, Laos and several other African, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern nations. The number of Christian families forced out of their homes and villages in recent years has increased dramatically. Most are forced to flee with no food or provisions, only the clothes on their backs. They survive by sleeping on the ground and eating whatever edible plants they can find in the forests.

This is due not only to Islamic, Hindu and other militarists, but to superstition as well. The vast majority of many villagers worship the “gods” or “spirits” of nature (the river, forest, livestock, household idols etc). Many Christians are banished from their villages by their superstitious neighbors to avoid angering or offending these false gods or spirits. For those who would like to aid these displaced Christian families, VOM has set up a Help Christians Driven from their Homes campaign that delivers items for their basic needs. Thank you and God bless.

Rejoicing in Heaven

We are saddened by the loss, but know that heaven is rejoicing as Dr Kim Hall is welcomed to his eternal home on October 21. Kim was the Pastor of Hunters Glen Baptist Church here in Plano. From HGBC:

Kim earned his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and his Masters and Doctor of Ministry degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Louisiana and Mississippi during his 35 years of ministry. Dr Hall has served on the Executive Board and the Mission Funding Committee of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He has served in numerous positions with the Collin Baptist Association. He also has served as a chaplain for the Plano Police and Fire Departments. He has been active in missions worldwide. He is the founder of Advance International, which partners with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the IMB to provide theological education to Christian leaders in remote areas of the world.

Dr Hall was preceded in death by his parents Dr. Luther & Floriene Hall. He is survived by his loving wife and partner in the ministry Martha Miller Hall, loving son Hunter Hall and wife Becky Merrick Hall, loving son Daniel Hall and his fiancé Jessi James. Two beautiful grandchildren Carson and Saige Hall, siblings; Gladden & Lydia Hall Willis, Bob & Myrna Hall Tarver, David & Madeline Hall and Joey & Judy Hall and many nieces and nephews.

To say that Kim was well-loved would be a vast understatement. His memorial service at Hunter's Glen was standing-room only, overflowed via video to other rooms as well as an internet feed for his international friends and others who could not make the trip. Under the lordship of Christ, Kim was a man of unique vision, reaching out to all peoples without compromising the integrity of the Word of God. Hunters Glen Baptist will continue to reap the benefits of Kim's God-given visions for years to come.

Even though Kim served at Hunters Glen for over 20 years, his influence and love for others was felt worldwide because of his great passion for missions. His vision was that HGBC would involve all the multi-ethnicities of our community by the year 2020 in such a way that the various groups would retain their culturally specific opportunities, yet integrated in order that all members at times could come together for worship as one unified body of believers. Under Kim's leadership, this program was well underway with the establishment of local Chinese, Indian, Russian, Iranian, Spanish and Korean churches. Kim was also instrumental in the establishment of multiple international churches, particularly in Russia. The HGBC staff members remain steadfastly committed to this vision.

For those who would like to help further Kim's vision, memorials & donations can be made to the above-mentioned Advance International, which provides needed training to those serving the Lord in places where there is little to no access to theological education. We miss you Kim, but look forward to seeing you again one day.

Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 1Cor 15:20-23

Dance Your Shoes Off

Who said Baptists can't dance? More than 2,000 people from Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas, gathered in the heart of Houston to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. This event, known as Dance Your Shoes Off! was held to publicly proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ in a powerful and celebratory way. The name of the event was chosen because, after the performance, each participant left a new pair of shoes on the field for those in need. These shoes will be given to local mission agencies and to individuals all across the world through their mission partners and mission trips.

This occasion was inspired by a similar event held by believers from Faith Church of Budapest, Hungary.

Buckets of Hope for Haiti

Most of us have heard the unsurprising reports that much of the donations for Haiti relief is not reaching those inhabitants in need. It is widely known that the Haitian government is one of the most corrupt in the world, which has caused recent donations to decrease. Many of us however, rightly want to provide valuable needed aid to these suffering people. I have a co-worker whose parents and other relatives still live on the island. Thankfully, they were uninjured, but suffered great losses along with the others. Fortunately, there are many good Christian charities which have been working diligently to get crucial supplies to those most in need.

Dr Kim Hall at Hunter's Glen Baptist Church in Plano alerted us to the North American Mission Board's Bucket's of Hope ministry to Haiti, in partnership with the Texas Baptist Men. Kim emails that "we have made contact with Texas Baptist Men and have been assured that they have a good system of distribution which guarantees delivery of donated items." For those in the North Dallas / Collin County area, HGBC is providing a collection point for the buckets or other donations though March 7. See the church website for more information.

Other Christian agencies collecting for Haiti include the International Mission Board and Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse. Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy from Coral Ridge Ministries in Ft Lauderdale also emailed recommending Convoy of Hope. Although there are many other good charity agencies, these are a few that we've personally worked with, or that come highly recommended from trusted sources. It was reported that over 4000 bogus charities were estimated to be operating during the Katrina effort, so for those using less familiar charities, Charity Navigator is a charity watchdog group that complies and evaluates information on thousands of agencies.

Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti. As bad as the physical suffering has been, their spiritual needs are most important. Thank you for your generosity and God Bless.