BY Sharon Howard, DISTRICT TEAM
“My Father is always at work to this very day, and I too am working…” John 5:17
Nate and I have the privilege most Sundays to visit one of the 88 churches in our district. Each church is unique in its atmosphere, worship, interactions as a church family, and passion to connect with their communities. We love hearing stories of Gospel-rooted people on mission doing things like connecting with local schools, community leaders, and local organizations and connecting through coffee shops, ESL classes, and college campuses.
Often as we drive away from visiting a church on Sunday afternoons we say, “Each expression of Jesus’ church is so different, yet as we pay attention, we can see God is always present and at work wherever we go.”
This past month Nate and I had the privilege of seeing two more places where God is at work! We were invited to attend a retreat for our Alliance international workers (IWs) serving in Spain and Portugal and to attend a gathering for workers recently evacuated from Eastern Europe.
How we saw God at work with Spain and Portugal workers:
God has brought together the global Alliance family from The Netherlands, Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Canada, and the US, as well as some from other mission organizations, to team together to bring the Gospel to various cities in Spain and Portugal.
Each team reflected God’s heart for lost people as they engage with Muslims, immigrants, the fatherless, orphans, the LGBTQ community, and victims of human trafficking.
We met two retried lay couples who listened to God’s call on their lives to serve in any way they can to support these teams.
It was a gift to watch the workers soaking in time together as they hadn’t gathered as a team for over two years due to COVID.
How we saw God at work with workers evacuated from Eastern Europe:
It was an honor to be with the five couples and three single IWs who recently walked through the trauma of being evacuated from countries they have grown to love. This includes our own Eastern PA district workers J&H and D.R. Because of the war, they have left behind homes, belongings, church families, devastated friends, and people they were building relationships with who have yet to know Jesus. We, alongside Alliance Missions leaders and member care professionals, gathered with them to spend time hearing their stories and helping them to grieve and spend time in Jesus' presence.
We witnessed the workers come together with hugs and tears as they could finally be with others who could relate to the vulnerability, grief, and trauma of these past months.
It was powerful to be part of the times where we journaled gratitude and declared praise to Jesus for all He and His presence means in this season. In some of the sessions, it seemed that their praise could have gone on for a very long time.
We were honored to hear stories of both hardships and joys they have walked through in seeing God open their country to the Gospel and seeing the birth of a church and leaders. They cried as they told of the miracles God has done along the way. They hugged as they remembered the painful things they had to go through in the process.
Some of the TCKs (third-culture kids) joined the retreat, and it was a blessing to see them participate in thanking God when their lives and schooling have been turned upside down.
Nate and I returned from each trip repeating, “Our Father really is always at work! He is here. He is at work everywhere!”
After being up close with our international workers, Nate and I want to call us as a district family to:
Ask God to continue to grow us in being people who have our eyes open to where God is at work in us personally, in our churches, in our communities, and around the world.
Pray for the 13 Eastern European IWs as they listen to God in these critical weeks and months about where He desires them to serve in this war-torn area of the world. May God protect them and give them perseverance in living out the passions God has given them.
And consider how you can lead your church in an outpouring of great commissions offering. Find resources and videos about Great Commission Sunday here.