Hope to read the book soon. We have been missionaries in Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, and the USA. These cultures are all quite different. A church meeting is a cultural gathering. We need to learn how better to live together in our congregations and neighborhoods. We presently help minister in a Pentecostal congregation that meets in an RCA church building, two doors from where my wife grew up. Wayne DeYoung
Sandy and I (CRC retired missionaries) are visiting an RCA church building in Kalamazoo, MI that has opened up their facility to a Hispanic Pentecostal church which we attend. This pentecostal church group is invited to all social functions and there is wonderful social interchange. The children of these Hispanic families are as American as I am. Multiple facility use is one the simple ways we can coordinate multicultural ministries in a geographical area. Cultures are very different and people worship in a very distinct way from each culture. And of course there are also many subculture worship styles among a culture. We have been missionaries in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the USA. It is difficult to have a truly multicultural worship time. Presently we are doing this of necessity in Mexico during the winters because there is no evangelical church ministry in the village of 3000 people, of many mixed nationalities, where we are starting a church. I would much rather do the worship part in two different services. But that might come next year.
Your brother and sister in Mexico church planting, Rev. Wayne and Sandy DeYoung
Excellent approach to outreach and caring. I have used this approach for many years in other countries as a missionary. In those countries mass-transit is THE means of transportation for the majority of people. Great to hear your story. We all need to learn to break out from our isolation and the shell is getting thicker. Wayne
As church planters we found very quickly that we needed all the gifts (people) that the Holy Spirit sends in order to move things forward. We were blessed in the fact that we had little "red tape" to cut through to make things happen. If a new believer came to me or other church leaders and asked if they could organize a new ministry we would say YES! Then we would sit down with them, help them develop their ideas, find out how we could connect other church resources to the ministry and after they got the ministry going, we would report on the ministry to our "steering committee". Some things worked, others did not, but we learned through the process. Some new ideas from new converts became pivotal ministries to reach out into the community. These ministries got new people involved and they bore fruit in many ways.
Your brother and sister, church planters in Mexico on the beach presently, Rev. Wayne and Sandy DeYoung former CRWM/CRHM
Thanks for reminding us of our fathers and fatherhood. I too told my kids not to consider ministry unless they could do nothing else. It is a huge challenge and it sure helps if you know that the Lord has called you to do only this. We all enjoyed being missionaries for CRWM and CRHM for 35 years. The kids have all been missionaries and church leaders. They too have enjoyed the challenges. Their challenges as "faith" missionaries have many times been greater than ours; we had the full support of the CRC behind us financially, administratively and in prayer. They lived in Haiti many times in chaos before, during and after the earthquake. Some were evacuated again like they were as children. They are qualified by their experiences as MKs for service in the Kingdom of God. It's great seeing them grown and with children of their own to disciple now. Usually the best discipleship happens at home. Hopefully we will continue to lead by example until the Lord calls us home too. Thank you Dad and thank you Father! Wayne
Great encouragement. The greatest experience in all my life is glorifying God through sharing the gospel. When we get our eyes off ourselves and get outwardly focused, the inside problems evaporate. We have so many opportunities to share the gospel that we miss because we are not ready. Prayer for the lost helps keep us ready. It probably positions the Holy Spirit to help us and the hearer to be open to that moment as well.
From the North American context of Mexico: Yes to you both. Our lives can be in all their aspects a life of worship. To see a group of new Christians living for the Lord and glorifying Him through their lives is a such a joy. Praise God that most of them are constantly giving testimony to the change that Christ made in them. Missions is often seen as something separate from being a wholistic Christian. It's not. We proclaim Christ and live for Him in all we do. Others are attracted and become committed to Him because of what we say and do.
Posted in: Book Review on Latinos: the Next Wave
Hope to read the book soon. We have been missionaries in Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, and the USA. These cultures are all quite different. A church meeting is a cultural gathering. We need to learn how better to live together in our congregations and neighborhoods. We presently help minister in a Pentecostal congregation that meets in an RCA church building, two doors from where my wife grew up. Wayne DeYoung
Posted in: What Does Your Church Do to Be Intentional About Diversity?
Sandy and I (CRC retired missionaries) are visiting an RCA church building in Kalamazoo, MI that has opened up their facility to a Hispanic Pentecostal church which we attend. This pentecostal church group is invited to all social functions and there is wonderful social interchange. The children of these Hispanic families are as American as I am. Multiple facility use is one the simple ways we can coordinate multicultural ministries in a geographical area. Cultures are very different and people worship in a very distinct way from each culture. And of course there are also many subculture worship styles among a culture. We have been missionaries in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the USA. It is difficult to have a truly multicultural worship time. Presently we are doing this of necessity in Mexico during the winters because there is no evangelical church ministry in the village of 3000 people, of many mixed nationalities, where we are starting a church. I would much rather do the worship part in two different services. But that might come next year.
Your brother and sister in Mexico church planting, Rev. Wayne and Sandy DeYoung
Posted in: Have We Lost the Art of Conversation?
Excellent approach to outreach and caring. I have used this approach for many years in other countries as a missionary. In those countries mass-transit is THE means of transportation for the majority of people. Great to hear your story. We all need to learn to break out from our isolation and the shell is getting thicker. Wayne
Posted in: Can You Say, "Yes?"
As church planters we found very quickly that we needed all the gifts (people) that the Holy Spirit sends in order to move things forward. We were blessed in the fact that we had little "red tape" to cut through to make things happen. If a new believer came to me or other church leaders and asked if they could organize a new ministry we would say YES! Then we would sit down with them, help them develop their ideas, find out how we could connect other church resources to the ministry and after they got the ministry going, we would report on the ministry to our "steering committee". Some things worked, others did not, but we learned through the process. Some new ideas from new converts became pivotal ministries to reach out into the community. These ministries got new people involved and they bore fruit in many ways.
Your brother and sister, church planters in Mexico on the beach presently, Rev. Wayne and Sandy DeYoung former CRWM/CRHM
Posted in: God's Own Fool
Thanks for reminding us of our fathers and fatherhood. I too told my kids not to consider ministry unless they could do nothing else. It is a huge challenge and it sure helps if you know that the Lord has called you to do only this. We all enjoyed being missionaries for CRWM and CRHM for 35 years. The kids have all been missionaries and church leaders. They too have enjoyed the challenges. Their challenges as "faith" missionaries have many times been greater than ours; we had the full support of the CRC behind us financially, administratively and in prayer. They lived in Haiti many times in chaos before, during and after the earthquake. Some were evacuated again like they were as children. They are qualified by their experiences as MKs for service in the Kingdom of God. It's great seeing them grown and with children of their own to disciple now. Usually the best discipleship happens at home. Hopefully we will continue to lead by example until the Lord calls us home too. Thank you Dad and thank you Father! Wayne
Posted in: Thinking Like an Evangelist
Great encouragement. The greatest experience in all my life is glorifying God through sharing the gospel. When we get our eyes off ourselves and get outwardly focused, the inside problems evaporate. We have so many opportunities to share the gospel that we miss because we are not ready. Prayer for the lost helps keep us ready. It probably positions the Holy Spirit to help us and the hearer to be open to that moment as well.
Posted in: Who Am I to Tell Someone to Accept My Religion?
From the North American context of Mexico: Yes to you both. Our lives can be in all their aspects a life of worship. To see a group of new Christians living for the Lord and glorifying Him through their lives is a such a joy. Praise God that most of them are constantly giving testimony to the change that Christ made in them. Missions is often seen as something separate from being a wholistic Christian. It's not. We proclaim Christ and live for Him in all we do. Others are attracted and become committed to Him because of what we say and do.