July STORM Report: Not Exactly the Lazy Days of Summer
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Volume 10 No. 10
July 15, 2021
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance
as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
—Colossians 3:23-24
Not Exactly the Lazy Days of Summer
CDM Member, Rev. Rick Dickinson, CDM Administrator, Mr. David Nakhla
and CDM Member Rev. Chris Cashen at the 87th OPC General Assembly
on the campus of Dordt University.
Summer conjures up thoughts of longer, warmer, less stressful days. On paper it can appear to be a less productive time, but the somewhat slower pace allows the Committee on Diaconal Ministries to concentrate on some crucial, behind the scenes work, as their duties continue to expand.
David Nakhla, in addition to his duties as Short-Term Missions and Disaster Response Coordinator, serves as the Administrator for the Committee on Diaconal Ministries. He is currently attending the 87th annual OPC General Assembly at Dordt University, reporting on the past year's work of the CDM, including the newly established Refugee Ministry Subcommittee.
The RMS has been working diligently to collect information from churches in the OPC who are, or have been, involved in refugee ministry. The subcommittee hopes to centralize that information and share it with all OPC congregations in order to encourage denomination-wide interest and participation in this critical ministry.
The Case of the Strang Ers
by Chris Cashen
Pastor, Trinity Reformed OPC, Lanham, Maryland and
Chairman of the Refugee Ministry Subcommitee
Imagine the following scenario being presented at your next diaconal meeting: Mr. and Mrs. Strang Er just arrived at the bus station in your city. They have two young children, no car, no place to live, no money to speak of, and two plastic bags of clothes between them. They are not permitted by the laws of the land to work, they cannot speak English well, they have no family in the area, and they have no place to go. For the past six months, this family has been traveling from their war-torn country in search of peace and safety. The family is weary, worn, and fearful. They have never been in the United States before and have no friends. They can't go home. Mr. Strang Er fears that death awaits them if they were to return. Here then is the diaconal question: do you help them? These are certainly not members of your church, and they are strangers and aliens: to you, to your church, and to the nation. Is it legal—in the civil sense? And is it right—in the biblical sense?
You may be thinking: “This is an unusual scenario. It is unlikely that our diaconate would be confronted with this type of need.” Not really. In the current State Department’s Report to Congress on proposed refugee admissions for fiscal year 2021, we read: “The United States anticipates receiving more than 300,000 new asylum claimants and refugees in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 . . . the President proposes resettling up to 15,000 refugees under the FY 2021 refugee admissions ceiling, and anticipates receiving new asylum claims that include more than 290,000 individuals. This proposed refugee admissions ceiling reflects the continuing backlog of over 1.1 million asylum-seekers who are awaiting adjudication of their claims inside the United States, . . .”
Opportunities and Updates
New Opportunity!
Missionary Training Institute, South Korea
ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers are needed at the Missionary Training Institute (MTI) in South Korea!
Two or Three ESL teachers are needed to serve from October 26 to December 21, 2021, March 2 to May 6, 2022, or May 16 to July 22, 2022. Qualifications for teachers:
- Bible-believing and mission-minded Christian
- Native English speaker with ESL teaching or mission field experience
- Self-supported
- Good health
The Boardwalk Chapel
The first few weeks of the summer have been full of blessings. The staff has been hard at work diligently serving the Lord and leading wonderful programs each evening, and the church groups that have visited each week have come with eager hearts that want to share the gospel. The Lord has been working, not only on the Boardwalk, with many people calling on the name of the Lord (Praise God), but also in the hearts of the staff. A zeal and love for the Lord has evidently been grown in the staff. Praise God for how he is working mightily in and through this ministry!
There are openings for the end of summer staff if anyone wants to serve for a short amount of time!
- Evangelism Conference (August 30 - September 4) This conference is geared toward training pastors and elders in evangelism.
The Uganda Mission
Are you looking for a short-term missions trip with a longer-than-usual stay? There are several ways that you can serve at the Uganda Mission, especially for those able to go for a month or more. Check our website for all the opportunities there.
The Latest
Julian Russell, MTW missionary to the Bahamas, shared this need and opportunity with us:
Bahamas – Hurricanes are coming!
Hurricane season is here for the Bahamas. The majority of families on the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Dorian. Homes are only partially rebuilt and most do not have roofs. The Covid-19 global pandemic crippled the economy, and with few jobs available, the challenge of day-to-day survival remains difficult.
We would like to send skilled individuals for a week or more to work alongside and teach some of the nationals the skills needed in rebuilding their homes. The goal is to provide work for the nationals, as well as rebuild the homes. Questions? Contact Mike Peifer or Carol Gann at missiontrips@mtw.org
COVID-19 Pandemic Response Fund
To date, the CPR Fund has received $95,849.19 in generous donations and has disbursed $64,695 of that to brothers and sisters around the world. Thank you for your contributions and prayers!
Distribute to your church!
Get the PDF summary of this STORM Report as a poster or bulletin insert.
Short-Term Missions
OPC Disaster Response
Committee on Diaconal Ministries
David P. Nakhla
Short-Term Missions and
Disaster Response Coordinator
215-935-1007
david.nakhla@opc.org
Trish Duggan
Communications Coordinator,
Short-Term Missions and Disaster Response
Trish.duggan@opc.org
Sarah Klazinga
Administrative Assistant
Short-Term Missions and Disaster Response
Sarah.klazinga@opc.org
