Archive - June 2022

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Ministry Before Missions: 5 Reasons to Think Local Before You Go Global
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Families Transformed by the Gospel in Papua
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Summer Camps Open Doors for the Global Church

Ministry Before Missions: 5 Reasons to Think Local Before You Go Global

Diverse church group worshiping
Have a heart for overseas missions? Serving in your own community is a great place to start.

For many future missionaries, God’s calling to mission work can create an unnecessary sense of urgency. The desire to GO as soon as possible may cause an emotional decision to pursue cross-cultural missions right away without proper preparation. The result can be culture shock and difficulties adjusting to life on the mission field.  Seasoned missionaries offer great advice to avoid this pitfall: think local before you go global. Taking the time to invest in local ministries that relate to the type of mission work you want to do will go a long way toward preparing you for the field. There…

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Families Transformed by the Gospel in Papua

Papuan family with two children.
The light of Christ now shines through Hatam families once entrenched in darkness.

How do we impart biblical truth while also respecting important cultural traditions? As we follow Jesus’ command to “go into all the world,” how do we make sure we don’t “go” like a steamroller? This is perhaps one of the greatest challenges of cross-cultural ministry, especially when it comes to something as central to a society as its concept of “family.”  God’s heart for marriage and family is seen throughout Scripture. For traditionally Judeo-Christian cultures, a loving and nurturing family dynamic is easily understood. But what about in cultures where family relationships look very different? How can we as the…

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Summer Camps Open Doors for the Global Church

Kids at summer camp.
More than just silly songs and bug spray, summer camps play a vital role in reaching families with the Gospel worldwide.

S’mores over the campfire. Water balloon fights. Swimming in the lake. Any number of craft projects involving yarn and popsicle sticks. As a child of the 1970’s and 1980’s, these are my fond memories of summer camp. Also as a native Virginian, I have the tendency to think of summer camp as a very “American” tradition. The most cross-cultural aspect of my summer camp experiences was singing “Kumbaya” on taco night.  Since starting at TEAM a few months ago, I’ve learned that summer camp ministries are a vibrant part of God’s work around the world! These short-term but highly impactful…

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