Divine Opportunity | the Reach March 2022

by | May 26, 2022 | Biblical/Missional, Church Partnership

Over four million Ukrainian refugees have fled their country in the last four weeks. World Outreach has been working with ministry partners on the ground in the surrounding countries to care for those who are impacted and displaced by the events of the last month. Similarly, there are over 600,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan having fled war in their country. World Outreach’s Mission Cohort took a trip in December 2021 to ministry partners in the area, to offer encouragement and support in their work and to share the love of Christ with Syrian refugees in the area. Two team members, Danny and David, share with you their experience; they were blessed to see eight people put their faith in Jesus during this College Missions Cohort trip: 2 from Syria, 2 from Yemen, and 2 from Iraq.

My much-beloved brothers and sisters,

It is with great pleasure that I write to you as a young man who is blessed to have been mentored by so many wonderful people in the EPC. For the past two years, I have participated in a World Outreach missions cohort of college-aged adults. This cohort was led by EPC World Outreach mobilizers: Mark and MJ, Saul and Jesse Huber, and Shawn and Lisa Stewart. The purpose of this cohort is to, as in all things, glorify God, as well as give young adults an opportunity to discern a possible calling to the cross-cultural missions field. The cohort does this by providing students with both hands-on experience and mentorship from global workers within the EPC.

The highlight of this cohort was a short-term mission trip to Jordan. During this trip, we partnered with a relief agency of Jordanian Christians who are dedicated to doing the work of evangelists among refugees. It was during this trip that I gained one of the most cherished experiences that I have ever had since my own conversion. You see, a primary way that this agency facilitates outreach is through visiting the apartments of refugees. During these visits, staff members and volunteers bring essential food and clothing, as well as take inventory of any specific needs that a family may have. While on these home visits, they also engage in religious dialogue with the intention of sharing the gospel.

The story that I would like to share is the apartment visit with an 80-year-old man and his wife, who are Muslim refugees from Syria. As we sat together, they told us about their needs, as well as their journey from Syria to Jordan. In the midst of the conversation, our interpreter stopped and told us that he wanted to share the gospel with this man, but was concerned about his wife. In the past, he had spoken with the man and shared some things about Christianity but had yet to speak of such things with his wife. It is important to note that in Jordan it is illegal to proselytize, meaning that it is illegal to try and convince someone to change their religion. So, when you do not know how one is going to react to the gospel, you must be very careful in sharing it.

After telling us his concern, the interpreter asked our team if we had any ideas on how to approach sharing the gospel with this couple. I took a moment to pray, and the story of a man by the name of Dennis was laid on my heart. Dennis was a man from my home church who was much loved by our congregation. Despite being sick with cancer, he had such amazing joy and was not afraid, even when he knew that his time on earth was coming to an end. I began to tell Dennis’s story to this couple, and as I said to them that Dennis was not afraid to die, the wife cried out with tears. She told us that both she and her husband were afraid of death. I asked her why she was afraid of death, and she said that it was because she was not sure whether they had been obedient enough for God to let them into heaven. I explained to them that Dennis was confident unto death not because of any kind of obedience or good work that he had done, but because he knew and trusted that God loved him. 

After I shared this story, a member of our team, David, told the couple the story of Jesus being crucified next to two criminals. He explained how one criminal, like this man and his wife, was terrified of death because he knew that he could not meet God’s standard of righteousness. But upon trusting in Jesus, who is the Son of God sent to take away the sins of the world, the criminal was saved. David then got on his knees and asked the man and his wife if they believe this truth and wish to accept Christ, and both of them cried out that they believe. At that very moment, we saw two elderly people, who had been Muslim their entire lives, profess faith in Jesus. Behold the power of Almighty God! 

I left Jordan with a burden on my heart.  The call for us as God’s workers to reap a ready harvest and to disciple new believers was evident.  It has been both wonderful and convicting to share my experiences in Jordan with brothers and sisters in Christ. If you sense in any way a call to pray, to give, or even to go share Jesus with Muslims, I urge you to contact a World Outreach mobilizer through www.epcwo.org/go/. If you know a college-aged young person who is considering a life of ministry or missions, please share this story and invite them to join us at www.epcwo.org/cohort. Your life, their life, and countless others could be changed forever. 

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,

Danny Cridelich
Highview EPC, Dousman
Christ Alone Church, Green Bay

Community Life

Support Syrian Refugees

If you feel called to support ministry partners as they share the love of Christ with Syrian Refugees, consider doing so through the Syrian Refugee Relief Fund. Donations to this fund will help with the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe. The EPC is joining with church partners in Lebanon, Turkey, and Germany to not only assist refugees with physical needs, but also to share the gospel to meet their spiritual needs.

GIVE

GO with WO

If you’re interested in learning more about opportunities to serve with EPC World Outreach, visit us at www.epcwo.org/go.

GO

Prayers about the Invasion of Ukraine | the Reach February 2022

by | May 26, 2022 | Biblical/Missional, Church Partnership

But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:7-10

Dear friends,

The scriptures continually remind us that the LORD is enthroned forever; He is in control establishing His throne for justice. The Kingdom of God has come, despite the chaos and darkness around us, He promises to always be with His people and that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Would you please pray with us for peace in region, and even more that all those people would know the name of our living LORD and put their trust in Him!

  • PRAY for all involved in the region to know the name of our LORD and put their trust in him. People often turn to the Lord in crises.
  • PRAY for peace in the region and wisdom as leaders work toward that peace.
  • PRAY for our ministry partners in the region. Some are in the middle of the situation, while others are far from the action but sanctions have closed the movement of funds and on-going ministry in the area.
  • PRAY for all the ministries located in the neighboring countries bordering Ukraine who are taking in thousands of refugees. The refugees are women, children, and older men since the younger men, 18 to 60, have been required to remain in Ukraine, available to fight. Already, approximately 120,000 Ukrainians have fled to other countries, including Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Czechia. This number is expected to swell greatly.

Additional Resources

Read several articles that offer context and additional prayer needs for Ukraine:
  • Read: Christians in Ukraine in the face of invasion: “Prayer is our weapon”
  • Read: ‘No justification’ for Russian invasion of Ukraine, say European evangelicals (christiantoday.com)
  • Read: Putin’s Spiritual Destiny (spiritual background to the conflict) 
  • Give to the EPC Disaster Relief Fund for the needs of displaced peoples and the on-the-ground ministry.

Opportunities to Connect with World Outreach | the Reach January 2022

by | May 26, 2022 | Church Partnership

Dear friends,

As we begin 2022, EPC World Outreach wanted to let you in on 3 opportunities to connect with us and pursue a call to missions – both abroad and in your own neighborhood.

World Outreach Workshop
If you’re interested in learning how to foster meaningful relationships with Muslims in your community, we encourage you to take part in EPC WO’s Connecting with Your Muslim Neighbors workshop. This six-week online workshop will tear down stereotypes and help you become compassionate and courageous witnesses of God’s love for Muslims.
Missions Cohort
The EPC WO Missions Cohort is a space dedicated to engaging young adults that are interested in missions; Through mentoring, fellowship, and study together, this cohort pursues God’s leading and discerns the call towards the field. If you or a young adult you know feels led to missions, we’d love to be a part of your discernment process.
Muslim Ministry Network
Are you connecting with Muslims in your neighborhood and interested in meeting with others doing the same? You may be interested in WO’s ministry networking group! This six-month group meets online to share joys and challenges, receive input from WO workers, and pray for one another. 

A Friend to the Stranger | the Reach December 2021

by | May 26, 2022 | Biblical/Missional

Dear friends,

I had just shifted into high gear, speed-walking pace coming off my plane a couple of months ago in the Indianapolis Airport. I visualized the familiar path to baggage claim, my rental car and the drive across town. Suddenly that mental imaging was slapped away. Rounding a corner, I walked into a wall of densely clustered people, all dressed in dark clothing clogging up the hallway. Surprised, I stepped back to figure out what this jarring “interruption” was all about. 

They seemed to be a disoriented large tour group following three people holding up large placards to lead their way. Then I realized what I had bumped into. This group of over 50 people were Afghan families – mothers carrying babies, toddlers holding hands with the elderly,  families arriving to be brought to Camp Atterbury, the nearby military base outside of Indianapolis where they would join thousands of other displaced Afghans. There are seven other bases in the U.S. where collectively over 73 thousand Afghans have been received in the last few months and wait to be processed for resettlement.

The emotion of the moment stunned me. I wondered what these visibly bewildered people must be feeling and experiencing. Their clothing and the small bags they carried represented all of their earthly belongings. But their faces and shoulders carried much more weight. I thought of their loss of home, country, culture, friends, family, everything familiar, as they wandered around an unfamiliar airport in a strange land. I walked alongside them, with just enough time to pray, “Lord, I pray your grace, mercy, peace, truth and love over these dear ones. May their time in this country mark the time they came to know you.” And then, they were led down a secure hallway and gone.

That scene has continued to jarr and interrupt me, coming to mind again and again the last few weeks during this Advent season as I’ve contemplated the Christmas story so familiar to us.

The Christmas story, where Mary and Joseph sojourned to Bethlehem, over tough terrain, only to find themselves in a city that wasn’t theirs, separated from home, family, friends, and comfort. Mary pregnant, and ready to give birth, finding themselves in a generous, but far from ideal place of refuge, in a barn that was probably more like a cold, rocky cave. This wondrous event and miraculous moment, was followed later by another journey, this time of escape into a foreign land, fleeing terror and death at the hand of King Herod.

Jesus knows intimately what it is to be the displaced and the resettler, the immigrant and the welcomer, the guest and the Host. God calls us as his followers to be a friend to the stranger and to show hospitality.  

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
Hebrews 13:1-2 

Advent is a time of waiting, anticipation for our coming King. It’s a time to be reminded of who has called us. It’s a time to be reminded of the family he graciously welcomed us into and invites all to. May our hearts, minds, prayers, and homes be filled with a loving hospitality for those strangers, those families, who have yet to enter the family of God.

Grace, Peace, and Merry Advent,

Gabriel de Guia
EPC World Outreach 
Executive Director

Courage in Christ | the Reach November 2021

by | May 26, 2022 | Field Story, Mission Story

Dear friends,

“Now that I know God, He makes me feel brave enough to share the gospel with my Muslim family members. I know now that I don’t have to worry about what other people think of me because I only care what God thinks of me.”
– Saimeera*

I first met Saimeera in June of 2020 when she was looking for someone to help her read the Bible. The only believer in her family, she was brand new to the faith and had never had any Christian friends or been to church before. During our first meeting, she asked me to teach her how to pray. As I talked her through what God teaches us about prayer, her eyes widened. “You mean we can just say anything that is in our heart to God and He will listen to us?” she said in amazement. In nearly every one of our meetings, she was so overwhelmed by the good news that she started to cry.
 
Saimeera takes the Word of God very seriously. Every time we met, she brought a list of questions that had come up during her reading the previous week. She reads the Bible every single day because she wants to know and understand all of God’s Word. Her questions revealed a sincere heart: she was doing everything she could to digest and comprehend everything she was reading. “Why was Jesus called the Son of Man if he wasn’t actually Joseph’s son?” she asked one week. “Are the people who rejected Jesus just like me before I understood the gospel?” she asked another week.
 
Often, new believers can gravitate toward one particular mentor and only feel comfortable learning and sharing with them. While this is completely normal for the beginning of someone’s faith journey, it is essential for newer believers to eventually gain confidence in talking to and sharing with a wider variety of people. In October of 2020, Saimeera was brave enough to start attending an online women’s Bible study. “If I have anything I want to say, I’ll send you a private message,” she told me. By February of 2021, not only was she regularly attending the Bible studies, she chose to share an insight with the group every single week. Just recently, I witnessed her encourage another girl from a similar religious background who is experiencing persecution from her family.
 
Saimeera’s faith journey has been a huge encouragement to me over the past year. From her careful attention to the details of the Bible to her incredulous wonderment at the fact that God would care to draw near to her, her life provides a sweet reminder for all of us who have perhaps grown numb to the good news of the gospel over time. As we rejoice to see how God is at work in the life of one woman in Indonesia, let us also rejoice that the same God is at work in our lives and in our communities every day!
 
*Name changed for security purposes

Written by WO Worker, JB, serving in Southeast Asia

Community Life

Loving Your Muslim Neighbor

Read this book written by EPC WO global workers on how to become compassionate and courageous witnesses to Muslims in your community.

READ

Jesus Film

These videos from Jesus Film’s “Do You Ever Wonder?” series provide an excellent tool to share the gospel with others. They’re available in several languages, including Pashto. 

WATCH

EPC Thanksgiving Offering

The EPC Thanksgiving Offering this year is designated for a World Outreach project to provide Christian literature and other resources to Afghan refugees in the U.S. and Europe. Stated Clerk Dean Weaver, WO Executive Director Gabriel de Guia, and WO Associate Director Jason Dunn describe how donations to the project here. To give, click here.

GIVE