CPC 2000 Annual Report:
Missions

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In this past century we have seen some of the most profound changes in the face of Christianity since the very first century when Christ walked this earth and the church spread out from Jerusalem. We have seen Islam and secularism rise to new heights. We have seen the dramatic decline of Christianity in Europe. We witnessed the growth of the church in the two-thirds world to the point where the majority of Christians and missionaries are now from non-western nations. The Bible has now been translated in part into thousands of languages, and although there are still over 2000 people groups with little or no indigenous church, they are no longer anonymous. The church around the world is rising to the challenge of following Christ's command of taking the gospel to all people. At the same time, the world is coming to us (the United States) to study and work and be influenced by what they find here, for better or worse.

As the gospel goes forward, there have been challenges. The rate of persecution and suffering by Christians continues to climb, even with a drop after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The number of impoverished, malnourished, or displaced people increases every year, along with the number of individuals without Christ (mostly through biological growth). And while American affluence and material abundance reach new levels, the number of missionaries and the percent of resources going to reaching the world is in decline.

The challenges notwithstanding, the bottom line good news is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is going forward in more ways, in more places, and by a greater diversity of workers than ever before, and more people are responding than at any time in history - all to the glory and praise of our God!

Central's Part:

At Central, we have been at the forefront of the missions enterprise for 50 years. And we are not turning back now. In a myriad of ways, we have been furthering the cause of Christ locally, nationally and internationally. It would be impossible to enumerate all the things that have happened this past year. And in truth, a number of our missions activities are not centralized in the missions committee, but are being integrated into other parts of the life of Central, such as wonderful things happening in Children's Ministries with M&M Kids and 2nd Sundays for the World. A few significant things that have happened directly through Central's activities this year are:

• The funding and completion of a Bible translation and leadership training center for (deleted-group-name), our adopted Unreached People Group. Located on the Thai side of the Thailand-Burma border, the center allows the ministry of the (deleted-group-name) to move forward in relative stability. We are also developing a network of churches interested in the (deleted-group-name).

• Jill Marbach became a Missionary in Residence with Central as her "Mission Agency" bridging the gap between leaving Campus Crusade and her planned move to work among Muslims in Central Asia. She is currently working at Central and going to seminary.

• Associate Pastor Jerry Cooper traveled to South and Central America. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, he was the keynote speaker at the annual Missions Conference of our sister church. The transcript of the Portuguese translation is being published in Brazil. In San Jose, Costa Rica, Jerry met with the leaders of Kay Smoes' home church both helping to forge a partnership as well as teaching and encouraging the church in the areas of missions, outreach and strategy.

As always, the main part of our missions program is the support of missionaries, many of whom have left careers or comfort, home and country, to serve our Lord in new places among different peoples. Our support is more than financial, and all personal expressions of support, encouragement and communication are highly valued. If you would like to bless a missionary in this way, use the Missionary Directory as a guide.