Ministry and Hospitality: One and the Same? [November Prayer Focus]

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Nov 02, 2017

Everyone needs food and rest — which may be why nothing has as much potential to bring strangers together as fellowship and sharing meals.

This gives missionaries around the world huge opportunities to share Christ’s love through hospitality, whether it’s providing a safe place of retreat for fellow missionaries who are feeling burned out or running a cafe in the heart of Tokyo that attracts people from all walks of life.

This November, will you pray with us for hospitality ministries around the world?

Click here to get a printable version of these requests, and sign up here to get the new prayer focus in your inbox each month.

1. Pray for new guests and curious friends.

Hospitality ministries should create atmospheres that welcome strangers with warmth and kindness.

For the past three years, TEAM missionaries Eric and Melissa Lundquist have hosted a Christmas celebration in their home known as “Advent Open House”. They invite as many guests as they can — neighbors, families they know through their sons’ Austrian school and people they just meet through the rhythm of daily life.

“The first year, we had just a handful of people that came,” said Melissa. “The second year, we had about 15 … and then last year, we were surprised that about 35 adults — and about 15 kids — came by!”

Pray that nonbelievers will come to these events and celebrations. Pray that God’s people will be able to create deepening friendships that lead others to Christ.

2. Pray for the upkeep of retreat centers and guesthouses.

Most hospitality ministries operate out of spaces that require plenty of upkeep and accommodations.

Take the Kelo Guesthouse and Seminar Center in Chad for example. The center hosts seminars, provides lodging for visiting theology professors, serves as a recording station for an audio version of the New Testament — and much more.

But doing all of this can be difficult with the center’s outdated plumbing. And the entire center struggles to run on two solar panels and a generator instead of normalized electricity.

Pray for resources to make places like the Kelo Guesthouse comfortable and inviting. Pray that repairs will be affordable and quick. And pray that God will continue to work despite outdated accommodations.

3. Pray that events and retreats will run smoothly.

hospitality ministry

At SonRise Café in Tokyo, Japan, the owners not only serve coffee and other fresh baked goods, but they also host various outreaches throughout the year. Photo by TEAM

Imagine you’re hosting a dinner and you burn the cake. You’d probably be too distracted to make good conversation with people. Or what if guests couldn’t find your place? They’d arrive stressed out or might give up on coming at all.

SonRise Café was launched eight years ago in the bustling city of Tokyo as a way to attract people from all walks of life. Throughout the year, the ministry team hosts various outreaches, including an annual Thanksgiving feast in November. Each member of the team contributes to the meal and invites people from the community. After the dinner, they give a slideshow presentation on the origins of Thanksgiving, with a special emphasis on the Creator to whom Christians give thanks.

“It is an evening full of chances for talking, getting to know each other and fellowship that lasts for hours,” said TEAM missionary Kelly Baughn.

Ask God to direct the details that go into events like SonRise Café’s Thanksgiving feast. Pray that hosts will be well-equipped, guests won’t be hindered from coming and God’s love will clearly show in every element of each event.

4. Pray for partnerships with local churche s.

When local churches see the value of showing hospitality to members of their own communities, it creates long-term, sustainable cycles of ministry. TEAM missionaries in Europe have started a ministry that reaches out to women who have been victims of the sex slave industry and/or caught up in a life of prostitution.

Every Christmas, the ministry packs around 1,000 boxes with homemade cookies, a new Bible verse calendar and an invitation to the missionaries’ annual Christmas party. Then, they distribute the boxes to women on the streets and in the brothels of their city.

It is an enormous undertaking that requires the support of numerous local churches.

Pray that local churches will come together to help with projects like this one. Pray for unity among God’s people as they strive to demonstrate hospitality to their communities.

5. Pray for restoration for worn out missionaries.

hospitality ministry

In Paris, the Robelots run an apartment called “The Upper Room,” which is specially designed for missionaries to come for a time of intentional care and relaxation. Photo by TEAM

Missionary work is draining — even Jesus needed a break from time to time. Missionary care often involves providing places for workers to find encouragement, prayer, counseling or just time for rest and renewal.

TEAM missionaries Paul and Missy Robelot have made their ministry all about caring for fellow missionaries in exactly these ways. They run an apartment just outside Paris called “The Upper Room” — and everything they offer is free of charge to the missionaries who come through.

In the words of Missy, “God’s most precious assets in missions are missionaries!”

Pray for member care workers to have wisdom when ministering to fellow missionaries’ needs. Pray that missionaries will be restored and refreshed so they can continue spreading the Word without growing weary.

6. Pray that people will come to know Christ.

The greatest way we can ever serve others is by leading them to the salvation of Christ. TEAM missionaries Buan and Theresa Anderson run a retreat center in France where church groups can meet and experience spiritual renewal.

However, Buan says the ultimate goal of their work is to help bring more people to Christ: “We just pray that young and old would come to meet … Jesus Christ, and that somehow our center can be a step in each person’s process.”

Pray that these ministries introduce others to Christ. Pray that all people will come to know the Lord’s grace and love.

7. Pray for an outpouring of workers.

At TEAM’s Karuizawa Retreat Center in Japan , missionaries have the opportunity to escape the pressures of daily life and find spiritual, emotional and physical rejuvenation. But sadly, the center’s long-term caretakers had to retire recently.

Short-termers are filling in for now, but the center is in desperate need of full-time workers who have a passion for missionary care and hospitality ministries.

Ask God to provide teams of people with a heart for hospitality and missions. Pray that the right people with the right skills will be led to places like the Karuizawa Retreat Center.

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer! Click the image below to get a printable version of these requests to remember how to pray all month long.

hospitality ministry

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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