Global Outreach
The Global Ministry of EFCH is an expression of the conviction of our mission. Our emphasis is to raise up people among our congregation with a passion for Jesus Christ and send them into our communities, nearby cross-cultural regions, and around the world, reflecting the scope of witness in Acts 1: 8.
Objectives for Global Ministry
- Members and attendees of EFCH are adopting God's perspective of the world and are actively participating in God's worldwide work.
- We are encouraging, facilitating, and supporting church planting movements in five regional focal points.
- Together, we are identifying, preparing, and sending those from our congregation called by God to strategic places in the world.
- We are providing effective care for our missionaries.
- EFCH is fostering a passion for global ministry in other churches of our region.
Pastor Daniel Witwer, pastor for missions and evangelism, writes a blog about mission strategy, mission trips and missionaries. Click on this link to read it.
Training Pastors in Mexico
Dave and Denise Love recently traveled to Chiapas, Mexico, from July 29 through August 4 to speak at a Bible conference. This conference was for a group of pastors and their wives from about 35 to 40 churches in the region. In this area of Mexico, true believers in the Lord are being persecuted for their faith. The churches rented a facility in town where Denise spoke to the ladies on “Forgiveness” and “How to deal with personal struggles in light of biblical teaching.” Dave taught on “Ethics in ministry,” “Christianity vs. Islam” and “Bible prophecy.”
After the conference, Rogelio, a student they had taught at Rio Grande Bible Institute, guided them into several towns up in the mountains. They took “The Proclaimer,” which is a solar battery powered, rechargeable, radio-sized device that contains a memory chip with the entire New Testament in the native language. They rented the town’s loudspeakers for less than $10 a day to broadcast the reading of Scripture. God’s Word never changes but new technology can bring amazing ways to share his Word.
Church Thanked for Contribution
Vitaly Petrov, president of Trinity Equipping Center/Trinity Video Seminary, sends us this thank you note for the funds we sent to help distribute DVD seminary courses.
I am so exited to [hear] this good news about your care and contribution to TEC/TVS ministry in Asia region. Thank you very much for all your gifts and care for TEC/TVS and for many other ministries around the world. God is doing something [miraculous] these days with spreading His word in this Asia region. This happen in spite of the Satan's opposition that grow a lot in last few years. Our hearts are with our the brothers and sisters who are not only keep their faith but also spreading good News to others under persecution. I am so glad to know that your hearts are also beating in joy or in sorrow for them for many years while you serve and support different ministries in this region. TEC/TVS working on many plans how to help our brothers and sisters there and we [rely] on all wisdom we can get in this work. We will continue to inform you what happening in our ministry there. We also pray for people in Hershey and for all of you brothers and sisters at EFCH. For many years you were not only spreading Good News in your own city but throughout the world. May God bless you in abundance in all you do and give you joy of the Lord when you see all result of your work and great effort!!!
Our Missionaries Report on Situation in Haiti
July 28, 2010 - Jacques and Danielle Forge have served the Haitian community in Montreal, Quebec, for many years. Jacques recently visited the earthquake torn country and reported that the situation is worse than what we see on television. He went to Cayes in the southern part of Haiti. There are so many people there now that it is overwhelming. Some people left Port-au-Prince to go to Cayes to be in a safer area. Many people have lost there families and there are many children wandering the streets. At the time of the earthquake, the population of Cayes was 60,000. It is now estimated that there are 160,000 people in the city. The price of food is very high and people do not have money to by basic supplies. Jacques was very touched by the plight of the children. Some orphans do not have beds to sleep on. They sleep on the floor with no mattresses or blankets. Jacques has some friends who donated money to help these needy people. He bought mattresses, blankets and food for these children. He organized a community supper for the children in the street. They fed 70 children plus adults. Upon questioning the people if they have seen any help from outside humanitarian organizations, their answer was no. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti.
Her Mission Will Be Writing
July 13, 2010 - Janelle Tyson is a member of Hershey Free Church and the Infusion AEF. She is serving with Wycliffe and hopes to depart for South Asia soon.
She is working on training in two areas. The first is feature writing, because her role will require a lot of writing. She has begun an online course with Berkley University to learn how to find, research and write articles for print or online publication.
Her second training is in the area of management writing. Managers and administrators with SIL are required to take SIL's Manager Orientation to receive the necessary training to work successfully as an administrator with SIL. Included in the course are two weeks that focus on how to learn a new language and successfully adapt to cross-cultural living.
The course is only offered once a year in the fall. Janelle is required to take this course before she can be released for her overseas assignment. To enroll in the course she needs to be at 50 percent of her total financial support. Her goal is to have pledges for 100 percent of her support by August 2010. That will enable her to focus entirely on the course and make final preparations to leave in January 2011. She will be undertaking a two-year commitment in the field.
She asks that we pray about how we can help more people have access to God’s Word in their own language. Pray for Janelle as she follows God’s leading on her life.
Lessons of Life Learned on the Baseball Field
July 13, 2010 - Brooke Morrison is the Director for Child Evangelism Fellowship in Dauphin County. He related how God taught him a lesson through his son’s participation on a baseball team.
Jansen, his 13-year-old son, loves to play baseball and has usually started as a player. This year, however, has been a little more difficult. He is playing in his first year in a teener league and this has brought new challenges. There are 18 players on Jansen’s team and he has spent more time on the bench than he is used to. Jansen has not verbalized his disappointment about his bench sitting but Brooke greatly feels his disappointment. He feels that he has taken this situation harder than Jansen has.
The wonderful thing about this is that God has used this situation to allow Brooke and Jansen to grow spiritually. They have prayed and talked about doing their best and allowing the Lord the room to do what he wills. The greatest blessing for Brooke came one morning during his devotions. He was thinking about Jansen with all of his potential being wasted on the bench and God intervened into his thoughts and said, “The way you feel disappointed about your son not being used in the game is how I feel when you neglect all that I have blessed you with. Too many times you sit on the bench, refusing to use those gifts for the Kingdom and I (God) hurt when you sit on the bench. Brooke, get back in the game and play hard”.
These inspirational thoughts can apply to all of us. Are you playing hard on God’s team in the game of life doing God’s work here on earth? Let’s all get off the bench and get back into the game!
Thank You For Supporting DVD Distribution
July 13, 2010 - During our May 2010 Global Vision Sunday, Hershey had a project of helping the Trinity Equipping School/Trinity Video Center collect funds to help with the distribution of teaching DVDs in the Central Asian country that needed them the most.
A total of $6,294.50 was collected and sent to the TEC/TVS. We received a thank you from Vitaly Petrov, the president of the school. He writes:
“I am so excited to hear this good news about your care and contribution to TEC/TVS ministry in Asia region. Thank you very much for all your gifts and care for TEC/TVS and for many ministries around the world. God is doing some great miracles these days with spreading His word in this Asia region.
This happens in spite of Satan’s opposition that has grown a lot in last few years. Our hearts are with our brothers and sisters who are not only keeping their faith but also spreading the Good News to others under persecution.
I am so glad to know that your hearts are also beating with joy or in sorrow for them for many years while you serve and support different ministries in this region. TEC/TVS are working on many plans to help our brothers and sisters in Central Asia. We are relying on God’s wisdom so we can finish this work. We will continue to inform you what is happening in our ministry there.
We also pray for people in Hershey and for all of you brothers and sisters at EFCH. For many years you were not only spreading Good News in your own city but throughout the world. May God bless you in abundance in all you do, and give you the joy of the Lord when you see all results of your work and effort.”
Enlisting the Aid of 'Strong Man'
June 8, 2010 -- Paul and Cheryl are working in a Creative Access country. Cheryl is a physician and one of her responsibilities is working in a village of lepers.
A friend of Cheryl’s called her and asked if she could give a ride to “Strong Man” on their way to the international school. While they were sharing a taxi, God opened Cheryl’s eyes to an opportunity to help her patients. “Strong Man” visits the lepers' village regularly and he is loved by the villagers for his big heart. Cheryl happened to have a simple manual on the effects of leprosy. As they traveled together, she explained to "Strong Man" how vulnerable the villagers are to injury and progressive deformity. She also explained some simple precautions that can prevent these problems.
“Strong Man” took ownership of this program and began teaching the precautions to the villagers during his visits. Truly, God provides workers for his work. Cheryl came away from this encounter singing praises to our Lord.
Haiti Team Provides Material and Spiritual Aid
Pastor Paul Haken led a team of volunteers to Haiti from April 24 through May 1 consisting of Carl Holley, Jason Orlando, Raphael Peters and Herb Ricords. They traveled to the town of Gressier, about 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince. This town is the location of the headquarters of the EFCA’s TouchGlobal Crisis Response in Haiti. The center is named the “Haitian Queen.” The travel to the center was difficult, with the roads covered with rubble from the earthquake and traffic jams everywhere.
During the team's one week stay much work was accomplished. They built a roof structure on a temporary schoolhouse that had been constructed to accommodate about 100 children whose school had been destroyed in the earthquake. The finished project will be able to protect the children from sun and rain.
The team also was able to re-establish city electric power to the “Haitian Queen.” The center had been off line for several weeks due to a problem with a utility pole. Repairs to a cement column at the center also were accomplished.
They were able to set up a water filtration system for a ministry called “Jesus in Haiti.” This ministry has a church of 800 people and an orphanage. The Hershey team helped install an ultraviolet light purification system to help make their water potable.
The group delivered to distribution points 600 tents for shelter for people who have lost their homes. Toilet enclosures were constructed and distributed to a school and community.
In the mornings Pastor Paul taught a course on Crisis Counseling to about 25 community leaders. The students included teachers, pastors, nurses, a radio station DJ and a government community representative. What made this class special is that all of these students had been affected by the quake and were living in tents, but they still want to reach out and help their neighbors. Paul was encouraged by the discussions they had on such topics as:
- If God is loving, why do traumatic events occur?
- How can we be healed from emotional trauma?
- What is grief and how can we deal with it?
- How can we help children who have suffered traumatic events?
- How can we forgive others?
Overall Paul was very impressed with their resilience, resolve to get on with their lives and their hope for the future.
The truth of Matt 6:19-21 became evident to the team. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The efforts of this team may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the nation-wide devastation in Haiti, but to the people that they worked with in Haiti, the Hershey team was the hands and feet of Christ. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, give what you can to help and consider volunteering to go to Haiti for relief efforts.
Highlights of Short-Term Trip to Moldova
Pastor Omar Zook recently returned from a short-term missions trip to Moldova. Overall, he felt that the trip went very well and he was able to accomplish all that he set out to do.
Omar talked to one of the students taking his course who is planning to get married to a Russian girl. His future father-in-law is a Baptist pastor in a Russian church, but is in very poor health and almost died. The people of the church have been praying for a new pastor. When Omar’s student told a member of the church of his plans to be the new pastor, he was told, “you are God’s answer to our prayers for the past few years.”
Omar also had the opportunity to visit a ministry in Chisinau called “Beginning of Life.” This is a residential ministry for girls who have been caught up in the sex trade in Moldova. This program provides counseling for the girls in the program as well as seminars in schools and a bi-monthly publication to minister to other girls outside of the residential program. Vladimir and Julia are the directors of this ministry. Omar was very impressed with their vision for the future of this ministry including a stronger need for counseling programs to counteract the breakdown of families and marriages and the resulting social problems in Moldova.
Omar was a little discouraged with the test results from his students. He wasn’t sure if the problems were due to translation problems, lack of studying, or failure of the teacher to make the material clear for the students. He was encouraged by the positive feedback from the students and he hopes that the course was meaningful and helpful for the students.
Encouraging Believers in a Closed Country
Bruce and Donna are working in closed countries in Southeast Asia. They recently shared from their heart about their ministry. They recently visited 12 workers in three different cities and had wonderful fellowship while they shared meals, laughter, prayers, Bible study, ministry strategy and even a few tears.
Bruce and Donna also are working on a singles ministry and recently had an opportunity to share from the Scriptures with that fellowship.
The last week in April they met with a couple that are believers and saw that God is using J and S in great ways in that city. Bruce and Donna are encouraging J and S as that couple seeks to do God’s work.
Donna will be flying to the U.S. on April 30. She will be helping her parents move from their home of more than 50 years. Bruce will be returning to the U.S. on June 3. Pray for them as they are separated from each other.
Bruce wanted to share a thought from 2 Corinthians 1: 8-11. "The point of these scriptures is that we must rely on God who raises the dead," he writes. "Since the dead can do absolutely nothing for themselves, it is only when we totally trust God for everything that we can fully have God work through us. We need to ask God to 'raise the dead' in us every day and then we can more faithfully live and love like Christ."
Co-op Students Labor for the Lord
The Home School Co-op at the Hershey Free Church is doing a weekly service project at the Hershey Plaza, an apartment building where many of the residents are elderly or have physical disabilities. Students from 4th through 12th grade go to the Hershey Plaza every Thursday to do whatever chores the residents need to have done, whether it's cleaning or moving furniture. Sometimes they pray with the residents or just sit and visit.
In the middle of March, two students and an elderly friend of Ginny Mcllhenny were cleaning the apartment for Miss Elaine. The elderly gentleman was talking to Miss Elaine and he asked her when her spiritual birthday was. She replied that she did not have one. When she was asked if she would like to have one, she responded “yes.” After an explanation of the Gospel, she prayed to receive Jesus Christ as her personal Savior.
It was not what someone said to this lady, but the prayers and labor that have been going on for a long time that drew her to Christ. The labor and love of the co-op students, and their Christian witness in serving others, planted a seed that produced fruit for our Lord. There is rejoicing in Heaven because of this group's unselfish love for others. God can use any one of us, even school children, to advance his kingdom.
Steps to Becoming a Missionary
Click here for a guide to the steps you can take to explore a career in cross-cultural missions.
