Serving as Senders - Missions Month 2023

Last month (October) was Missions Month in Jurong Christian Church and we invited many missionaries to share about their work in the mission fields. Their stories may resonate with some of the people but for the majority, the call to go into the mission field may not be feasible due to many factors; health, family, language, race and others.

Usually in Missions Month, the objective is to challenge people to go. However, there are two levels in cross-cultural missions:

1. Those who go

2. Those who send (not those who say “Goodbye”)

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? (Romans 10:14-15a)

The writer of Romans asks how can anyone go unless they are sent. A person doesn’t just pack up and leave for the mission field, he or she needs guidance, support, finance and prayer among other matters.

In the book "Serving As Senders" by Neal Pirolo, the writer explains that a missionary needs care in at least six areas:

1. Moral Support

2. Logistics Support

3. Financial Support

4. Prayer Support

5. Communication Support

6. and Re-entry Support

I am not going to write about all these areas of support that a missionary needs. If you like to know more, read the book for yourselves in Archive.org.

I am just going to tell you that the easiest way you can be part of the church’s missions’ efforts is to provide Financial Support. With a per capita GDP of S$215,512, Singapore is top of the world, so God has blessed us to be a blessing to the world. The missionary who goes into the mission field needs funds to buy an air-ticket, a place to stay, food to eat and other miscellaneous living expenses so that he or she is free to do the missions work.

In a different scenario, you may be needed to support a mission work rather than a person, like a hospital, refugee camp or orphanage.

Nias Missions is an orphanage in the island of Nias, located off the western coast of Sumatra. Funds are needed for the operations of the facility, running costs, purchase of farm equipment, the feeding of the orphans, their tuition expenses, etc. Based on the budget for 2024, they will need to raise S$25,656 to breakeven.

Be a sender and we pray you will cheerfully consider giving to this mission work.