Posts by Jon Trotter
Loving Our Neighbors in Jail
Jason has seen firsthand the deep hunger for connection to God and loving fellowship that inmates have in the Rockingham Regional Jail. Since being appointed as a VMMissions worker to serve as jail chaplain, he has been introduced to the lives of many men who are serving sentences there.
Read MoreCall to Prayer: Praying Together
Sarah Showalter’s “team” for the last several years has been a small prayer group of young adults from her congregation, Ridgeway Mennonite Church. After joining another couple for an evening of prayer, “we weren’t intending to start a prayer group, but then we were hooked.”
Read MoreBecoming One: God’s Purpose for Community
“Teamwork was never one of my strengths as a child,” Crystal Lehman writes. In fact, I often avoided working in teams if I could. If I was alone, I could make sure every detail was just right. Depending on others felt too risky. But God challenged me by putting me in situations where I needed others.”
Read MoreBetter Together
Mission’s dual foundation of absolute rest in the love of God and commitment to God’s is best maintained in community. We need others to hold us accountable, worship with us, encourage us, and make the logistics of ministry possible.
Read MoreThe Wisdom of Teams
Have you ever tried playing baseball by yourself? Or singing four-part harmony alone? There are some things you simply can’t do without the help of others. We believe mission is one of them. I want to share five ways why team is our preferred mode of engaging in mission.
Read MoreGod’s Worldwide Team
Discipleship has been our focus for our ministry here in Montenegro. Our desire is to introduce Christ and the concepts for his kingdom, and help the church sort out what that looks like in this culture. We talk a great deal about building a bridge instead of a wall.
Read MoreLoving Our Refugee Neighbors
The couple of hundred refugees that Harrisonburg receives each year, coming from places such as Syria, Eritrea, Iraq, Cuba, and Congo, are not helpless people that we should feel bad for. In fact, it’s quite the opposite—they are fighters that we should respect.
Read MoreCoworkers for the Kingdom
The church often longs for heroes, just like our broader culture. We want spiritual giants whose gifts and charisma loom larger than life. Even so, I’d like to suggest that heroes are not the primary way God brings about transformation in the world.
Read MoreNazareth Village: A Living Witness to Christ Made Possible by Partnership
Located in the city of Nazareth, Israel, Nazareth Village is a working historical village that gives visitors a chance to experience what life would have been like for Jesus growing up in his hometown. What brings the village to life is the team of historical actors.
Read MoreLocal Church, Global Body
The more effective the collaboration, the more we have hope for lives affected and changed. After people come to the full knowledge of revealed truth, which is salvation in Jesus, we want to disciple them to be able to share the same grace they have received with others.
Read MorePartners in Planting
VMMissions is trying new approaches for church planters. One such approach is the Covenant Partners for New Church Initiatives, which outlines the gifts and responsibilities of everyone involved: church planter, mission agency, and the group of existing congregations who will sponsor the work.
Read MoreWhat is Church?
Vince lives in a town in Kosovo where there is no church currently meeting. He has been called to become church on the fly and in common or routine actions. More often than not, he has no pre-set schedule for what church typically looks like.
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