Bethlehem Community Church from its beginning has made a strong Missions Program one of its priorities. This is in obedience to God’s Great Commission as expressed by Jesus: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19a).
We partner with and prayerfully and financially support families doing missions work around the globe, as well as a few organizations that support indigenous Christian workers. These include World Relief – serving the most vulnerable afflicted by war, poverty, and disease, through the local churches (God’s agent of transformation); Sisters in Service – extending God’s love to women and children in the least-reached places of the world; Harvest India - ministering to orphans, teaching lay local pastors, and growing the persecuted church in the region of Bangalore; Love146 – abolishing child sex slavery and exploitation with prevention projects, providing aftercare therapy in safehomes, and vocational training for a future.
God has also brought over 2,000 international students from all over the world to study here in Albany each year. We reach out in friendship and the message of Christ with Horizons. (see M. Kriss)
In addition we periodically send a short-term group out from the body. (BCC Short Term Missions documents can be found here.)
As we highlight our current “Missions Family,” comprised of ordinary people performing extraordinary service for the Lord, due to the sensitivity of some of their work, their names have been changed for this publication.
The Bigs have served in Afghanistan for over 25 years, raising their family in this war torn and impoverished nation. They are known as “the ones who did not leave.” Mr. Big demonstrates Jesus’ love by providing needed eye care to the people in Kabul and in rural areas via traveling eye camps. His wife teaches in an international elementary school. (Interserve USA)
Miss Grace works to send out short-term groups around the world with the hopes that they will be called by God for the long-term, as she so desires to be in the near future. She is a part of PIONEERS - USA, an agency that mobilizes teams to glorify God among unreached peoples by initiating church-planting movements in partnership with local churches.
Miss Farmer, a career Bible translator with Wycliffe, is stationed in Russia. She supports the work of translation by encouraging local Christians in that endeavor. She also orients foreign staff translators to their new culture helping them to be effective in their work with people and in the Word. The published Word is in 3000 languages but there are 3000 people groups that still are without the Truth in print.
The Scrolls serve with Arab Vision in Cairo which produces Christian TV programs in the local languages and cultural context to be viewed by over 200 million by satellite. The variety of programs are suitable for the entire family and dispel myths and misinformation about Christianity – and share the gospel of peace with the growing number of Arabs who question the tenets of traditional Islam and the violent teachings of radical leaders. (Interserve USA)
Mr. Sleet works in Kyrgyzstan for an international group organized to train the local professionals in the areas of medicine, community development, and education. They empower the people to bring their nation, left struggling after the break-up of the former Soviet Union, out of its economic and social distress. The entire family is immersed in that community and at a special time of the Kyrgyz church’s infancy. (Interserve USA)
The Stodges are in Guatemala City at the world’s best Spanish speaking theological seminary. They do some teaching, facilitate the establishment of satellite institutes around the globe, and have started a puppet ministry. The Guatemalans have quite a catch since Dave and Diana have over twenty years of experience in pastoral and lay training and church ministry in Bogota, Colombia, where they served and raised their family. (TEAM)
The Thrillzons are in the Rukwa Valley of Tanzania, Africa, inhabited by people who thought they had been forgotten. They are starting up the first and only medical clinic in that region (Mercy Medical). They join a team involved in community development, evangelism, indigenous church planting, and leadership Bible training. Mark is a Physician Assistant and Jodi and their four kids will be busy home-schooling and sharing the love of Christ through deed and word after they learn Swahili.
“...there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).
PLEASE PRAY FOR THESE PARTNERS, THEIR WORK, AND THE PEOPLE OF THE NATIONS THEY SERVE
God has called us to share our resources with needy believers in other areas of the world and to support the work of spreading the gospel among those who are the least-reached on the earth.
OUR CURRENT BUDGET NEEDS EACH MONTH TOTALS: $7,000
| Partner Support | $3600 |
| Harvest India | $300 |
| Interserve USA | $500 |
| Love146 | $500 |
| Sisters in Service | $600 |
| World Relief | $500 |
| Wycliffe Bible Translation | $100 |
| Love Gifts | $100 |
| Short-Term Fund (10% total) | $700 |
| Education, Hospitality, Promotion | $100 |
Join with us in praying that we would grow in the knowledge of His infinite love and grace and that He would give us generous hearts like His. Please give as the Lord leads: Cash in envelopes and label for Missions Checks to BCC, memo: World Missions
Want to be emailed prayer letters? Get Involved? Have questions? Contact Missions Chair: Joy Meyer; elder Charles Kriss. Committee: Lucy Ambrocio, Donna Frueh, Marilyn Kriss, Kristin Odom, Melanie Potter, Robbie VanDenburgh. Treasurer, John Kissling.
