Missions and Social Action

Pieter & Phyllis DeSmit

Central's involvement in Missions is founded on the nature of God as revealed in scripture from Genesis to Revelation. In his covenant with Abraham, God expressed his desire for all peoples on earth to be blessed (Genesis 12:3). God's longing to have every person be a member of his family continues throughout scripture. It is clear that God is a missionary God and we are His ambassadors. Jesus told his disciples that as the Father had sent him, He was sending them.
These sentences are part of the first section of Central's Missions Policy.

• We are committed to action that touches eternity,
• reaching people locally and globally with news of Christ in a culturally relevant way,
• building up the body of Christ through discipling and church planting,
• ministering in the name of Jesus while addressing human need,
• inspiring Central's congregation to become involved in mission endeavors,
• encouraging the mission units we support, and
• motivating Christians to train for mission service.

The months of 2003 brought us face-to-face with God's infinite effort to reach people around the world. Though the following is merely a list of locations, each represents an enrichment focus in the life of Central because of a visit from someone in ministry there.

Austria, Brazil, Burma, Central African Republic, East Asia, Ecuador, Eurasia, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Nigeria, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, and USA ( FL, IL, MA, MN, NH, PA, TN).

In addition to the 38 students and 6 adults who went on the youth missions trip to West Virginia, we had students ministering in Panama, Ghana, Kenya and Madagascar and adults in Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Philippines, and Ghana. Central provided scholarships for 14 college students to attend the biannual Missions Conference in Urbana, Illinois. We rejoice to have sent a couple to Cameroon, three young women to the Far East, and Kazakhstan. All of these countries represent miles of love and journeys of faith.

Two strategic partnerships, our adopted people group and our sister church in Sao Paulo, Brazil, have been enhanced by new contacts. A woman, who has had 28 years of experience with Bible Translators, discovered our connection with our adopted people group, as she made the transition from 3 years of doctoral study of Burmese languages in Texas to a location inside Burma. She has developed contacts with the United Nations and the Burmese government, which give her status and sanction as she works to create a common man's language out of the 55 dialects in use within this people group. Her work will lead to a basic means of communication in Bible translating and in conducting everyday business transactions. With regard to our connection with the Ipiranga Church, we have enjoyed several visits from a member of that congregation. Valdir Grassi has worshipped at Central several Sundays, while he is studying at University of Pennsylvania. We have also begun a new sending relationship as both churches support a woman in ministry in East Asia.

Central's congregation is engaged in a variety of methods to connect with missions:

• fervent pray-ers,
• faithful senders who give regularly,
• encouraging corresponders who communicate frequently with families abroad,
• gracious hosts to visit with missionaries on home assignment,
• energetic participants in short-term ministry trips,
• mentoring as members of a Community of Care Team,
• eager students taking mission-oriented courses,
• devoted board members serving a variety of agencies and
• blessed volunteers who minister weekly in local missions.

This list would be more meaningfully fleshed out with specific names, which space does not permit. We are thankful for Central's servanthood evidenced so dramatically.

During 2003 there were many hands-on opportunities for the whole church, such as collecting food and clothing for the needy, gathering new items for babies to share with crisis pregnancy centers, filling shoe boxes to be mailed to refugee children abroad, making sandwiches for homeless in Baltimore, purchasing gifts for children of incarcerated parents, renovating houses in Sandtown, and building a barn at Woodberry Crossing.

In addition to these strategic volunteer efforts, we are blessed with many career Christian workers who worship at Central. Lani Bersch, Michelle Cooper, Michael Frantz, Dave and Carolyn McSween, Dan and Jan McWilliams, Mark Newman, Jean Pollitt, John and Joyce Sackett, Kathy Smith, Dave Turnbaugh, Chris Williams, Karen Woolen. In addition, Rick Liebermann is in the process of raising support to work with Children's Bible Ministry of Maryland.

One of the privileges enjoyed through the year is the ability to respond to emergency needs. Some of these were scholarships for two students graduating from the Baltimore Christian School, extra funds for officials' fees for the Park Heights Saints, tuition supplement for missionary children schooling, travel expenses and conference registration for an African pastor, and funds for the construction cost to address a water supply problem in northern Thailand.

An in-house highlight was the Missions Celebration Event in October. The first weekend the concourse featured 19 local missions, including work projects at several sites. Worship each of the Sundays had a theme: African and Asian. Visiting missionaries were able to share their hearts in 34 small groups. The Saturday evening event targeted 5 different countries, as the 200+ participants used airline tickets to "fly" to various continents. The information gleaned was supplemented by specially designed prayer books. The Japanese dining experience, wedged in between activities, was memorable and delicious.

The truly complete report about missions at Central would have an account from each of you of conversations you initiated with neighbors, relatives, co-workers about spiritual journeys and testimony illustrating the way each of you lived your life reflecting the joy of the Lord. In John 15 Jesus tells us that the Father has chosen us to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. This is not to happen around the edges of life, but to be life itself. As citizens of God's Kingdom, let us continue to minister with friends at home and around the world to reach the lost -- all for God's glory!