Sunday 19 February 2017

Missions Sunday: Are You Ready to Change?

Church in California supports more than 90 missionary families.

When you have been doing something for almost twenty years, you had better be able to change with the times. If you aren’t, get out of the way because you are certain to get run over and left behind. God placed me in a very strategic and exciting role many years ago and has entrusted me with the opportunity to make change, accept change, and change myself.

The Church

Calvary Church in Santa Ana, California, was founded in 1931. From its beginning, it has had missions in its DNA, sending out and supporting individuals financially, emotionally, and spiritually. Over four hundred Calvary members have gone overseas as career missionaries to countries around the world.

Today, we have over ninety families on our roles. This includes twenty retired families/individuals (many in their eighties) and a dozen national missionary families. Each has been supported through our Faith Promise giving since 1967. Hundreds more have served in short-term capacities which have led to many becoming full-time missionaries. Others have been trained through our Future Missionary Focus individualized training program, and in 2012 fourteen students headed to the 2012 Urbana Missions Conference.

…during a Time of Change

In 1994, I transitioned into my role at Calvary. There was a hiring freeze, several staff had left, and we were in the midst of senior pastors. It was indeed a time of great change and Calvary’s mission giving dropped with the loss of people. Only with some additional funds that had been saved for a “rainy day” were we able to pull through financially.

In late 1995, our newly-appointed senior pastor, David Mitchell, came to Calvary. In time, he made some changes—one of the most important for missions was ...

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