To Coddle or Not to Coddle? Working with Mission Teams

One of the main tasks that Lori and I are focusing on this summer is to work and direct mission teams that come to Boston.  We’ve been here for a little over 3 weeks and have had the opportunity to work with several mission teams. 

As we have worked with each of the teams, it has been a different experience with each.  Some teams have been a joy to work with, while others have been a nightmare.  Unfortunately not all mission teams that come to serve are totally prepared.  So I wanted to share with you some things to remember if you ever have the opportunity to serve on a mission trip.

Have a servant’s heart.  I’m thankful for the teams that have come to Boston and were ready to serve.  They didn’t go on a mission trip; they served on a mission trip.  There is a vital difference.  Servanthood is the key to the success of a mission trip.  Jesus serves as our example of what true servanthood looks like. 

 “and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:44-45

Know your cultural context.  I encourage you to do some research before you leave.   Also speak with the pastor or leader you will be working with to see if you fully understand the context in which you will be serving.  Many teams have come to Boston and have not been received very well by the local people because of their actions were considered offensive or weird.  What you consider permissible might not be acceptable in the specific area where you will be serving.  It’s really easy to get caught in the mind-set that everyone else thinks or acts the same way.  As you travel, you might even run into people from different countries who have a totally different background.

“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”  1 Corinthians 9:22

Be flexible.  I am convinced that Jesus had a 10^th beatitude that was not listed in Matthew 5 – “Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be snapped in half.”  When on a mission trip, it is critical that you are flexible.  There might be times that you may need to call an audible and go to “plan B.”  Inflexibility will cause you to miss out what God has in store for you and those you are serving.  How many times did God interrupt someone’s plan, in the Bible stories, where the person had one thing in mind, but God had another plan.

Remember you’re not a vacation.  Unfortunately we have seen teams come to Boston, not because they wanted to serve, but rather they wanted to come visit Boston.

You may be the only Bible someone ever reads or the only Jesus someone sees. 

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  Hebrews 13:2

Don’t focus on numbers.  What God is doing in people’s lives and hearts is not quantitative.  As human beings, we tend to focus too much on numbers and how many people attended or were saved. 

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”  1 Corinthians 3:6-9

Spiritual Temperature in Boston

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”   Revelation 3:14-18

When Jesus was speaking to the church of Laodicea, He was sick of their luke-warmness. However, if you took the spiritual temperature of Boston it would be ice cold.  The sad fact is that Boston was the birthplace for Christianity in America, but it has become a spiritual wasteland. Colleges which were started to train pastors, have now slipped so far away from their roots.  These same colleges now offer space for Wiccan and Satan-worship chapters and have disallowed evangelical Christian clubs. The education system here has taken tolerance to a whole new level.  Only 3% of the population in Boston, and all of New England, is considered evangelical.  With a quick survey of spiritual landscape, my response was much like that of Jesus in Matthew:

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”   Matthew 9:35-37

The Church is struggling in Boston!  Unfortunately there are very few churches preaching the Truth.  Many churches have either closed or are dying, while others are preaching a false, feel-good gospel.  Scandals have so rocked the Catholic Church here in Boston, that the bishop closed over 80 parishes.  It’s time for the Church to stand in the gap for New England. 

What would God have you do?    

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  Romans 10:14-15

Gathering All of the Nations

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:9-11

Over the past couple of weeks, it was been a joy to come across some many different nationalities who are brothers and sisters in Christ.  It has been a small glimpse of what Heaven will be like with all of the different cultures who profess Jesus.  Lori and I have had the opportunity to work with and interact with Brazilians, Arabics, Haitians, Japanese, Italians, Koreans, and Nepalese who know the Lord. 

Over the past week, I’ve had the opportunity to lead worship with 3 different church plants.  It has been great being able to lead God’s people in worship.  One of the opportunities has been to play with a Brazilian youth worship team.  I am amazed at the level of their musicianship.  The leader was trained Berkeley and can site read, as well as play by ear.  So the band has been gracious to let me play and bring me up to speed.

This past Saturday, we met with a couple of Nepalese churches at a local park while they had one of their regular outings.  We got to spend time with them and try some Nepalese food.  The pastor also asked me to share with the group while he translated.  He also asked me to come and preach, either this week or next week.  I am looking forward to this opportunity. 

You can check out of Facebook pages for all of the pictures from last week.  

Reaching Brazilians for Christ in the North Shore

This past weekend was a huge weekend for Lori and I.  We had 3 events that we got to lead, assist and attend.  We attended a Brazilian Youth Group meeting, led the Church Planter Picnic and assisted with Celebration Church’s Outreach event.  We got a small glimpse of when Jesus fed the five thousand.  We fed over 500 people this past weekend, which was a miracle in itself.

Church Planter Picnic

The Church Planter Picnic was a success!  Thankfully we had over 15 of the church planters and their families come to the picnic.  As many of you know, one of our prayer requests have been to reach the ethnic pastors.  Most of the planters that attended were the ethnic pastors that I had yet connected with by email or Facebook.  It was an answer to prayer. Over the past few months, I have been trying to connect with these men and their families.  A youth group from FBC Prattville, Alabama came and led children’s games, puppet show, and sang.   However the huge heroes of the day were members of a local congregation and a local motorcycle association who came to serve.  We out these people, we could not have done the picnic and fed almost 250 people.  Nothing warms your heart like a big burly motorcycle guy serving sno-cones to children.  This upcoming Sunday, we will have an opportunity to lead worship at the church that helped with the picnic.  We are excited about this opportunity. 

Celebration Church

This past week we got to work with a Brazilian church called Celebration Church.  It is one of the few churches in the North Shore area that are trying to reach almost 400,000 Brazilians.  We had the opportunity to attend their worship service, which is in English and Portuguese.  Most of the adults do not speak English, while the children are bilingual.  Thankfully Brazilians can understand Spanish and so I get to use my Spanish to connect with the older generation.  Portuguese is harder to speak than I what I first thought.  Celebration Church is a very welcoming church family of about 300, which is considered a large church in this area. 

On Friday night, Lori and I got to help with the youth group called Boston Metro.  Youth group went from 7:30 to past 10 pm.  When the leader found out that I played guitar, he asked me to sit in and play with the worship team.  The level of musicianship was amazing.  Most of the students play several instruments.  We enjoyed our time connecting with the students. 

Sunday was a big day for their church.  The day started with baptizing 5 people and then a huge outreach event at a local park.  The group from FBC Prattville also helped serve and set-up.  They were huge in making the event a success.  3 men stepped up to grill for over 5 hours.  We fed around 400 people.  

Reaching Revere - True Vine Church Plant

Reaching Revere

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”       Matthew 9:36

Revere is as close as it gets to being in Boston without being in Boston. Revere is really two areas: Revere, and Revere Beach.  Within those communities there are over 50,000 people, with large a Brazilian and Hispanic presence.  Unfortunately there are only a couple of evangelical churches to reach into this mostly unchurched community.  It is in this community that the Allison’s have chosen to plant a church called TrueVine.  You can check out their website at www.truevinechurch.org

Meet the Allisons

Both Miryam and Brandon hail from Texas and were high school sweethearts.  They came to to know the Lord right before going off to college.  After college, they felt the call to go to seminary, but did not have a clue what God had in store.  While attending a church planting seminar, the couple caught the “church planting bug.”

Like most church planters, Brandon juggles a full-time job, family, building a church from the ground-up and making community connections.  Brandon works at Dunkin Doughnuts and continues to reach fellow coworkers.  His passion to reach the lost is contagious.  Before this trip, I did not realize he works every Sunday morning, before their evening service.  I can’t imagine going in at 4:30 am, getting off around 1 pm and then doing an evening gathering at 7 pm.  He works tirelessly to serve the Lord and people.

Miryam, before their daughter Charis was born, worked at a local elementary school.  She also sees her connections and influence as a mission field.  At her school, which she still substitutes and volunteers, has over 47 different home languages.  Although she misses her full-time teaching position, it doesn’t compare to the time she gets to invest into their daughter.

 

True Vine at a Glance

True Vine began with a team of 2 couples and a single person.  The team came up to Revere almost 2 years ago.  During the first year, the team worked on building relationships through their connections at work and eventually developed a home bible study group.   The church officially launched late last Fall.   As you have noticed the bright, hot pink walls from the pics below, the church is meeting in a dance studio.  This studio is above a local pizza joint.  So during the services you can smell the alluring aroma of homemade pizza. 

Unfortunately the church faced a small setback late last year.  One of the couples, as well as the single person decided to move back home to be closer to family.  Thankfully the Lord has brought other key leaders into their circle.  God has continued to grow their church.  True Vine is reaching many young adults, who are searching spiritually.  Many of these young adults come to their home on Wednesday nights for dinner and bible study. 

How to Pray

1.     For True Vine, that it will continue to grow and reach people of Revere.

2.     For their family, as they juggle busy schedules, that they will continue to have time to nuture their personal relationships.

3.     For Brandon, he is working on getting certified as a teacher.  He has passed 2 out of 3 of his tests and is currently studying for the 3^rd one. 

4.     For the Allisons, as they continue to make connections through their realms of influence – Dunkin Doughnuts, Trivia Night, community connections.

5.     For their house, which they are turning into mission housing.  There are still things that need to be done at the house.  These items require financial resources, as well as some skilled labor.