It has been a long, hard year and a half for several of our Urbancrest members, but also a year of great learning and adventure. For this group it all ended June 12, 2011...or did it? Maybe it is just the beginning! A celebration for the Urbancrest mission interns who have completed their course of study was held on June 12th. Many are now working on their deployments to the different places the Lord has called them.
It is interesting how this all happened. I wish I could say that is was part of a great vision the Lord gave to me for the mission outreach of Urbancrest. But it really was a God-directed, Holy Spirit born ministry. In 2009, the economic crisis affected the value of the dollar which caused mission organizations to reduce and reverse the number of missionaries they supported. Even our own International Mission Board anticipated having to reduce their numbers from 5,500 to less than 5,000 missionaries worldwide. It was against this backdrop that our church was confronted with church members who were called to missions and desired to take the next step. Aaron and Dana Bogan were looking for a sending agency, and though they were willing to do almost anything to be able to fulfill their calling, there were no takers.
Realizing that the divine mandate of our church is to send those who God has called, we sought out a course of study that would help fulfill the church’s responsibility to prepare those that it sends to the mission field. I found it through the Global Connection Partnership Network, a group based in Arlington, Texas that had written 42 essential lessons that prepare missionaries for cross-cultural mission service. After a trip to Arlington to learn how to prepare myself, we developed a mission intern process for Urbancrest members that would help them explore God’s call to mission service.
To my surprise, we had 19 interns begin the three-phase process. The first 12 weeks were spent exploring God’s call and learning the Biblical mandate to go. Next, we moved into the essentials of preparation and going, which included connecting and serving on a mission project. In the summer of 2010, Urbancrest had 8 interns on the international mission field for 6-12 weeks. The rest of the interns were involved either in local or regional mission service. In total, this group of interns served 104 weeks on the international mission field and witnessed over 500 souls come to Christ.
A couple of our interns (Emily Clem, Kelly Kemp) moved on to attend college full-time, and several couples saw such growth in their own ministries that they needed to give it their full attention (John & Brocklyn Steiner, Larry & Elizabeth Bergeron). Twelve of the interns completely finished the course and received the certificate of completion. The weekly lessons were facilitated by Linda Estep, Diane Lynch, and me.
This group is ready to lay down their lives and go where God has called them! Ron & Darlene Whitmer moved to Uganda, Africa on June 21 to work on Bavuma Island with IMB missionaries George & Geraldine Smith. They sold their house and all their belongings and will serve the Lord there for at least one year. What an example to all of us of how to re-fire, instead of retire!
On August 31st, Aaron & Dana Bogan and their four children will also move to Uganda where Aaron will teach in the Uganda Baptist Seminary, influencing the lives of over 300 pastors each year to reach all of east Africa for Christ.
Matt Prichard is preparing to leave for Haiti as soon as he has raised a team of supporters. He will work with orphans through the Hands and Feet Project of Audio Adrenaline.
All of the others are in the process of seeking the place and time that God will use them in His purpose to glorify His name to the ends of the earth. Please continue to support them in prayer and consider helping them on a regular basis as they become the heart and hands of Urbancrest around the world.
We are now accepting applications for our next group of interns. Applications are available in the church office and must be turned in very soon in order to begin the interview/entry process. Space is limited! The program is set to begin September 7th. Contact destep@urbancrest.org.
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