October 1, 2014
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:25 On a warm January evening in Colombia, our church planting team gathered under a campground pavilion, with pastor Martín González leading us in worship and prayer as part of our retreat time. While we were praying for each […]
moreAugust 6, 2014
[The LORD] brought [Abram] outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:5-6 Outside of Europe and North America, the church […]
moreMay 27, 2014
A few months ago I had the opportunity to hear César García, General Secretary of Mennonite World Conference, speak about the role of North American mission agencies in the global church. García comes from the Mennonite Brethren Church of Colombia, a church birthed through the mission efforts of North Americans. When someone asked him whether […]
moreMarch 20, 2014
As a mission agency, what are we supposed to do? Evangelize? Plant churches? Train leaders? Provide education? Work at relief and development? Care for refugees? “Yes, but…” to all of the above. These activities do not define our core mission. Our mission is “to invite people to faithful living in Jesus Christ.” We seek to […]
moreDecember 6, 2013
I come to the end of my presidency of VMMissions at the conclusion of 2013. As tenures go, eleven-and-a-half years is not so long. Earlene and I for the most part are not record-breakers. Add to these years, however, our years assisting two church plants in Virginia Conference, pastoring other churches, serving overseas with VMMissions, […]
moreSeptember 24, 2013
I like the tagline of Hesston College in Kansas, “Start Here, Go Everywhere.” I wish I’d thought of it. It makes a bold statement about Christian college education as a launching point from which people go virtually anywhere in the world. It implies that a college can broaden horizons, deepen perspectives and add to the […]
moreJuly 19, 2013
We are in the midst of another summer, the typical peak season for short-term missions (STM). With the dollars reportedly spent by Americans on STMs now exceeding those spent on longer-term missions and with some congregations and families experiencing financial strain from the repeated requests to fund a two-week service trip halfway around the world, […]
moreMarch 28, 2013
An interesting dichotomy has been argued in Christian mission. Should the Christian’s mission in the world focus on verbal witness, or should acts of care and compassion be our priority? Word or deed? I answer the question with a resounding, “Yes…both!” Jesus illustrated a seamless concern for peoples’ hearts, bodies and relationships and the early […]
moreFebruary 26, 2013
During our Christmas holidays my five year old granddaughter came to me and said, “Do you know what, Grandpa? I gave my heart to Jesus.” Bless that little heart! She told her mother, “When Jesus knocks, you must let him in!” I was much older when I accepted Jesus. I was all of eleven! I […]
moreDecember 7, 2012
When I think of consequences my mind first goes a rather negative direction. We call it the fear of consequences and are reminded that we reap what we sow, or are warned, “be sure your sins will find you out.” This may be due to a particular kind of upbringing that believed that stern warning […]
moreSeptember 20, 2012
When Shawn and Laura Green first tested their call to long-term missionary service through a one-year internship with tranSend, they discovered that nearly 50% of the support needed for their service was already in place. The tranSend grant fund was ready, covering up to 50% of the cost of one year internships for up to […]
moreAugust 29, 2012
An excellent opportunity to continue to learn and grow as followers of Jesus is coming up soon. On October 19-21, Virginia Mennonite Missions and Mennonite Hispanic Initiative (MHI) will host an “Organic Church Planters’ Greenhouse” intensive training with Neil Cole from Church Multiplication Resources (CMAR), held at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church. A Greenhouse is a three-day […]
moreAugust 11, 2012
Is there a rise in donor fatigue? We at VMMissions are pleased that so many gifted persons are sensing a call to serve in mission here at home and overseas. In conversations, I sense that family, friends and congregations are pleased as well, yet have mixed feelings. “Does this mean yet another fundraising letter in […]
moreAugust 9, 2012
I have no bone to pick with those who are paid to serve the Lord. After all I do know the Bible says that, “those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” And too, I am one such person, which probably biases me in a particular direction. Being paid to serve […]
moreJuly 11, 2012
I have great blood! My blood is type O Negative (universal donor), and CMV Negative (it does not contain cytomegalovirus.) The attendants at the blood donor room tell me my blood can be pulled off the shelf and used immediately for trauma patients, and it can be used in young children. I was quite pleased […]
moreJuly 5, 2012
Exponential Conference has become a significant conference of leaders and practitioners engaged in God’s work of planting churches. Held annually in Orlando, Florida, this year’s conference included 5,000 people, with 24 persons attending through Virginia Mennonite Missions. It has become one tool that VMMissions has used to foster church planting vision, provide access to ideas […]
moreMay 29, 2012
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:4-6 Arriving in Jamaica on March 1, I was immediately captivated by the […]
moreMarch 26, 2012
The Spirit blows at will we are told. We do not fully know its direction nor can we ever adequately predict its affect. We can, however, see some of the results. About 100 years ago, the Spirit blew Virginia Mennonite Conference westward into the highlands of Virginia and West Virginia. Later this same Spirit moved […]
moreFebruary 22, 2012
Mennonite Women USA invited responses to this question for the November/ December issue of Timbrel: How do our global sisters enrich our own lives as well as enrich the life of the church? I immediately knew that this is a question I can answer. I have the unusual privilege to visit church sisters in the […]
moreDecember 6, 2011
One of the paradoxes of the Bible is God’s call to remember but not dwell on the past. “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there,” declares Deuteronomy 24:18 (NRSV). That memory forms the basis of Israel’s identity. When remembrance turns to nostalgia, however, God has […]
moreDecember 6, 2011
Christmas reminds us that God is on a mission. Our future and the future of the church rest entirely on our embrace of that mission. We start by discerning God’s activity in the world. Then we enthusiastically align our priorities with God’s. At VMMissions, God’s work takes many different forms. • Church planting efforts in […]
moreMarch 10, 2011
As I stepped off the platform at Winter Delegate Session a couple weeks ago, I whispered to Conference Minister Owen Burkholder, “This is good!” We had just received two more congregations into Virginia Mennonite Conference, Eastside Church and Iglesia Discipular Anabautista. This is becoming a regular and healthy occurrence in our conference. In the history […]
moreFebruary 28, 2011
On behalf of VMM, I wish to recognize the significant service rendered by Paul and June Kropf, long-term pioneer missionaries to Albania with Eastern Mennonite Missions. Paul died unexpectedly on Christmas morning. With great sadness and sense of loss, we remember Paul and his contribution to the Albanian church. Upon their arrival in Lezhe, Albania, […]
moreFebruary 10, 2011
God is on a mission to change the world. Everyone knows the world needs it. Humanity has a propensity of messing things up and we all have done our share. Sin, we call it, and it ripples out into all of our relationships, human institutions, and even affects creation. God’s mission to change the world […]
moreJanuary 20, 2011
On December 12, the Early Church (in downtown Harrisonburg) gathered to ordain Ron Copeland to the ministry. It was my first visit to their worship service and remarkable in many ways. The youthful diversity of the gathering—students from EMU and JMU—meet with the group on a regular basis. Persons with various racial/ethnic characteristics came together […]
moreDecember 23, 2010
Core values are those values we hold dear. They represent the orienting center of our lives, the priorities by which we live. They are usually expressed by how we live our lives and what occupies our attention in terms of time and money. Sometimes core values are also expressed by our words. When our core […]
moreDecember 8, 2010
I attended a baptismal service again recently. Four members of the Daniel family went “under the water” as the pastor put it. Father, mother, and two sons all gave verbal witness to their faith in Jesus Christ and accepted the sacrament and sign of baptism in the presence of God and a company of people. […]
moreDecember 2, 2010
With a bit of sadness this summer, I witnessed the final decisions associated with dissolving Ohio District of Virginia Mennonite Conference. It made sense since the district had essentially become an “empty set” as Conference Minister Owen Burkholder put it. Chestnut Ridge, the last remaining congregation, had transferred amicably to Ohio Conference earlier. Still, since […]
moreNovember 18, 2010
Lloyd S. Horst died October 7, 2010 at the age of 97. Truman H. Brunk, Jr. died October 8, 2010 at the age of 79. At both funerals, I heard the descriptor “Encourager.” And, “gentle.” Each of these men was ordained in Virginia Mennonite Conference. Lloyd served as pastor and ordained bishop in VMC and […]
moreNovember 1, 2010
“We could never do it on our own.” These or similar words express the sentiment of everyone at VMMissions—our staff, our board and our workers. We constantly receive reminders that we are involved in something far larger than ourselves. Sometimes we lead. Sometimes we follow. Sometimes we just get out of the way! VMMissions continues […]
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