Aviation Ministries

An excerpt from...

Aviation Ministries

Partnerships for the repairs of missionary aircraft
By Jim Newman, Airplane Maintenance, Ohio
January-March 2014

As you walk through the hangar door, the first things you may notice are several aircraft in various stages of disassembly and a group of mechanics dressed in similar uniforms. As you take a closer look at the airplanes, you will see the registration numbers indicate that they are from various countries around the world. As you begin to listen to the conversations of the mechanics, you realize they are also from different regions of the world. If you look and listen closely, you may realize that a World Gospel Mission missionary mechanic is training an apprentice mechanic for Missionary Flights International on an aircraft owned by Mission Aviation Fellowship in the facilities of Missionary Maintenance Service. Some people may be amazed that there are four missions groups represented on a single project, but at Missionary Maintenance Service, this is more the norm than the exception.

Many missionaries rely on aircraft to provide transportation and supplies. By flying over dangerous terrain or hostile situations, they can reach more people for Christ. These aircraft require highly skilled and properly trained mechanics to maintain them in rugged environments.

MMS has been meeting this critical need since 1975 and has served over 100 different Christian ministries. Through the blending of an aviation apprenticeship with actual modification and repair of missionary aircraft, we return aircraft to field service and provide hands-on experience to each apprentice mechanic. All MMS personnel are faith-supported, allowing us to provide our services labor-free to Christian ministries, saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

WGM’s aviation ministry Wings of Peace in Bolivia was blessed by this relationship many times since 1985. As a former Wings of Peace family, my wife, Mary, and I have been on special assignment with MMS as part of the training staff since the closing of WOP.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:14-20: “For the body is not one member, but many.… But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body” (NASB).

An airplane is made up of thousands of parts, each one necessary to make it airworthy. We and the different missions groups we serve are all parts, each with unique gifts and talents, but it’s only when we work together that we form the Body.

PRAY: How many times do you notice those shiny birds overhead? The next time you do, take a moment to pray for Jim and Mary and those with whom they work for the cause of missions. Ask God to use this partnership to further His kingdom.

Prayer Calendar: February 23 - March 1, 2014

The Call brings this missions prayer point to you inspired by the magazine...

February 23-March 1: 

PRAISE God for the far-reaching impact of the aviation ministry at Missionary Maintenance Service.

Preseident's Perspective: No One Can Do It Alone

An excerpt from ...

No One Can Do It Alone

By Hubert Harriman
January-March 2014

One of the most enduring memories of my growing-up years was mealtime. My mother was a great cook, but more important than the food was the family time. Here is where we shared stories, laughter, and tears. It was here where we prayed together. It was around the table where we knew we were not alone with the challenges of life—we had love, we had understanding, and we had support.

In many cultures, one of the strongest acts of acceptance, honor, and blessing is an invitation into a home for a meal. In the same way, the most powerful statement God ever made with His children was to invite us to put our feet under His table. It’s around the table where we know we are not alone with the challenges of life.

Ministry, bar none, is the most challenging work one will ever be involved in. No one can do it alone, and, not surprisingly, it’s in the sense of “aloneness” where ministries struggle. In relation to ministry, the greatest words of assurance Jesus ever spoke to His disciples were, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NKJV). That truth has held many a lonely Christian worker through rough waters. 

In Christian community, we honor what each person brings to the table. For this reason, Community/Partnerships is one of WGM’s core values. We reach out to others in ministry and are grateful for those who reach out to us. This is common practice throughout the WGM ministry footprint these days. We will have it no other way.

Come and join us at this table of Christian workers. Here we will find love, understanding, and support. On this side of heaven, there is no greater fellowship than this.

ACT: This month invite someone in ministry to have dinner in your home. Take this time to encourage them in the ministry God has called them to.

MORE: Visit www.wgm.org/corevalues to view a complete list of WGM’s core values.

University Residence Project

An excerpt from...

University Residence Project

A ministry dream becoming reality through partnership
By Rachel Kerney, Bolivia
January-March 2014

Prayer letter sent December 2012:Pastor Sergio and his wife, Fanny, have a dream for a Christian university residence. It will house university students from surrounding rural communities and other parts of Bolivia and will be a refuge to provide adequate lodging and spiritual discipleship for these young people.

God has put it on our hearts to be facilitators of the University Residence Project, serving alongside Pastor Sergio and Fanny. Our part is to raise money to buy the land and build the first floor of the building. We will help research and prepare a discipleship program for the students. We will also work with Pastor Sergio to formulate functional culturally appropriate lifestyle guidelines for the residents.

We have the money to purchase the land! We still need to raise $35,000 to build the first phase of the building. Can you give toward this project?

Prayer letter update sent July 2013:
Thank the Lord for the $17,000 raised for the University Residence. We appreciate the churches in Texas that have taken a special interest in raising funds for this project.

David and I will be working together with Pastor Sergio as we continue to define this project and determine how it will work in conjunction with the national church in the department of Chuquisaca.

Join the University Residence Project:
More partners are needed to build this dream. Will you consider joining the community that will build the first phase of the building?

GIVE: Confirm your partnership and invest in young leaders in Bolivia by giving a financial gift at www.wgm.org/residence.

Prayer Calendar: February 16-22, 2014

Your missions prayer point from The Call magazine this week is:

PRAY for spiritual growth and development for students who will be living in the University Residence in Sucre, Bolivia.

This request is inspired by the article University Residence Project. Financial gifts are being accepted as a way of partnering with this ministry here: www.wgm.org/residence. 

Partnerships On and Off the Field

An excerpt from...

Partnerships On and Off the Field

By Don Moon, Argentina
January-March 2014

World Gospel Mission missionaries are required to return to the United States after their term (often three to four years) on the field has expired. WGM calls this time homeland ministry assignment, which is when missionaries reconnect and build relationships/community/partnerships with family, friends, ministry partners, and churches. It’s a different kind of ministry but an important part of the missionary experience. As you can imagine, missionary families travel many miles during this time and often look for assistance from ministry partners along the way. Don Moon shares below just a few of the ways the Moons’ ministry partners have helped them in the past, using practical means to minister to his family.

Chris and Deb organized a soup and sandwich supper that allowed us to invite people from the area to hear about our ministry as Mission Mobilizers.

John and Rhonda loaned us a small camper for a couple of months so we could save money on lodging while we traveled.

On two different HMAs, someone purchased a house for us to live in while we were in the U.S. for a year and then used the house as a rental property investment.

Dan and Regina offered us their home for a week of R&R while they went on vacation!

Mike offered to sell our vehicle for us after we left the U.S. to return to the field so that we could use it right up until the day we left.

God has used many people to provide for our needs during our homeland ministry assignment. Whether it is a bed for the night, a meal together, gas money, a goodie bag, or a word of encouragement, many champions have invested in us, and together we are able to help take the gospel to a needy world. Thanks to every one of you!

Is there something you could do for a missionary or your pastor or Sunday School teacher that would help them in ministry? Take time this month to host a dinner, send notes of encouragement, or offer to prepare goodies for someone in ministry in your sphere of influence.

ACT: The partnership doesn’t have to stop with just you. Grab your friends, family, or small group and challenge them with this same thought. What can you, as a community, do this month to help a missionary, a pastor, or a neighborhood in need?

These Are Our Visitors

An excerpt from...

These Are Our Visitors

Putting down roots in South Sudan
By Jen Lavery, Volunteer, Kenya
January-March 2014

“These are our visitors, Joy and Jen. They are from the group that brought the gospel to my people in Kenya.” This was our introduction by Africa Gospel Church missionary Brian Mutai to the village administrator in Nyinbule, South Sudan. Brian is the fruit of the seeds that WGM planted among the Kipsigis people 80 years ago. Generations later, we get to share in the legacy.

Brian’s wife, Debbie, has been working in South Sudan for five years, serving as a clinical officer in the village clinic she helped build. After they married, Brian joined her to work with local church pastors and community leaders. When it was suggested they expand their work to target children and youth in the community, they agreed with the need but didn’t feel they had the expertise or skills necessary. They conveyed their concerns to Mango Ministries. What started as a simple conversation and prayer has developed into a working partnership.

I don’t speak Dinka. I am only beginning to scratch the surface of the culture. Because Brian and Debbie have been living among the Dinka for several years, they understand the culture more deeply, have some grasp of the language, have relationships, and see the needs more closely. They knew that churches needed more than just children’s choir directors; they needed leaders who could effectively teach the Bible and practical health lessons to children to reach the community. But they needed help to train the leaders. I can do that. We, in Mango Ministries, are gifted medically and educationally as well as in community health to help meet some of the vast needs of this new nation, but we recognize how much we need other’s vocational gifts and gifts of relationships, language, and cultural knowledge and sensitivity.

Mango Ministries’ motto is:  “Putting down roots, bearing fruit, and multiplying the harvest.” We are privileged to join in multiplying the harvest of WGM’s early efforts and putting down roots in South Sudan. None of us can do it alone.

ACT: Invite others to join the partnership of Mango Ministries through sharing. The WGM website offers you a free speaker outline that will give the details of sharing the impact and needs of this ministry. Download your outline at www.wgm.org/outlines.

Prayer Calendar: February 9-15, 2014

Your missions prayer point inspired by The Call magazine this week is:

PRAY for the Mango Ministries team, as they serve to transform communities in South Sudan.

MORE: Learn more about the Mango Ministries of South Sudan at www.wgm.org/mangoministries.

Intercultural Teams

An Excerpt from...

Intercultural Teams

By Don Moon, Argentina
January-March 2014

Partnership for my wife, Glenda, and me means working under the umbrella of the Whitened Fields Association in Argentina, although we continue to be missionaries with World Gospel Mission. Whitened Fields exists to provide training to Latin Americans who have a call to ministry and missions. Several different ministries are under their covering. We serve with one of the ministries called the Center for Cross-cultural Missionary Training. Our fellow team members are from Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Students come from all over Latin America. We serve side by side with our team members, living on the campus and interacting daily with the students during their three-month training sessions. Although all communication takes place in Spanish, as an international, intercultural team, we have to work hard to apply cross-cultural principles and practices to our own team dynamics as well as teach them to the students. Most of the students will be serving on intercultural teams, so this is a good opportunity for us as a team to model the process for the students.

Culture is a foundational part of who we are as people. We learn what is considered to be the right way, or wrong way, to do things according to what we are taught by those around us. As people from different backgrounds join together in a team, their understanding of how things should be done often conflicts with those from other backgrounds. Issues we face in partnerships and intercultural teams include things such as, What kind of leadership style is to be used? How are decisions made? How is work divided up? How are meetings organized? How are conflicts resolved? How does planning take place? How are resources handled? If the leader or one group of the team tries to impose their cultural preferences, team relationships suffer. Therefore, it is important for the group to go back to the basics, to understand the image of God and His principles for how we as His children, created in His image, are to work together.

When this is figured out, it is extremely rewarding to work together on a team with those of other cultures who bring fresh perspectives, new ideas, and rewarding relationships.

ACT: Take this challenge from the Partner chapter of the World GO! Manual: Join a community-wide, faith-based outreach project that includes more than just your local church. Join a group that is addressing the particular needs of your community that God has given you a burden for.

The Wesleyan Alliance

An excerpt from...

The Wesleyan Alliance

A partnership for equipping pastors
By Meg Dul, Hungary
January-March 2014

Remember our rejoicing when communism fell? Finally, freedom for our brothers and sisters in Christ to worship openly! But sometimes change comes slowly, and effects of communism still linger.What do you do, for example, when the established seminaries employ professors who are openly anti-Christian? Where do you send the young people to train to be Christian leaders?

A group of Christian leaders and missionaries in Hungary had a dream of developing a training center where young believers could become equipped to be pastors and lay leaders in their churches, studying theology from a Wesleyan perspective. This was too big an undertaking for any organization on its own, so in 1998 the Wesleyan Alliance was formed out of World Gospel Mission, OMS, the Salvation Army, the Methodist Church, the Free Methodist Church, and the Church of the Nazarene.

Finally, in 2006, the dream of a training center was realized. Young Hungarian Christian leaders can receive an accredited degree in theology, taught from a Wesleyan perspective. Small churches and missions organizations no longer have to wonder where to send their young people to be trained to be pastors and lay leaders. Two Korean missionary churches have also joined the Wesleyan Alliance, making it quite an international organization. Working together and with the Holy Spirit, we have accomplished so much more than any of us could have done alone.

Create your own alliance. Because of the religious restriction Hungarians experienced during the days of communism, the desire for translated Christian books is persistent. By gathering your sphere of influence (your alliance), you can help develop lay leaders in Hungary, too. For every $600 you raise, a book can be translated, and each additional $6 pays for the printing of one copy of a book. Set a fundraising goal and work together for Hungary. Working together, your alliance can accomplish more, too!

GIVE: Help develop lay leaders in Hungary. Make checks payable to World Gospel Mission and write project #31454-CALL on the memo line. Send check donations to:

World Gospel Mission
P.O. Box 948
Marion, IN 46952-0948

Prayer Calendar: Feb. 2-8, 2014

Your missions prayer point this week from The Call is:

PRAISE God for the Wesleyan Alliance, which educates and equips pastors in Hungary.

In 1998 the Wesleyan Alliance was formed out of World Gospel Mission, OMS, the Salvation Army, the Methodist Church, the Free Methodist Church, and the Church of the Nazarene to develop a training center where young believers could become equipped to be pastors and lay leaders in their churches, studying theology from a Wesleyan perspective. Learn more> www.wgm.org/alliance.