SLAQ Discipleship Cohort to Serve in Colombia

March 4, 2024

SLAQ offers a cross cultural serving and learning experience every other year for youth involved in the program’s Discipleship Cohort. This year, that cohort’s cross-cultural experience is an E3 Collective trip to Bogotá, Colombia, March 23-31.

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Aaron Kauffman

Back to Basics

March 4, 2024

Global Christians are not just the hapless victims of Western expansion. They are active recipients of new life in Jesus, who makes himself at home in every culture and restores people in all their beautiful diversity to the kaleidoscope image of God they were created to bear. —FROM THE PRESIDENT

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How Funds Were Used

Annual Update 2023

February 22, 2024

An overview of the VMMissions 2022-2023 fiscal year, with financial and worker statistics showing revenue and expenses, how funds were used, and more.

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Christmas message 2023

Finding Hope This Christmas

December 21, 2023

VMMissions President Aaron Kauffman shares a story he is carrying this Christmas: how a man in Germany named Matthias came to have hope in Jesus through the ministry of VMMissions worker David Stutzman in Mannheim, and how he is working to share that hope with others.

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South Asia seaside

Worker Profile: Adam & Elise Sauder

December 21, 2023

Adam and Elise (names changed) serve with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. They help staff six-month discipleship schools where young adults learn about God’s heart for people of every nation, which is followed by an “outreach” phase to South Asia.

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Call to Prayer: Renewal Starts With Prayer

December 21, 2023

A resourcing network that David Stutzman works with in Germany has hosted a prayer month for three years now. David writes, “It has felt like one of the more encouraging things we have done with others. There is something about prayer, as a church, that helps us see the spiritual landscape around us and bring into words God’s movement among us.”

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Baker Rigg

Partnerships Enhance Jail Ministries

December 21, 2023

Skip Tobin writes about prison ministry in the local jail in Harrisonburg, Va. “This is a relatively new field for us at VMMissions. We are being invited to take our place among partners. We have the privilege of supporting what God is doing across denominational lines as we pray together and work in a field that is not far away but at our very doorsteps.”

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A Vision of Long-term Renewal

A Long-term Vision of Renewal

December 21, 2023

What Devin Stipe, a tranSend intern serving with SLAQ (Servant Leader Quest), appreciates about the SLAQ program is that instead of going out to make as many new disciples as possible, SLAQ takes a handful of youth who already have a relationship with Christ, and provides an opportunity for them to become particularly strong disciples.

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Reimagining Our Mission

Reimagining Our Mission

December 21, 2023

“Our main resource for spreading the gospel is people, but it is the Spirit who is at work in the lives of those we engage with the gospel,” writes Solange Tartari, serving in Shkodër, Albania. “All we can do is be clear about our role and purpose in God’s reconciling work in the world.”

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The Soil and The Seed concert

New Expressions of Ancient Practices

December 21, 2023

The Soil and The Seed Project is an innovative expression of mission. Director Seth Crissman writes, “If we can maintain an ongoing posture of learning, it can help us to let go of some preconceived ideas about what the best way to be “sent” and joining in God’s work in the world looks like. We can then follow Jesus and join in God’s work in the world in new and beautiful ways.”

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Thank You for Sharing the Hope of Jesus

December 6, 2023

VMMissions is thankful for God’s provision and the generosity of our supporters. We asked God to provide $190,000 before the end of the 2023 calendar year to keep pace with our budget. God responded through many generous partners, resulting in exceeding our goal by $10,000, raising a total of $200,025. This is the second highest year-to-date total in the last 16 years!

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Rissa Martin

Recent Worker Appointments and Reappointments

November 27, 2023

See a list of mission workers that VMMissions appointed or reappointed in 2023.

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VMMissions Launches North Africa Earthquake Relief Fund

September 15, 2023

Our hearts are broken for the people of North Africa who recently suffered a catastrophic earthquake. Your gift by October 15 will enable the body of Christ to respond with compassion in a time of staggering loss and critical need. Let’s join in prayer for comfort and hope in the midst of grief.

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Worker Profile: Kate Miller

September 11, 2023

Kate (not her real name) is a computer programmer for a U.S. company that is partnered with a company in Central Asia as business for transformation (B4T). She is working with the office in Central Asia to help strengthen the relationship between the two companies, and lives with a local family.

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Call to Prayer: Sowing Seeds in the Dust

September 11, 2023

Sarah Schoenhals, serving among the Isaan people in Thailand, writes, “It’s a lot easier to pray when we’re buoyed by seeing tangible results! And yet, so often, the results we seek are not immediate, nor the kind of results we imagined.”

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Pam Lehman

Worker Support on the Ground

September 5, 2023

Partnering with workers on the field gives Ministry Support Team (MST) members the opportunity to share in what God is doing. It was especially meaningful for MST member Pam Lehman to visit VMMissions workers Dan and Mary Hess in their ministry location of Milot, Albania.

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There’s More to Mission Than Going

September 5, 2023

Praying for and contributing financially to the work of mission is also a response to God’s call. This backbone of support is essential for VMMissions to exist and do its best to train, send, equip, support, and encourage people as they serve near or far.

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Pilgrims on the Silk Road

August 14, 2023

“Sometimes it was painful to say goodbye to move to another place, leaving dear brothers and sisters behind,” writes Paulo (name changed), a worker in Central Asia. “But it was also like turning to a new page in a book. And that is how the story of our pilgrimage continues, in this vast land along the Silk Road.”

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Bible study on the farm

Mission on the Farm

August 14, 2023

Marketplace Worker Ben Yutzy knew he was being called to be a missionary. “I began by asking Jesus, where are you sending me?” he writes. “The workplace was obviously where I spent the most time, and after I asked that question, it became the obvious choice. Jesus gave me eyes to see my coworkers with compassion and in great need of the gospel.”

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Perspectives

2024 Perspectives Course Offered in Harrisonburg

August 14, 2023

Learn about God’s heart for mission and your part in the story. Save the dates for the next Perspectives course, with classes each Wednesday evening from January 10 to May 1, 2024, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church.

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Riders Hit the Road to Support VMMissions

August 14, 2023

Thirty-nine riders from 18 different churches came together from all across Virginia to spend a beautiful weekend riding in the 11th annual Motorcycle for Missions event through the Blue Ridge mountains. This year’s ride raised over $14,000 towards the Mission Fund, which helps VMMissions recruit, equip, send, and support workers all over the world.

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Aaron Kauffman

What’s a Missionary?

July 21, 2023

Over the past decade, I’ve learned more about what it means to live an everyday missional life. We invest in the faith formation of our four kids. We build meaningful relationships with our neighbors and the families we get to know through the public schools. We pray for those far from God and look for opportunities to share the hope we have in Jesus. We support missionaries financially and pray for them. These are things all Christians can do as participants in God’s mission.

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VMMissions Awarded $1.2M Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for The Soil and The Seed Project

July 14, 2023

Virginia Mennonite Missions has received a grant of $1,222,766 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support and expand the work of The Soil and The Seed Project, a faith formation project based in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to help parents and caregivers share their faith and values with their children.

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Worker Profile: Rissa Martin

May 30, 2023

Rissa serves at Agape Home, a Christian-run orphanage located in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she had volunteered several times before returning as a VMMissions worker. She coordinates with incoming volunteers, teaches English in their Montessori Preschool, and manages the website and social media presence.

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Yute and Tukata

Call to Prayer: Living the Lord’s Prayer

May 30, 2023

The greatest shame in Isaan culture is to die without friends gathering, without the monks chanting their blessings. This is what Ying’s family expected. But instead, members of the local church showed up in force and, as is the custom, stayed with the family until the ceremonies were completed. Ying’s relatives were powerfully impacted.

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Being On Mission Through Our Prayers

May 30, 2023

“Sending and receiving mission workers undoubtedly brings us closer to the global community,” Elena Buckwalter de Satalaya writes. “However, it is just as important, if not even more so, to pray for the global church and the people and communities it reaches.”

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The Impact of Ministry Collaboration

May 25, 2023

“Our ministry of church planting, pastoring, and gospel outreach has been deeply impacted by partnerships that God has brought together,” Veronica Sanchez writes. “We know that God is on mission in the Waynesboro, Va., community where we have planted a new community of faith.”

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Pastor Blake Wood

The Beauty of the Body of Christ

May 25, 2023

Churches across denominational lines have come together to support reaching the local Arabic-speaking community in Harrisonburg, Va. “What has blessed and stretched my faith has been the “unity amidst diversity” that I have seen expressed in the team which has come alongside [VMMissions worker] Yacoub. This is the body of Christ at its best,” Pastor Blake Wood writes.

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View the June 2023 Prayer Calendar

April 27, 2023

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16b NLT) Thank you for praying for the work and workers of VMMissions!

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Great Community Give

Great Community Give Fundraiser Raises $11,000+

April 18, 2023

VMMissions joined over 100 other local organizations in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County in the Great Community Give, a special online day of giving on April 19. The event was a success, with a total of $11,380 raised. VMMissions hosted a lunchtime open house cookout and welcomed around 50 people to enjoy food and fellowship.

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Jhustin Thompson

Worker Profile: Jhustin Thompson

March 7, 2023

Jhustin serves in a college ministry assignment with Every Nation Campus (ENC) and VMMissions, and is sent by Divine Unity Community Church (DUCC), Harrisonburg, Va. “My work and goal is to show the love of God and be a light to campus. I want to see lives changed by the good news and do the work of God,” he writes.

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Perspectives

Call to Prayer: Joining God’s Heart for Mission

March 7, 2023

Prayer is a fundamental underpinning of how we partner with God to engage in our small part of the great gospel task. As followers of Jesus pray together, the Holy Spirit enables us to see the grand reality of God’s plan for the restoration for humanity, and to see the immediate needs of the people right in front of us.

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God Helps Us Speak the Message

March 1, 2023

Receiving the call to go to another place implies many changes and a lot of learning in unfamiliar areas, such as language, culture, and food. All of this can become overwhelming,” David and Marta write. “But we can be filled with encouragement and hope knowing that the Lord will be with us.”

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Juan José Lagos

God’s Mission Is Bigger Than Mine

March 1, 2023

“God’s mission is bigger than mine,” church planter Juan José Lagos writes. “That allows me to join his story and his mission rather than carrying the burden of accomplishing it all on my own strength. This is how we must see ourselves as we follow the call of God our Father who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ.”

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Rachel Janney

God’s Heart Is for Reconciliation

February 27, 2023

God leading this mission helps me acknowledge that he doesn’t need us to accomplish his plans, but rather, God invites us to partner with him. Personally, this demolishes any ounce of pride in my heart that tries to make disciples without Christ’s partnership. This also allows me to rest in the fact that I don’t have to be in control.

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Whose Voice Are We Listening To?

November 11, 2022

Anita (name changed), serving in a slum in Indonesia, writes, “It is lovely when we have attainable rhythms and goals to keep us healthy and measure “success” clearly. But on the mission field, so often this seems impossible. Much of our energy is spent just surviving in a different culture, language, and religious context. For those of us in uncharted territory of ministry, it can feel impossible to measure.”

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Paul Yoder

Success Requires Transformation

November 11, 2022

“In my four years on the VMMissions Board of Directors, I have found that our vision statement serves as a beautiful and life-giving objective,” Paul Yoder, board chair, writes. “The verb “envisions” speaks to the “picture” that we are painting. Three scriptures have recently been helping me more fully “envision” success in God’s kingdom.

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Success Can Rise Out of Failure

November 8, 2022

One experience that Anne (name changed) had illustrates her struggle with success. “How could people in our own faith community act so vengefully and with so little consideration for their children’s faith?” she writes. “Just when I rejoice at how good things are going, at how much fruit is resulting from my ministry, things fall apart. I could easily name ten other situations where seeming success crashed down into failure.”

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Success Is Doing What Pleases the Lord

November 8, 2022

“My own definition of success has to run deeper than just a sense of accomplishment, or I’m not going to make it very far,” Nathan Carr writes. “Early in my ministry I fell into that trap of thinking I was the one who had to make things happen. I put everything on my own shoulders, and it wore me out. I was forced to face the reality that I could only give them so much.”

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Joyel Allen

Success Is the Outflow of Abiding

November 7, 2022

Joyel writes, “We can see there’s something so special about creation being with our creator. The outflow of abiding and being with God is the fruit that we bear that not only benefits us, but those around us. We’re constantly approached with opportunities to remain distracted, in bondage, and lost. But even then, God is faithful to redirect us back to him.”

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Call to Prayer: Praying Together Is Success

November 7, 2022

“My teammate and I stood soberly looking at each other—wives and mothers with parallel journeys across those seven years together,” Carol Tobin writes. “Both of us had struggled and endured, but because we struggled in vastly different ways, each was always a frustrating enigma to the other. The painful judgments and the bitter disappointment we had been to each other hung heavily between us. ‘Was it worth it?’ we asked. But it wasn’t a question either of us was prepared to answer.”

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Worker Profile: Ken Wettig

November 7, 2022

Ken serves as the initiator and director of a youth discipleship program called SLAQ (Servant Leader Quest), which seeks to raise up diverse cohorts among the next generation of serving leaders in the way of Jesus through outdoor adventures, community service, and “crucial conversations.”

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Bike Shenandoah

Bike Shenandoah Celebrates 25th Annual Ride

September 26, 2022

From the one year old riding in a bike seat with her dad to the 81 year old who rode the 50K route, all 84 participants of the 25th anniversary Bike Shenandoah enjoyed their time on the road and in community on September 17, raising money for six local organizations. The event was a resounding success, raising a total of approximately $28,000.

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Carol Tobin

Carol Tobin, VMMissions Mission Advocate, Retires

September 1, 2022

On August 31, Carol Tobin retired from her staff role as Mission Advocate and Transforming Content Editor. Though her formal role has ended, she will continue in volunteer roles for VMMissions, including helping to coordinate the upcoming Perspectives course and local missions recruitment efforts.

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Hannah Shultz

Worker Profile: Hannah Shultz

September 1, 2022

My assignment is to disciple children in our local Hispanic churches in the way of Jesus through word and song. I am currently partnering with Iglesia Menonita Monte Moriah. I teach piano, violin, and biblical truths about worship to Pastor Alfonso and Milagros’ daughters, who in turn help facilitate worship through leading music at their church.

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Mission Training Center

August 17, 2022

Excitement builds as an existing barn on the property is renovated into a space for training, meeting, and community events. Taking a storage barn and transforming it into a training center will give it a new purpose for a new generation of missional leaders.

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Business for Transformation

August 15, 2022

VMMissions is blessing communities through kingdom business through a subsidiary board of business experts who find and coach partners, vet plans, monitor progress, and makes loans to new and growing enterprises. Christian-led businesses can create just employment and sustainable economic growth even as they invite spiritual transformation through the gospel.

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Global Church Planting

August 15, 2022

VMMissions is mobilizing church planters from around the globe to the places where the gospel is needed most. The following profiles feature the first recipients of the Global Church Planting grant. What an opportunity to join God in launching this new generation of global church planters!

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Explore God’s Heart for Justice on the U.S.-Mexico Border, March 5-10

August 5, 2022

Border Perspective, a VMMissions E3 Collective, is an immersive and educational service learning trip that will offer participants a first-hand connection with immigrant leaders serving families on the U.S.–Mexico border. Participants will gain an understanding of the complexity of immigration on the border and service opportunities to help support local immigrant ministries.

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Perspectives Course Coming Back to Harrisonburg Early Next Year

August 5, 2022

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course is offered next spring (held on Tuesday evenings, January 3 to May 2, 2023) in Harrisonburg. The 15-week course is heartily endorsed by a broad spectrum of evangelical denominations, ministries, and mission agencies.

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