There are many ways to “do mission.” Some people give their time by working hands-on in mission or behind the scenes. Other people participate in mission by praying, while others are active in mission by giving financially. I firmly believe that God has a mission in the world, and that we have the opportunity to participate in that mission. Our participation takes many forms.
There are formal mission initiatives that we take on as a congregation such as tutoring, Economy Corner, and Love Wichita. Then there are the mission opportunities within our church such as the garden team, the lawn team, office volunteers, choir and band members, and on and on.
In addition to all of that, each of us leaves this place and goes into the world to be part of God’s mission. For some that takes the form of being parents, spouses, friends, and neighbors. Others answer God’s call through vocations, whether teaching, or medicine, or engineering, or any sort of call.
What I’ve noticed is that more and more, you aren’t waiting on your church to plan your mission activities. You’re getting involved on your own. You volunteer at Botanica, with the Scouts, at the Lord’s Diner, and countless other places in town. You find something that excites you, and you do it. You are missionaries, which is wonderful.
Sometimes people in our community get excited about things that cost money. For instance a few years ago several people in our congregation traveled to Haiti to work on clean water installations. These trips were costly, and the church was able to help with some of the expense.
During that time the Board of Trustees established a policy that allows for members of our community to apply for money for individual mission initiatives or congregational projects. An individual mission initiative might be a mission trip or a mission experience in town. A project that was funded through this was the Kids Day Out program that provided a day camp experience for children during public school in service days.
If you feel called to some sort of mission within our congregation, our community, or our world, and you’re worried that money might be an impediment, know that there is some funding available to help with this. Each year the Board of Trustees designates a portion of the Mission and Ministry endowment for this purpose. Please talk to me with your questions or ideas, 684-5215 or catherine@mygpc.org. Thanks!
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