Missions


In gratitude to God, inspired by the good news of Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Outreach Division of Eastminster extends the ministry of Eastminster spiritually, socially, and physically to the needy, the oppressed and the stranger. The Outreach division is in a constant search for ways to give the members of Eastminster the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in our neighborhood and in the world.

EASTMINSTER'S MISSION EMPHASIS SEASON
2011

Our congregation celebrates faith in action in our community, city, state, and yes, the entire world. During the month of October, 2011, we will recognize some of the mission work we do in His name that doesn't get as much publicity the rest of the year. We hope that you will be able to join the worship services and programs designed to explore Eastminster's response to the Good News of the Gospel.

SUNDAY, October 5 - We will be joined in our participation in World Communion Day by three international students from Columbia Seminary. · Gary Johnson from St. Catherine, Jamaica, is in his third year of the Master of Divinity Program at the United Theological College of the West Indies. · Nickolett (Niki) Merten from Sajokaza, Hungary, is a fourth year divinity student at Debrecen University. · Joshua Norris from Petersfield, Hampsire, UK, is in his second year of ministerial training at Westminster College in Cambridge, England. We are excited to have these students help lead our service as we join Christians around the world in the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

WEDNESDAY, October 5 - We have invited missionaries living at Mission Haven in Decatur to bring us stories of their work on the Presbyterian mission field. Elizabeth Turk will speak on her family's work in Madagascar. We hope that Jodi McGill serving in Malawi and Nancy Dimmock serving in South Africa will be able to join. Mission Haven provides furnished housing for missionaries who are home on furlough and for those seeking new assignments.

SUNDAY, October 9 - Mardee Rightmyer will continue the sermon series on the aspects of God by exploring the Compassionate God. Mardee accompanied the Eastminster mission outreach to Piedras Negras, Mexico, in July as one team built a house for a family of six and another team lead a dental and medical clinic. We invite participants from the 23 years of Eastminster's partnership with Constructores para Cristo (CPC) to wear their crosses, bricks and t-shirts to this service.

WEDNESDAY, October 12 - A revue (review) of the summer mission trip to Mexico will be highlighted by a film showing the step-by-step construction of a CPC house. Why do we continue to return to the same community each year? Come and witness the transformation one week of service can make to a family, and to hear of our connection to the amigos we have grown to love over the years. Our medical and dental mission team will speak of their experiences at the Clinic, where people lined up before 7:00 am each morning to receive care at no charge. We especially invite those who have given financially over the years to see the joy they have helped to bring to this community.

SUNDAY, October 16 - Burmese refugees will worship with us and bring an anthem in their native language. Persecuted refugees from Myanmar were brought together in Christian fellowship by an Indian seminary professor and his wife, and they have found a church home at Columbia Presbyterian Church in Decatur. They are joining us as an expression of their gratitude for all of the donations given by EPC members to set up their households and for the common love of our Lord that we share.

Eastminster's Call to Foreign Missions

Eastminster's Call to Foreign Missions Surely, the primary calling of the Christian church is to follow Christ's command to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." (Matt 28: 19-10) How can a suburban church in Georgia respond to that call? A direct and meaningful way is to send contributions to help train preachers and teachers of the Gospel.

Last year, with a suggestion from the Outreach Committee, the Eastminster Session voted to change our monetary support of foreign missions. EPC had provided financial support for a family serving the Presbyterian Church in the Congo for many years. The change was to expand our global outreach to touch four foreign seminaries in separate regions with quarterly donations. (The total amount of money committed remains the same.) With prayerful consideration and exploration of ties our church has developed over the years, seminaries in Jordan, India, Ghana and Brazil were chosen to receive the gifts to help prepare local ministers to preach the Gospel.

K.P. Yoyannan in his book Revolution in World Mission notes several reasons for American Christians to help equip native missionary evangelists. "One, they often understand the culture, customs and lifestyles plus the language. Two, the most effective communication occurs between peers. Three, it is a wise investment of our resources because the native missionary works more economically than foreigners can." His reasoning is affirmed with the evolvement of foreign mission work within the Presbyterian Church. Previous efforts by American missionaries lead to growth, sometimes quite substantial, in the native church. Often those churches wish to take over their own government and church growth, but the need remains to train ministers to lead congregations and to teach the Good News.

Two years ago Presbyterian Women were introduced to the work of the Near East School of Theology through our Bible study of Joshua written by Dr. Mary Mikael, the President of NEST. She met the challenge of having a Lebanese woman working in Jordan write a study of the conquest of the Holy Land. Dr. Mikael opened our eyes to the need to educate leaders to fight the spread of Islam and the loss of Christians in the Middle East. In Horizons Sept/Oct 2010 she states, "Christians are present to carry out a mission of love and understanding, of service and engagement; having become a minority surely reemphasizes the urgency for an effective presence that makes a difference." Thanks to our proximity to Columbia Seminary, Eastminster has gotten to know many African ministers training for a Masters degree. Their consistent message is the growth of the African church has lead to many preachers serving multiple churches spread across many miles. The need for additional trained Christian workers is great. A visiting seminary professor at Columbia introduced us to a need at Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology in Ghana, home country of our EPC members Dr. Amanarh and Henrietta Kisseih.

Ruata Hmar, a seminary professor at Aizawi Theological College in the state of Mizoram, is studying for his doctorate in Christian counseling at Columbia Seminary. His beautiful mountain top seminary serves to train a small army of missionaries called to work in areas of India where Christianity is rare. The Christians of Mizoram are dedicated to the spread of the Gospel, so EPC support of the seminary goes quickly into training workers and preachers.

About 3 years ago the church in Brazil began to send home American missionaries, because the church felt strong enough to continue the work in their own country. Several seminaries had been founded by our missionaries and these institutions continue to train preachers and teachers to work with established churches and to go into the mission field. Ferris and Thelma Goodrum have shared their story and music with EPC during their times at Mission Haven in Decatur. Both are professors at the Center of Theological Formation, a seminary of the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil. They have enabled our support of this seminary in Vitoria.

What can members of EPC do to enrich our calling to share the love of Christ in the world?

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EPC Outreach Committee
September 2011