OMS Outreach Jan - Apr 2016 | Page 2

Behind the Scenes January-April 2016 But Then … God! I tend to be a rule follower. I’m not much of a visionary, but rather, view the world simply and practically. There are a few exceptions to this, of course. One example was when many expert physicians pressured us to abort our son Caleb. As a diabetic in my late 30s at the time, I was considered a high-risk pregnancy. They assured us that he had Down syndrome. Then, triple tests confirmed he had spina bifida. None of these “problems” swayed us because, either way, we knew God was in control. Today, our 15-year-old son is a miracle beyond words. He’s an honors student, an athlete, a follower of Jesus, and an absolute joy in our lives. There have been other occasions when I haven’t done what was logical or expected. The most recent was when I heard about the OMS One Opportunity Vision for the first time. Logically, there was no way a little mission organization like OMS could share the Gospel with 1 billion people in the next 10 years. It just wasn’t practical! But then … God! Today, I am beyond excited to be a part of this worldwide, strategic, God-centered plan. We pray that after you read this issue of OMS Outreach magazine, you, too, will be ready to be a part of fulfilling the vision through prayer. Editor, OMS Outreach [email protected] If you would like to read some of the FAQs (frequently asked questions) and answers about the One Opportunity Vision, you can go to: www.onemissionsociety.org/blog /post/Vision-FAQs. facebook.com/onemissionsociety twitter.com/1MissionSociety youtube.com/user/oms.media linkedin.com/company/one-mission-society instagram.com/onemissionsociety Visit our website at www.onemissionsociety.org. 2 Volume 116, No. 1 OMS Outreach equips Christians to make disciples of Jesus Christ through informative, inspiring, and involvement-driven articles, which leads to deeper mission participation by serving, giving, and praying. Office of the President Editor and Director of Communications Susan Griswold Loobie Associate Editor Lori McFall Senior Graphic Designer W. Foster Pilcher President Bob Fetherlin Executive Director of International Ministries Bob Fetherlin and team—interim Affiliate Countries Australia—Ian Bongers www.omsaus.org Canada—Mark Kroes www.omscanada.org New Zealand—Owen and Avalon Brown www.onemissionsociety.org.nz South Africa—Bruce Bennett www.omssa.co.za United Kingdom—Walter McCorkell www.onemissionsociety.org.uk United States—Rich Danzeisen www.onemissionsociety.org One Mission Society World Headquarters 941 Fry Road • Greenwood, IN 46142-6599 317.888.3333 • 317.888.5275 FAX [email protected] Cover collage: W. Foster Pilcher All photos courtesy of missionaries, volunteers, and partner churches of One Mission Society unless otherwise noted. By God’s grace, One Mission Society unites, inspires, and equips Christians to make disciples of Jesus Christ, multiplying dynamic communities of believers around the world. One Mission Society is an evangelical, interdenominational faith mission that makes disciples of Jesus Christ through intentional evangelism, planting churches, forming strategic partnerships, and training national leaders in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. OMS then joins with those churches in global partnerships to reach the rest of the world. Subscriptions and Contributions: OMS Outreach is the official publication of One Mission Society and is published three times per year at the One Mission Society World Headquarters in Greenwood, Indiana. Please send all address updates or preference to receive the magazine online (email address needed) rather than hard copy to: [email protected]. Outreach is sent free of charge to all OMS partners, but donations are greatly appreciated to offset the increasing costs of printing and postage. Gifts may be sent to: OMS Outreach • PO Box A • Greenwood, Indiana 46142-6599, project #905420. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2016 One Mission Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. A Holy Expectation Rooted in Prayer We have a bold, faith-filled vision at One Mission Society. Over the next decade, we are asking God to enable us to give 1 billion people one opportunity to hear, understand, and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ. In learning of this, some think, “Impossible!” Honestly, it feels overwhelming and appears to be completely unrealistic at times. We admit that this vision is way beyond us. But it’s from God, for his glory, and we recognize that it can only be accomplished with his enabling. Something similar has been accomplished in our 115-year OMS history. God gave a vision to our cofounder Charles Cowman to train and equip the sons and daughters of a nation to reach their own people. This was exemplified in OMS’ God-sized vision in the early 1900s with the Great Village Campaign in Japan. During this six-year campaign, OMS reached out to every home in Japan with the Word of God, and thousands made decisions for Christ. Prayer is our first and primary work in seeking to fulfill this vision. We call out to God, expre