If You Can’t Go Then Send

At today’s commissioning service for Adrian, Anita, Matias and Maia Lovell, it was a fresh reminder of our deep partnership with them and with the Church Missionary Society, CMS.

We gathered along with representatives of six other churches to show our support for the Lovells, and to pray for them as they prepare to return to Bolivia in a month.

Mandy and I were able to lead the gathering in prayer, and along with the gathered congregation, we commissioned them for another term of service.

Scott Millar from CMS reminded us about how hard it is for one church alone to send out a missionary, but when we’re in partnership with several others, it becomes possible for us.

Our church contributes financially to CMS for our support both of the Lovells, as well as our other friend… and our partnership includes lots of prayer!

But there’s another important challenge for our church and each of us as we consider missionary work around the world.

A big challenge is to ‘go,’ as someone willing to be considered for mission work in a cross-cultural situation… but, the opposite to going, is not staying… it’s sending.

You might not be able to go yourself, but together as a church, we can be involved in sending someone from our own church, or to be a part of helping another person from another church to go.

If we can’t go, then we can still send… even as you and I might stay.

Please pray for the Lovells as they prepare to leave in five weeks’ time, especially as they return to the all-new city, Santa Cruz.

They know where they’re going to church, and where the kids are going to school, but are still unsure where they will live—so will you pray for them?

JODIE McNEILL