I’ve been reading some material on “the missionary endeavor,” and it reminded me of the importance of partnership: reminded me not just at the head level, but at the level of heart and longing.
Many of us have heard that missionary work is a partnership between those who pray, those who give and those who go. We can be fooled (by the enemy!) into thinking that this truth is just a ploy, a way to make people feel important and therefore more likely to give. Or we may discount it, thinking that it’s obviously the one who goes who is doing the real work and the other “partners” are just “junior partners” or “support staff” in the endeavor.
But as I’ve prepared to be (in a limited and domestic sense) a missionary, the wrongness of these thoughts has struck me hard, which is to say, the value of partnership has struck me hard. I’m looking back on thirty years of ministry and realizing how much the partnership of elders, staff, leaders, and church members has been at the core of my life, and how much the prayers we’ve prayed together for Trinity Fellowship have been foundational to that work. Not to mention the fact that nearly every dollar that Gail and I have lived on these last thirty years has come from the generosity of partners in the mission of the church.
If I let it, I can begin to think that all that partnership is gone. That feels horrible. It’s also not true. I know that many people still love us and are still praying for us. The fact that you’re visiting this website or are on this mailing list is testimony to that.
But this season moves us into a new kind of partnership and requires a new kind of communication. This website is part of it, but reading an e-mail and a couple posts maybe once a month isn’t enough. We’d like to invite you to do some other things:
(1) Join our “frequent prayers” club. Please call, text, email or respond to this post and we’ll put you on a special list where we will send more frequent updates and more personal prayer requests. This will be at least once a week, and more if significant prayer needs emerge, for us or others. And it will be a reminder to share your prayer requests with us, by e-mail or text.
(2) Please actively pray for us, for both our personal needs and for our ministry with Crisis Response. This is the most important way you can partner with us. It would also be great if from time to time, let us know you’re praying (and share your prayer requests – we will pray for them).
(3) Become part of our monthly financial support. Our salary need is pretty modest, but important to us because we don’t have to pay income tax on salary that is associated with housing, such as the salary we plan to take from ReachGlobal. (This is the last pastor/missionary perk the federal government offers.) More than that, the expenses associated with going to response sites, training sites and potentially overseas can be pretty high. If the giving we’ve received can’t cover these trips, we can’t go, and if we can’t go it makes it hard to be the hands and feet and heart and voice of Jesus. Most important of all, monthly support, even ten dollars a month, speaks to our hearts of your commitment to partnership – and our hearts need that assurance.
Thanks so much to all of your who are already partnering with us! It’s a huge blessing.
Please let us know if you want to be on our “frequent prayers” list.
In Christ
Bob (and Gail!)
P.S. If you want to support us, just visit our support page at ReachGlobal: Bob and Gail DeGray