Written by Karen Ebey-Tessendorf, Missions Committee member
Because presence matters. This is the tag line for the CBF Offering for Global Missions. I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about the Offering for Global Missions (OGM) before I volunteered to do a Missions Moment about it a couple of Sundays ago. I learned that OGM is the primary means of support for more than 50 CBF field personnel living and serving long-term in 18 countries. OGM funds field personnel salaries, benefits, housing costs, and children’s educational needs. This support allows them to be present to do God’s work.
Presence matters. As a young adult, I served with a Christian organization in rural Haiti. While there, I learned a Haitian proverb that is still important to me: Nou wé kote nou kanpe. “We see from where we stand.” Being present in a community allows us to “see” from that vantage point and from the perspective of our neighbors in that community. In Haiti, “standing” with rural families, walking many miles with them in the mountains, and sharing lots of plates of rice and beans helped me develop deep relationships and an understanding of and love for my neighbors.
Presence matters. CBF field personnel “stand” with neighbors, beloved by God, throughout the world and “see” their capabilities and respond to their needs. Field personnel develop lasting relationships with people and deep knowledge of the cultures where they serve. The assurance of support from OGM allows the field personnel to serve long-term without worrying about having to raise their own salaries and living expenses.
Because presence matters, our church will be collecting funds for the Offering for Global Missions throughout Lent. There will be different ways to give. Kids on Mission has made donation boxes that are placed around the church. You may see a box in your Sunday School room or the Fellowship Hall. You are invited to put coins or bills into the boxes. There are also envelopes hanging in the Education Building lobby and the hallway by the church office labeled from $1 to $200. Please consider taking an envelope and giving that amount to OGM.
Because presence matters, please consider making a gift during Lent to OGM. Through giving, you will support the presence of Jonathan in Bali, Missy in Uganda, Rick in Immokalee, FL, Tina in Austria, Carson and Laura in Japan, Jenny in Haiti, Eddie in Spain, Scarlette in Appalachia and about 40 other field personnel in all corners of the world. You can learn more about them on the CBF website. Check it out! They are inspiring.