International Missions Fund Offering 2021

We don’t get to pick our mission as a church. Jesus has already told us what he wants us to do. He has commissioned us to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit (Matt 28:19-20). That’s what we mean at KingsWay when we talk about helping one another enjoy a growing relationship with God. We’re called to make disciples in our homes, in our city, and around the world.

Making disciples in other nations where Christ has not been named involves two actions on our part as a church: sending and being sent (Rom 10:15). We’re eager to give attention to both aspects during our upcoming International Missions Weekend (IMW21)! One of the most important ways we send people with the gospel and care well for them over the long haul is through our financial support.

The Lord has used our International Missions Fund (IMF) to advance gospel ministry on several fronts in 2020. For example, we were able to send $4,000 to the church plant in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, enabling Jorge and David Del Castillo to continue pastoring full time even when coronavirus restrictions limited their ability to gather in public. Most of us will never meet the men and women in Santa Cruz who are being introduced to Jesus and growing in their love for him. The Lord knows them by name, and we give for his sake.

Many of you heard Anna Rogness’ report last Sunday from the Casa de Esperanza orphanage in Caranavi, Bolivia. Last year, we set aside nearly $3,000 to help them provide food, shelter, and instruction from God’s Word to the children there. Most of us will never meet the young people who are being introduced to Jesus and growing in their love for him. The Lord knows them by name, and we give for his sake.

Our International Missions Fund is how we invest in these sorts of strategic ministry opportunities. As mentioned above, we were able to assist the Del Castillos with our missionary emergency fund money, and because of your additional giving we were able to maintain a balance of $6,000 for future emergencies. If one of the families we support in Southeast Asia, Namibia, or Bolivia has an unexpected need for a car, housing, or a medical expense, we’re able to immediately send resources to help. A robust reserve fund of this sort also prepares us to send more of our own members into full time missions in the future. All of this is only possible because of your generosity!

The vast majority of the money we receive in our IMF each year is given during our annual missions weekend. While Covid protocols will prevent us from passing a basket as we have previously, we’re still going to take time on Sunday, March 14 to talk about the IMF and encourage you to give online. Out of every dollar given to this fund in 2021, 50% will go to our missionary emergency fund, 25% to missionary resources, and 25% to the orphanage.

I plan on sharing a little more about the missionary resources category in a blog post next week, including a testimony from one of our international partners, Josh Kruger Jr. This is money we give to our missionaries apart from their living expenses to purchase supplies such as Bibles or to fund theological training so they can preach the gospel more effectively. For now, please ask the Lord how he would have you participate in our mission offering a week from this Sunday. It is an incredible privilege to take earthly resources and use them for eternal good!