Calvary Church Annual Report AnnualReport-201617-web | Page 19

missions & outreach
We have seen the Holy Spirit show up in so many
powerful ways this past year throughout the missions
department. One clear God story began five years
ago. Pastor Bruce has been annually meeting as
part of a “think tank” with six mission agency presi-
dents and six local church missions leaders to think
through major issues facing churches and agencies
in North America. For the past four years a constant
theme has been how do we mobilize the majority in
our churches to Great Commission work? Especially,
how can we help kingdom professionals use their skill
set without the systems of mission agencies that of-
ten impede professionals. One of the agency leaders,
Andrew Scott of Operation Mobilization (OM) really
took this to heart and has geared much of his mis-
sion to see this happen. The desire is to send people
around the world into unreached peoples by having
them take jobs in their own professions or careers.
This past June, the think tank heard about OM’s
plan and the willingness of mission agencies, such
as TEAM, SIM, and Pioneers, to join this effort.
They sensed God was really up to something new
and exciting. Less than one week later, Bruce trav-
eled to the North Caucasus region of Russia to see
firsthand what God is doing there. By chance, no by
God’s sovereignty, Jonathan Theissen, the new pres-
ident of Scatter Global, OM’s spinoff to facilitate this
movement of kingdom professionals, was on the trip.
Bruce had eight days in a van, in churches, and in
restaurants to connect with Jonathan. They talked
about his vision for the missions sending paradigm
and how Calvary Church is uniquely suited to per-
haps send people through this new approach. Our
history of focus on Business for Transformation and
Work as Worship already have us a long way toward
understanding that traditional sending methods are
certainly not the only approach moving forward.
The interaction culminated in our inviting Jonathan
to spend two days with us in August, where he was
able to share his vision with several groups of people
from Calvary. Key Business for Transformation lead-
ers, many Work as Worship participants, our young
adult missions team, key mission team members
and many others heard the vision and the way Scat-
ter Global will operate. All these were exposed to how
their vocation can be used to bring good to a commu-
nity and the gospel to people who have never heard.
It was just an amazing series of events through which
God’s Spirit clearly gave Calvary Church a taste of
mobilizing more people to the nations to reach the
2.8 billion people who have never heard of Jesus
with the chance to hear of His love for them.
Celeste McDonough, Others Sector Leader
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