1 Trinity Center for World Mission, Inc. /TCWM/ Introducing TCWM James 4:13-16 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Transcript
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Trinity Center for World Mission, Inc.
/TCWM/
Introducing TCWM
James 4:13-16 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
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Table of Contents I. Mission …………………………………………………………….. Page 3
II. History …………………………………………………………..….. Page 7
III. Ministries ……………………………………………………………. Page 12
IV. Management ……………………………………………………..…. Page 22
V. Location and Facilities ……………………………………………. Page 35
VI. Vision for the Future ………………………………………………. Page 38
VII. Needs and Start Up Expenses in the U.S.……………………… Page 40
VIII. Fundraising Strategy ……………………………………………... Page 42
IX. Statement of Faith ………………………………………………… Page 43
X. Prayer Retreats at TCWM ……………………………………..…. Page 44
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 ………………………………………………..………..…………..…. Page 45 Advisors and Proposed Advisors
I. Mission Introduction: TCWM is a reformed church planting and church strengthening ministry operating on several fronts to expand the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Our leaders are primarily elders and deacons in PCA churches. TCWM exists to establish and strengthen networks or clusters of Biblical, grace-filled, Christ-centered, gospel-preaching, self-supporting, reformed and reproducing churches. We focus on making disciples and training disciples to obey all that Christ has commanded. We presently work in Uganda and the Philippines and hope to expand to South Sudan.
God has enabled us to help plant eleven churches in Eastern Uganda and two churches in Northern Uganda. We plan to help plant additional churches in Northern Uganda and then press on into South Sudan. In addition, we hope to assist our present churches in church planting. We want to partner with existing ministries, including Dr. Jim Sutherland, who has an important ministry in South Sudan.
We also plan to become a missionary sending organization, focusing on sending out short-term missionaries and mature national workers who will plant networks of churches.
In addition, we want to help American churches develop a mission program and expose their members to world missions and church planting through the Kairos course, other training, and short-term missions. (If you are not familiar with the Kairos course, please check our website at: http://trinitycentraloahu.org/ministries/kairos) We will be training teams before they go to Uganda at a new Training Center in Dahlonega, GA. As we expose more and more people to world missions, we hope that God will use us to inspire many to give their lives for this work. At present three of our former members at Trinity Church are MTW missionaries. The reality is that Trinity is a small church in Hawaii doing what it can, finding our strength in Christ.
To accomplish our mission, we sponsor the following ministries or we seek others to come alongside of us and minister with us:
1. Crusades: Before and after planting churches we visit hut to hut in the community and sponsor crusades in a central location.
2. Orphan and Widow Ministries: In each of our church plants, there are orphans and widows. This year we plan to complete our orphanage in Gulu, Grace Children’s Center, and assist orphans and widows in establishing gardens and through the distribution of mosquito nets, seeds and blankets. The goal is that we will quickly turn this over to the churches and presbytery. We avoid any long term financial commitments.
3. Medical Ministries: In the last two years we have seen about 7000 patients in our mobile clinics. In the future, we would like to bring medical supplies and mobile clinics to many established and new congregations. We have found that medical ministries attract more people to our services and church plants than any other means. They are also used powerfully to open the hearts of individuals and communities. Robin Thomas leads this ministry.
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4. Radio Ministry: With the leadership of Pete’s brother, Pastor Sidney Anderson, we plan to help build a series of radio stations so that the entire country of Uganda is able to hear the Gospel. We hope to partner with Words of Hope, an established radio ministry in Uganda. We do have governmental permission to open a second radio station Western Uganda, but we have no frequency because we will not pay a bribe to a government official holding this up.
5. Training Pastors and Church Leaders: Church planting is impossible without well-
trained pastors. Some years we have been unable to plant new churches because there are no trained pastors. Many of the pastors who have helped us in the past did not have a solid Biblical and Reformed education. They were trained by a conman who runs a school in Mbale. All the graduates of this school now need additional training and retraining. Yes, we stepped into a mess.
Trinity Biblical Institute (TBI) is a proposed ministry of TCWM that would need to be approved by the PCU. It is designed to help train church leaders in Kapchorwa and Gulu. Courses will be offered for one week, four times a year, in March, June, September, and December. Training will be in the mornings and then students will proceed to the field in the afternoon. The teachers would consist of mature African teachers and Teaching Elders, largely from the Presbyterian Church in America. TBI will be led by elders in the PCA or men who subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith. By offering four years of instruction through visits four times a year, our desire is to strengthen Teaching Elders, Ruling Elders, Sunday School teachers and those men who believe that they are called to the ministry. We would like to act as a “feeder” institute, preparing our best students to attend Westminster College and Theological Seminary. The following is a general outline designed by Dr. Henry Krabbendam that reflects our desire to offer a solid Biblical curriculum. A MODEST AND ADJUSTABLE PROPOSAL FOR A FOUR-YEAR DISCIPLESHIP CURRICULUM, BATHED IN DISCIPLINES OF GRACE, GUIDED BY PRINCIPLES OF IMMERSION IN SCRIPTURE AND PRAYER THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT
TRAINING COURSES: YEAR ONE 2015 1. “EVANGELISM” 2. “SPEAKING” 3. “SERVING”
Conducted by the Threefold Leadership of the Church:
1. EVANGELISTS 2. PASTOR TEACHERS 3. DEACONS
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With the objective to train all members in each area until their giftedness emerges in one of the three areas:
1. Evangelistic Gift 2. Speaking Gift 3. Serving Gift
Through 20% in the Classroom and 80% in the Field (Training consists of Teaching, Modeling, Observing, Refining and Certifying)
This process will acquaint students with the Full Trinitarian and Triadic Gospel (Regeneration/Justification/Sanctification), and with major strands in Biblical Theology as well as Ecclesiology, and ensure that the Threefold Leadership with the Assistance of the Threefold Giftedness can mobilize the Membership in all Three Areas, with a view to Biblical Multiplication. Teachers in the first year will be as follows: School of Evangelism______________________ School of Discipleship Pastor Pete Anderson Call to the Ministry Charlie King Kairos Pastor Pete Anderson The Life of a Pastor ________________________ Texts Include: The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller; What is the Gospel by Greg Gilbert; The Mission of God’s People, by Christopher Wright; The Gospel Centered Life and Gospel Transformation by World Harvest Mission; The Contemplative Pastor, by Eugene Peterson; Selections from In the Name of Jesus, by Henri Nouwen; The Discipline of Grace, by Jerry Bridges YEAR TWO THROUGH FOUR Each Year ample time should be given to Practical Evangelism, Practical Preaching and Practical Service alongside Pertinent Readings, and to one or more Courses in Missions in addition to the Focus upon the following Studies STUDY COURSES YEAR TWO 2016 The Second Year Should Include a Focus on Biblical Studies, such as Survey of the OT and the NT, Hermeneutics as well as an OT & NT Book Study. Teachers in year two will be as follows: Survey of the Old Testament____________________ Survey of the New Testament___________________ New Testament Book Study_____________________ Hermeneutics________________________________ Introduction to Preaching_______________________ Church Planting Pastor Pete Anderson Introduction to Reformed Theology_______________ Texts Include: Survey of the Bible by William Hendriksen; Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson; Knowing Scripture by R. C. Sproul; Christ-Centered Preaching by Bryan Chapell STUDY COURSES YEAR THREE 2017 The Third Year Should Include a Focus on Theological Studies, such as the Several Heads of Doctrine, and a Survey of Church History
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Teachers in year three will be as follows: Soteriology__________________________________ Survey of Church History_______________________ Old Testament Book Study______________________ Doctrine of God______________________________ Doctrine of Man______________________________ Doctrine of the Church________________________ Texts Include: Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray; The Story of Christianity, volumes 1 and 2 by Justo L. González; As Far as the Curse is Found, by Michael Williams; The Enduring Community, by Brian Habig and Les Newsome STUDY COURSES YEAR FOUR 2018 The Fourth Year Should Focus on Christian Ethics, Christian Apologetics, and Further Fine-tuning for Ministry Teachers in year four will be as follows: Christian Ethics_____________________________ Christian Apologetics_________________________ Church Planting Pastor Pete Anderson New Testament Book Study___________________ Crusade Evangelism_________________________ Microfinance _______________________________ Book of Church Order of PCU__________________ Texts Include: Biblical Christian Ethics, by David Jones; Systematic Theology by John M. Frame; The Heart of Evangelism and Through His Eyes, Learning Evangelism from Jesus by Jerram Barrs;
6. Additional Seminary Education: We will also continue our sponsorship program for
seminary students and we offer a full seminary program using tablets in cooperation with Third Millennium Ministries.
7. Christian Education: Three of our present church plants need elementary schools for their own children and many orphans. We also plan to help provide Bibles and Sunday School literature to many churches scattered throughout Uganda.
8. Women’s Ministries and Conferences: This ministry will focus on encouragement, discipleship, and developing skills for employment or a microenterprise.
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II. History The church of Jesus Christ is valuable, so valuable that Jesus came to earth to die for her. Christ has promised that He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against her. That promise gives us courage and direction.
For the past sixteen years, Trinity Church in Hawaii has been involved in church planting in Eastern and Northern Uganda. Now this ministry is coming under the oversight of Trinity Center for World Mission and its Board of Directors.
During these sixteen years, God has cared for this ministry, humbled it, opened many doors for it and taught us many things. Before we go forward, it is helpful to look back and share some of the history. The following is the testimony of our Executive Director, Dr. Pete Anderson:
“I was raised in a church planting family. My mother actually helped plant a church when I was growing up. That group started as a ministry to poor children and then adults started to attend. Later I helped my dad plant Westminster Presbyterian Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. In graduate school, seminary and mission work in Mexico, I was involved in church planting. In 1977, Martha and I came to Hawaii to help plant Trinity Church Windward and in 1995 we moved to Mililani to help plant Trinity Church Central Oahu. Three years later I first went to Uganda, and since that time Trinity Church has been sending teams to Uganda at least once a year.
In the initial years, I worked under Dr. Henry Krabbendam, a friend and professor of Bible at Covenant College. That first year got me hooked. Dr. K dropped me in a village and told me I was the conference speaker for the week. The conference was all day each day, and with another pastor, we preached and we preached and preached. During crusades in the evening, we preached again. In one week, I think I preached most of my sermons from the previous year. In the following three years, we were part of Dr. K’s teams in places like Hoima, Fort Portal, Masaka, Matungo and in several suburbs of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. We worked in various parts of the country, and often I would never see the new church again.
In 2001 I asked Dr. K and the Presbyterian Church in Uganda to allow me to work in one part of the country. They agreed, and so year after year we would return to Eastern Uganda, to the District of Kapchorwa and help plant churches on Mount Elgon. After six years we helped form a presbytery, and made plans for additional churches on the mountain.
Around 2006 someone brought me an article about Gulu, the largest city in Northern Uganda; it was about how 25,000 children had been kidnapped there. I began to pray about helping those children and planting churches there. That summer I took our team to Gulu to pray and eventually a plan was made to plant a second presbytery in the North. This has not been easy and again we have had to deal with the evil of Morris and his group. God blessed our work and now there are two churches there and one new
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preaching point. It has been a privilege to help plant the first two Presbyterian churches in Northern Uganda.
Meanwhile, we continued to work in Kapchorwa, and today there are nine churches we helped plant and two new church plants started by our church plants.
As our relationships grew in Uganda, I was asked to be on the board of a mission organization led by various pastors in the PCA (and a few others), the African Christian Training Institute. For about ten years I have met with them in Atlanta in January and we have coordinated our mission work in Uganda. One of the men, Pastor John Pickett, liked our model of planting churches and committed to help start a network of churches in Western Uganda. A seminary friend and the founder of the PCU, Kefa Sempangi, agreed to help plant ten more churches on the outskirts of Kampala. Kefa now works with another friend, Rashid Luswa.
Now there are four networks of churches or presbyteries and we are hoping to see the development of a fifth in South Sudan. For a number of years, we have had our hearts set on expanding the network to South Sudan, where many churches have been burned, Christians have been persecuted, and many continue to suffer. (We are only about 50 miles from there when we minister in Gulu.) A friend and fellow PCA pastor, Dr. Jim Sutherland, has been working there for several years, and my desire has been to partner with him, in what I hope would be the fifth network of churches.
Over the years, we have helped with many other ministries, but at present our primary mission as it has developed over the years is the establishment of networks of Biblical, grace-filled, Christ-centered, gospel-preaching, self-supporting and reproducing churches. We primarily exist to plant and strengthen churches.
After working with about twenty church plants, we have developed a Presbyterian and Biblical model for planting a church. It involves a three-step process that we continue to refine and adapt to each situation:
Step one, preparing for the birth of a new church, often takes several years. This involves carrying out a long-range strategy to plant churches among a specific people group, who, in turn, will eventually have their own spiritual leaders and plant more churches. This stage of church planting includes coordinating with the PCU and other missionaries, selecting and training local pastors, sending them to seminary, mentoring them, and assisting them in learning to share the Gospel and disciple new converts.
Eventually it may involve selecting a church site and purchasing property. Ideally during the first year of this process, interns are involved in hut-to-hut evangelism, holding crusades, and gathering a core group. Two signs of progress are the gathering of at least 50 believers and the identification of a mature, trained pastor, preferably a graduate of Westminster College and Seminary in Uganda.
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The pace picks up as the time comes near for the birth of the new church. There are times of prayer and the recruitment of local helpers, team members, and translators. Financial supporters are needed to help with Bibles, benches and a tarp. The core group is enlisted to help in every aspect of planning, as this must be an African church. Pastors and others serve as an advance party preparing the community. Leaders of the new community are visited and permission is asked to proceed. During this time our teams in the US are also trained. Our hope is that in the week prior to deployment to Uganda, we will meet together in Dahlonega, GA for prayer, additional training and strategizing. We have found that to minister effectively, we need to understand clearly our mission, the resources available, and the gifts of each person on the team. (My belief is that God has given us a unique place as a headquarters for this ministry; Martha and I look forward to hosting our meetings there and also training various groups in making disciples.) We will see what God will do.
Step two, the birth of the local church, is a special, supernatural time, when God changes hearts, calls men women and children to Himself, and the new congregation is formed. Days before the birth, more teams visit in the local community and share the Gospel. Crusades are usually held each evening and Christian films are shown to the surrounding community. In addition, we often provide bedding, clothing, seeds and medical care to the poor and needy families in the area. Our medical teams are now able to minister to three or four thousand people in a two-week period; this is a powerful demonstration of the love of Christ.
This step can also be a time of great testing. Satan does not give up without a fight. Often rumors about the new church circulate; other churches may be threatened. The gospel transforms not only individuals, but communities. Change is exciting and difficult.
At last, the day of birth arrives. Often several hundred come; the congregation usually includes community leaders and pastors of neighboring churches. A new choir made up of new believers sings and visiting choirs from our other churches bring their praise teams. After the first service, the new pastor is often ordained and installed. This initial service is often five or six hours long.
Step three, nurturing the newly born church, is vital to help her grow. The church planter and several pastors and evangelists stay after the opening Sunday. They follow up those who have attended and teach and train the new converts to be disciples of Jesus Christ, through their words and examples. Before leaving we give the new church Bibles, discipleship materials, Sunday School materials, a sound system and generator, and a small keyboard. Local pastors stay with the new pastor and together they pray, fast, and continue to follow-up new converts. Bible studies, choirs and prayer groups are formed. Regular visits are scheduled for the encouragement and care of new disciples. We generally have made a commitment to support the new pastor and his family partially for the next two years, including helping him develop a
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microenterprise. This encourages the pastor to start a project that will help sustain his family financially and keeps him from becoming dependent on us in the long run. We also make sure that the new pastor is further trained and experienced in discipleship.
Initially the church meets on the new property, out in the open or under a tarp. The goal is to build up the congregation spiritually and numerically without making them dependent upon us. If there are many orphans, we may help purchase a small plot of land near the church to grow crops for orphans, (but our main ministry is not the establishment of orphanages). Up to this point, we have largely funded most of the construction of church buildings, but we are in the midst of changing this. Now we want to see the local church strong enough to build its own facility. We will offer construction plans and counsel, assistance, the loan of a block machine, and guidance. Using this approach, our most recent church construction costs were cut in half. This new church, has already started a daughter church and takes great pride in the building it constructed.
There are many opportunities for service in Uganda. TCWM chooses ministries that help in the church planting process. These include mobile medical teams, crusades, conferences, pastor and leadership training for men, women and youth, publication of discipleship materials, Bible distribution, film ministry, mercy ministries to widows and orphans, and microenterprises that help release the pastor for greater ministry. Each community where we serve has many needs. This has led us to help with water projects, orphanages, clinics, schools and various microenterprises. But we try to keep our focus on planting and strengthening churches.
As our skills develop, we hope to enlist other groups to serve in a similar fashion and train them for ministry. As our network of partners grows, we hope to solicit the help of those involved in water ministries, orphan ministries, church and school construction to come alongside us. In the rare cases we do start or assist in various other ministries, we will need a plan for the ministry to become self-supporting. We specifically do not want to be pulled away from our main mission of church planting and strengthening.
And there is more: God has provided another ministry on the other side of the world. Our church administrator, Pat Mamaclay, has helped in the development of the Hawaii Center for World Mission. He leads classes in training people about world missions, through a class called Kairos. Pat has now trained almost 300 people in these classes and they have gone to about ten different countries. As TCWM grows, we want to help Pat plant churches in the Philippines by sending church planting teams there. This year we helped start a church in one of the poorest areas of the Philippines.
Summary: Someone asked me recently how I would measure success in Uganda. This year for the first time we witnessed the Holy Spirit-driven growth of the indigenous church. It was so good to come and observe the Ugandan believers from our church plants go and plant churches on their own.
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If you have any questions or desire additional information, you can email me at [email protected].
I am very excited about this ministry and believe that we can build upon what was has already been accomplished. My motto at Trinity for the past ten years has been “Expect Great Things From God, Attempt Great Things For God.”
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III. Ministries
Busiu (1998) Masaka (1999)
Matungo I (1999) Kapchorwa (2000)
Church Plants and Other Ministries of TCWM in Uganda
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Kaserem (2001) Kamunarugut (2002)
Chema (June 2004) Cheminy Presbyterian Church (2005)
Grace Presbyterian Church, Gulu (2007) Branch Presbyterian Church (2006)
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Bukwo Presbyterian Church (2008) Calvary Presbyterian Church (2009)
Suam Presbyterian Church (2010) Serere Presbyterian Church (2012)
Our Clinic is Kaserem Maternity Ward (2005)
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Grace Children’s Center (2007) 1st Orphanage: Mephibosheth Hall (2004) We helped a small amount.
This is a ministry of Rashid Luswa.
Children of Grace Orphanage Mpigi, Uganda (2011)
Overseen by Herbert Anderson, Pastor Pete Anderson’s adopted son.
Kapchorwa Trinity Radio Station
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Pastor’s Home in Gulu 2013 Sunday School Literature Published with Funds from TCWM
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TCWM Ministry in the Philippines: The Sama Badjau, Badajos of the Philippines
By Pat Mamaclay
The Sama Badjaos are a Filipino Muslim ethnic group of sea gypsies or boat dwellers. They are found mostly in Zamboanga, Basilan, Jolo provinces, Tawi-tawi in the Sulu Archipelago in Mindanao, Philippines. Other Muslims refer to them as the despised Sama-Luwaan (godforsaken, outcast) or Sama Laud (people of the ocean). Their religion is a mixture of animism (belief that non-living objects have spirits); ancestor worship mixed with Sunni Muslim influences. Spirits of the dead are thought to remain in the vicinity of their graves. These spirits require offerings for appeasement. Some graves have reportedly become the sources of miracle working power. The Sama Badjaos are the poorest ethnic group in Mindanao. They depend only on fishing with arrows and diving coins tossed by ship passengers at the port, exchanging coral, seashells or pearls for food or money to provide their daily sustenance and survival. Many of those who have no permanent dwelling live on their boats throughout the year but in some places the Badjaos have built their own homes. Many of their young people have resorted to begging in the streets where they have become common sights in most urban centers of the Philippines. Historical Beginnings My initial involvement with the Badjaos of Cebu began in 2000 at a place called Sitio Nava Alaska, Mambaling in Cebu City, Philippines. They lived in stilt houses clustered along a community of squatters on the shoreline not far from the piers of Cebu City. The houses are raised one to three meters above the ground or highest watermark and consisted of a single rectangular room that served as bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Houses built over the water are connected by small bridges or planks. Many of the Badjaos had no proper waste and garbage disposal. Lacking a sanitation system, human waste is scattered all over the neighborhood where they were staying. The children were malnourished. Many of them begged in the streets, piers and public markets. This type of Badjao population has spread out to different parts of the Philippines. I worked with Korean supported missionaries who helped feed and educate the young people from elementary school to college. I tutored the young students with their math and English subjects. The picture at bottom right was taken in 2000. The other photos were taken in 2013. REUNION WITH BADJAO YOUTHS after 13 years: 3 have completed college, 2 more are about to graduate, one is the pastor of a church, another has 2 more years of Bible school, and 3 others are serving their Badjao church.
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Badjao youths I ministered to in 2000 Diesa Socatre Rolando Nassal
PARTNERSHIPS ESTABLISHED IN THE PHILIPPINES – Langgal Isa Al Masi (Badjao Church of Jesus Christ) and YWAM School of Frontier Missions (SOFM) in cooperation with the Trinity Center for World Missions and the Kairos Graduates of Hawaii will plant churches in Badjao communities not being served by any Christian ministry. Kairos graduates in January 2013 (bottom right) from Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines also started a small-scale feeding and literacy ministry among the Badjaos in their area.
MINISTRIES STARTED IN CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES a) Trinity Church sponsored Diesa Socatre to take Kairos Course in April 2013. b) Ptr Alejandro Managbanag, pastor of Langgal Isa Al Masi took the School of
Frontier Mission course of YWAM with funds provided by TCCO. c) TCWM is now supporting the feeding program of the Badjao church for
Sunday school children.
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MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES YOU CAN SUPPORT
• Provide a budget for one year to feed the Sunday school children at the cost of $12.50 per week.
• Proposed 2014 project with 2 options: 1. Support Kairos graduate from Isulan, Sultan Kudarat to engage in full-time preparation of
our first church plant. To begin, establish a Sunday School Ministy for children combined with a feeding program as a means of attraction. The worker will visit the families for personal tutoring for children and conduct Bible studies at homes for the parents during the week. Approximate cost is $350.00. OR,
2. Establish a literacy program for preschool children of the Cebu Badjao community (target date: 2014). The program is to be initiated by the pastor’s wife, a pre-school teacher with a BS degree in Education and a Masters in Divinity from a college in Korea. The cost is approximately $350.00 per month if she gave up her present job and hired one teacher’s aide.
1. In 2015, plant a Badjao Church complete with a multipurpose building in partnership with
Trinity Center for World Mission, Kairos Partners, and Kairos Philippines graduates. NOTE: The Badjao Muslims are the best choice as target people group of our ministry because:
a. I have already gained experience and established contacts in ministering to them.
b. The intermittent uprisings of the Muslims in Southern Philippines that have been going on for years has escalated into a full blown shooting war, lasting for more than 3 weeks at the time of this writing. The Badjaos are easier and safer to reach because they are scattered all over the country. Their young people who are educated and discipled will be the ones who will help us evangelize their own people back in the Muslim-controlled regions.
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Ministries Started By Our Churches Without Our Help
Sanzara Presbyterian Church
Chepquesta Presbyterian Church
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Branch Presbyterian Church Primary School \
New Clinic at Kamunarugut Presbyterian Church
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IV. Management
TCWM is managed by a Board of Directors led by President Charles King.
The Directors of the organization encompass the vision, goals and commitment of the ministry. It is their responsibility to maintain high standards of performance in managing the organization and providing the highest quality of ministry services to those in need.
The Directors have earned significant capabilities in management and administration and they will use their experience and skill in overseeing the ministry of TCWM to provide direction to the organization. Short biographies of the Directors are found in Appendix 2.
The work of Dr. Peter W. Anderson, the Executive Director of TCWM, is overseen by the Board of Directors.
As a not-for-profit organization, TCWM will rely on hired employees and volunteers, who are devoted to Christ and their work. Our employees and volunteers will be competent, caring, and well-trained individuals, who understand the needs of the organization.
Our First Meeting
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Our Board of Directors and our advisors have a few hundred years of ministry in reformed churches. Included are PCA Pastors, a retired MTW missionary, and 9 present or former PCA ruling elders and deacons.
Pastor Peter W. Anderson: Executive Director 1149 Lunaai Street, Kailua, HI 96734
Dr. Peter W. Anderson has ministered in Hawaii for about 36 years. After graduating in 1970 from King University in Bristol, Tennessee, he served with the United States Army. Later he received a master’s degree in counseling from the University of North Carolina and served as a missionary to Mexico. In 1977, upon graduation from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pastor Anderson and his wife, Martha, moved to Hawaii.
Pastor Anderson is the founding pastor of Trinity Church Windward in Kailua and with his wife helped to found Trinity Christian School. In 1990, he received his doctorate from the International Graduate School of Theology where he later taught Church Planting and Counseling. In 1991, Pastor Anderson started holding services in Central Oahu and in 1995 was installed as pastor of Trinity Church Central Oahu. Pastor Anderson’s passion is planting churches to reach the unchurched with the transforming message of the Gospel of Christ.
Pastor Pete also has a real love for the people of Uganda, and in last 16 years has traveled there annually to help in the planting and growth of new churches. This ministry continues to expand with the establishment of 18 churches, two orphanages, a small hospital and a radio station. He has also helped with the development of Central Christian School and the Hawaii Center for World Mission. His focus in ministry is upon building the Kingdom of God, and with this is mind, Trinity Church in Hawaii now has partnerships with 35 evangelical churches on Oahu. In Hawaii he is active in ministry to the Filipino and Chuukese communities. Pastor Anderson and Martha have two grown daughters, Katie and Carrie and four grandchildren.
Dan Fabrizio – Vice President 16231 10th Ave SW, Burien, WA 98166
Dan has a Master of Science Degree in Media Communications from Florida State University. He is the owner of Dogwood Video Productions specializing in producing training and promotional video's for corporate clients as well as non-profits. He has produced promotional videos for Mission to the World, Campus Crusade for Christ, Action International, Africa Christian Training Institute and the Nairobi Institute of Seminary Training. Dan has been an Instructor at the Art Institute of Seattle for the past 16 years. He first went to Uganda in 1990 on a short-term mission trip and has been to Uganda nine times. He is presently working with Dr. Kefa Sempangi on a screenplay adaptation of his book, “A Distant Grief.” He has been married for 27 years and has three daughters.
Charles King – President and Director 111 Devane St., Fayetteville, NC 28305
Colonel (Ret) Charles King is a retired Army officer, with over 32 years of active service. He has served on the board of Christian Service Charities, a national $12M/annual charity, as well as
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on the board of Trinity Christian School, and the leadership of Trinity Church Central Oahu. He holds two Masters Degrees, and is currently teaching college composition and rhetoric at Fayetteville Technical College. He lives with his wife Jane in Fayetteville NC, where he is active with his church, Providence Presbyterian Church, the Navigators, and the Centurion Program.
Kurt Nelson -‐ Secretary 5260 Locke Ln., Virginia Beach VA 23464
Kurt Nelson is a retired Navy Commander with 24 years of service as a Naval Officer. He received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1977 before receiving his commission. After completing nuclear power training, he served on two submarines in engineering and operational positions before transitioning to the Engineering Duty Officer community in 1990. He received his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1992 and then served in various maintenance and operational positions in Hawaii and Virginia before retiring from active duty in 2001. He has served as a leader in three Presbyterian churches. He currently serves as the Business Development Director for Q.E.D. Systems, Inc. in Virginia Beach, VA, where he resides with his wife Joanne and children Brittany, Amy, and Michael. Kurt is a ruling elder in New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Virginia (PCA).
Holly Olson 95-1067 Alaoki St., Mililani, HI 96789
COL Holly Olson is a native of Brecksville, Ohio. She began her Army career in 1983 as a cadet at the United States Military Academy. Upon graduation in 1987 she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. She then began medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina completing her first and second years. After a break in training to begin her family, she transferred to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and graduated in 1992. She completed her internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tripler Army Medical Center in 1993 and graduated from residency training in that field at TAMC in 1996. Her first assignment was at West Point, serving as a staff physician at Keller Army Community Hospital until 1999. Her next assignment was as Chief of the Obstetrics and Gynecology service at Munson Army Health Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. She returned to Tripler in 2000 as the Director of the Ambulatory Care Division and the Associate Program Director. In 2002, Dr. Olson became the Program Director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program and served in that role until 2007 when she assumed the duties she currently holds as Director of Medical Education in charge of all Graduate Professional Health Education at Tripler. Dr. Olson is Board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and continues to teach residents and medical students. She is a recipient of the CREOG National Faculty Award for Excellence in teaching and is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
COL Olson’s military education includes Officer Basic Course, Officer Advanced Course, Northern Warfare Training Course and the Combat Casualty Care Course.
Her awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with 1 oak
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leaf cluster, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Army Superior Unit Award. She was married for over 12 years to MAJ Robert Olson (deceased). Their children are Brittany (23) and Tyler (19).
Dr. Olson is a member and Sunday School Teacher at Trinity Church Central Oahu (PCA).
Don Parce 6817 Misty Lane, Waxhaw, NC 28173
Mr. Parce has thirty-four years of experience in the computer field after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Computer Science. He has worked as an engineer, manager, large project manager and entrepreneur, serving on the Board of a computer start-up, which he co-founded. As a church elder and missions committee chairman, he worked closely with forty missionary families with whom he personally corresponded and eventually met in person.
Following retirement, Mr. Parce relocated to Waxhaw, NC where he has been serving as a Project Manager for Wycliffe Bible Translators at the SIL JAARS support center. Part of his job at SIL includes directing installation of power and computer systems to translation centers throughout Africa.
Don and his wife, Joan, have been married for forty-six years. Don is a former ruling elder at Trinity Church Central Oahu.
Michael Parish 282 Dandy Cir., Huntsville, AL 35811
Michael graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD with a B.S. in Mathematics. He served for 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Submariner. During that time, he received an M.S. degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and served in numerous leadership and management positions. Also served as a deacon at 3 and elder in 1 PCA church and completed 12 hours of course work from Covenant Theological Seminary towards a Masters of Divinity. Mike is currently employed as a systems engineer with Booz Allen Hamilton, a defense consulting and engineering firm. For the past five years he has been conducting engineering management of systems for NASA and the U.S. Army. During the past five years he has completed all course work towards a PhD in Systems Engineering at University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). Mike is a former elder at Trinity Church Central Oahu.
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Phil Royer 724 W Accipiter Cir., Clarksville TN 37043
Phil and Vanessa Royer live in Clarksville, TN with their 2 daughters – Olivia and Elyse.
Phil is an active duty Army physical therapist, currently working with an aviation unit at Ft. Campbell, KY. He attended the US Army-Baylor University program in physical therapy, graduating with a Masters degree in 2004 and obtaining his doctorate in 2008. He has worked extensively with active duty Army soldiers and their dependents during his career as a physical therapist, both in the US and overseas. He has deployed twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Phil has also served as a deacon at TCCO and has been nominated to be a deacon at Clarksville Presbyterian Church in TN. He has served on several short-term mission trips, including medical missions to Haiti.
Vanessa graduated in 1998 with a Bachelors degree in Music Education and has been extensively involved in leading bands, choirs, and worship teams over the past 15 years. She also has received training from Peacemakers ministry and has a strong interest in Biblical Counseling. Vanessa also spent 2 years as tent-making missionary in Japan, teaching English. She currently spends most of her time as a homemaker for their 2 small children.
Jimmy Sawyer – Director 218 Knights Cross Dr., San Antonio, TX 78258
Jimmy has over 40 years of leadership experience while serving in the military and he brings a very diverse background to the Trinity Center for World Missions.
He is currently employed as a Department of Defense Civilian, Safety and Health manager with the U.S. Army and was previously employed as a U.S. Army Warrant Officer providing safety oversight of Army Aviation organizations. His careful attention to detail and commitment to safe mission accomplishment ensures that each project he headed ended in success.
He has a Master’s Degree in Safety Management with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and has worked as an adjunct instructor with Embry Riddle teaching Airport Safety Management, Aviation Safety Program Management and Rotary Wing Operations.
Mr. Sawyer performed responsibilities as Deacon of the Trinity Church Central Oahu for 10 years, providing oversight of many church functions and activities, some from the ground floor up. He currently resides in San Antonio Texas with his wife, Kimberly Sawyer.
Mary Tallent -‐ Director Mary Tallent is currently a member and women's lay leader at Chapelgate Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Marriottsville, Maryland. She also serves on the school board of Chapelgate Christian Academy, the middle and high school ministry extension of Chapelgate Church. Mary, while accompanying her husband Ron on a variety of Department of Defense assignments over the past 40+ years, has held various leadership, teaching and training positions in church and para-church ministries in the United States and abroad, including Women In Church (WIC), Precept Upon Precept, BSF, Protestant Women of Chapel, and International Christian Women's
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Club. The heartbeat of Mary's life is to see women come to know their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to become firmly established in and living by the Word of God. Her travels have given her a unique perspective of, and keen appreciation for the mission needs of the church in cross cultural settings. Mary and Ron have 3 adult children, Jenni, Kim and Luke, and one grandson.
Robin Thomas, CPA, MBA, NREMT-‐P -‐ Director 924 Chalbourne Dr., Chesapeake VA 23322
Founder and Executive Director of Thomas Charities. Robin has a heart for servant hood and living out the blessings from the grace of Christ. She earned a B.S. in Systems Analysis from Miami University specializing in Operations Research Methods, an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and has been a Certified Public Accountant for over 20 years. As a missions mobilizer, Robin is well equipped to use her breadth of expertise in the business world to develop social entrepreneur projects in east Africa along with the development of Literacy Programs, Mobile Medical Clinics, and Women's Conferences. She is a Nationally Registered Paramedic and volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician in the local fire department. Member of Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA), Chesapeake, Virginia.
Sidney B. Anderson – Missionary Sidney received his B.S. in Physics from King University and his M. Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has approximately 40 years of experience as a pastor and missionary in the Presbyterian Church in America. He has unique gifts in church planting, discipleship, teaching and in electronics. He has served the church as a representative of Mission to the World and as a missionary in Nigeria and the Czech Republic. He has been to Uganda several times and leads our radio ministry.
Pat Mamaclay -‐ Missionary 94-209 Loku Pl., Waipahu HI 96797
Pat Mamaclay is currently employed as the Church Administrator of Trinity Church Central Oahu. He joined the church in 2006 and was ordained as a ruling elder a few years later. Pat has over 16 years of involvement in ministry as a Missions Mobilizer. He visits the different churches in Hawaii sharing the burden of bringing the gospel to the Unreached or Least Reached People Groups that are not normally reached by existing missionary efforts. Pat and 4 Facilitators he trained in Hawaii conduct periodically a condensed world mission training called the Kairos Course. For more details of this internationally renowned course, go to www.kairoscourse.org. Pat’s ministry goal is to help the churches raise, train and send their own missionaries and/or adopt or support Philippine based missionaries to go to Asian and Middle Eastern countries where most of the unreached people groups are located.
Pat has been married to Nenita Mamaclay for 47 years with whom he has 3 grown sons.
As in the previous years, I am writing to inform you of the work that is being done in
Trinity’s name in Uganda. Also, as in previous years, the first thing I wish to point out is that this
is just one elder’s opinion. It is, nonetheless, my hope that this may be of assistance in
discerning what ought to be done or not done in Uganda with our resources, what Trinity’s
congregation might profitably pray about, and provide some input for planning future work in
Uganda on behalf of TCCO and Trinity Center for World Mission (TCWM).
This trip was my fourth consecutive trip to Uganda, and it has been a valuable
experience to see the progression at work – both in Uganda, and within our own mission. No
situation is ever static; no one returns to the same river twice. Every trip presents a new
perspective, a new thing learned, and a new horizon, and often they are not what was predicted
— which, if we are truly seeking God’s will and not ours, is as it should be. This year we
continued our emphasis on discipleship, intentionally addressing it through men and women’s
conferences. We did not ignore evangelism, and the attention paid to the medical mission as
well as the service enterprises of the PCU (particularly KTR radio and the Kaserem clinic) are
evidence of that. But we did not engage in hut-to-hut evangelism, and we had only three
crusades. Nonetheless this was a successful trip, because we made significant progress in the
key area of discipleship.
The trip was hard - spiritually, mentally, and physically. It was hard spiritually because
we were trying to break through the attitude of patron and client, and become partners with our
fellow laborers and believers. In doing so we would be able to more effectively disciple each
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other. It took a significant effort on my part to realize that this short-term mission trip is about
being discipled as much as it is about discipling others. And, although while there we lived
better than many Ugandans, we were trying not to live sealed off from our partners, so there
were some physical and mental challenges as well. The roads were always a struggle, keeping
clean was not easy, working through translators or a foreign form of English while coping with
the uncertainties of the day was a discipline in itself. But the hardest thing of all was trying to be
true to the claim which we were making about ourselves. What does it mean to go half way
around the world and say we are there to help build the Kingdom of God? If those words mean
anything, it means we are playing with fire, and such a claim demands care, prayer, humility and
discernment. It is a privilege to claim to be building the Kingdom, and like all privileges, this one
cannot be asserted carelessly.
What we saw was proof of a living and reproducing faith: believing fellowships started by
other believing fellowships, men and women discipling others, thoughtful and conscientious
students of the word, evidence of contrition and repentance on the part of some, humility and
grace on the part of others, miracles of protection on the road, success when it was not
expected, and throughout it all, a providential God who provided for all. Two churches have
been started, and there were numerous conversations about other places to start churches. The
particularly good news about this is that the talk was not about buildings as churches, but
fellowships as churches. There was talk about what it meant in practice to be a Christian, and
recognition on the part of many leaders that they would only be able to do so by the grace of
God. The sense of humility we experienced from so many of the leaders was rewarding.
We also experienced plenty of evidence of sin and the corrupting influence of this world
on believers. In Uganda, the spirit, for better or worse, is close to the surface, unlike in the West
where the overabundance of material things chokes it. In Uganda material poverty forces the
essentials to the surface. In this sense the African is much richer than the Westerner. Their
material poverty is not the chief problem they face. Rather, the chief illness of the church in
Uganda is dependency – a disease often contracted quite without meaning to do so. It is a
natural outgrowth of believing that Western material wealth and Christianity are linked, causing
the Ugandan to seek power through relationships with those who have both. Meanwhile, the
chief illness of the Westerner in Africa is his or her transfiguration into a client-seeking patron —
into a walking ATM machine in other words — often quite without meaning to do so as well.
This disease causes the Westerner to seek power and justification based on the fact of
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inequality of material conditions, rather than in the unity of faith and calling. And here is a point
that we need to share with those who sent us: in terms of faith, and in the language of the
Kingdom, both the church in Uganda and the church in the US are suffering. Each has
problems. We are simply suffering in different ways, and our problems are different from theirs,
but no less severe. Consequently, each needs the other; each needs the other’s prayers, and
no one has all the answers. We cannot rely on our wealth and education to justify our presence
in Uganda, no matter how charitably we may dispense it. We can only rely on the gospel.
One of our Uganda partners asked me, “Can the gospel message be separated from
charitable acts?” Can we, in the words of an essay on defeating the patron- client relationship in
the journal Mission Frontiers, “take the gospel to … nearby cities and villages without providing
goods and services? Furthermore, is this approach even Biblical?” We need to think through
this carefully, for the answer is not simple. What we must not do is conflate the act of
evangelizing and discipling with the act of serving others through charity. I do not mean to say
that we ought not to provide goods and services, but we need to very clear in doing so that this
is done on the basis of an exchange between partners, not dispensation from a patron to a
client.
And how do we do that? First of all by being relentlessly self-critical and investing in
adequate training and prayer before departing, so that we are able ourselves to see what right
looks like from a Kingdom perspective and not our perspective. Here is an example, coming
from a description in an article about a culturally appropriate approach to orphan care in
Northern Uganda, from Mission Frontiers. The author is describing his experience in Gulu, the
very town in which we have tried to establish an orphanage. He is realizing that many of the
children seen in apparent family groups are, in fact, orphans…
Another widow raised her hand so she could be recognized to share her one wish. She wished for vocational training assistance and/or micro-enterprise assistance in order to generate additional income. Imagine that! Here I was in the presence of these dear saints—the poorest of the poor in this community—and the primary thing on their minds was not a free hand-out, but rather a hand up. Their desire for vocational training was for the purpose of sending their orphan children to school, and for creating a self-sustaining family unit.
In this same community was the news that a very famous American evangelist was soon to erect an orphanage nearby. I visited the proposed site. It was huge, and knowing what I know about similar types of projects, this one was going to be lavish,
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sparing no expense. It would have all the amenities and comforts of a Western vacation resort, but exclusively for children. And this is the dilemma. What will this widow grandmother do—struggle to keep what remains of her family intact or release her grandchildren to an institution? Most likely, she will end up doing the latter, along with the others in the community. Unfortunately, at that moment, her grandchildren will be truly orphaned in every sense of the word—from their family, culture and community. (Steve Roa, Mission Frontiers. Nov-Dec 2011)
Watoto Childrens’ Village, Gulu, Uganda.
The author is not specific, but he is referring to an orphanage such as the one shown
above, and for all I know it may be just this one. Only a few miles away from this site is the
building that Trinity helped build to be used as an orphanage, and which has sat empty for four
years. The relationship between this outsized, Southern California like campus, and failure of
indigenous orphanages is not coincidental. This is, in a word, an example of well-intended
charity which hurts rather than helps. On almost any level but for the material, this enterprise is
a travesty, and its unintended consequence is to perpetuate the dependency disease. What is it
that is being transformed by this — irrespective of how well intended it is? It is not hearts that
are being transformed, but expectations. And the Devil lives in these expectations.
And so this leads to the second tool to curbing the twin diseases of dependency and
patron-client privilege: appropriate expectations. And what else is discipleship but the framing
and cultivating of expectations? Jesus told his disciples not to expect greatness and honor
among men as one of His disciples, but to expect servanthood: “whoever would be great among
you must be your servant . . .” (MK 10:43). What expectations should we cultivate among
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believers in Uganda and among ourselves? This question lies at the heart of our future work
and I don’t propose to answer it here, merely to argue for the necessity of clarifying the answer.
Now I know that we are not remotely close to being able to build something like what is
in the photos above. But the question is this — if we could, would we? Or would we seek
transformation of hearts within their own ground, as African hearts? I hope that it would be the
latter, and that our work will continue to seek the Kingdom in the hearts of believers, and not in
their outward conditions.
I will close with words similar to those of previous years. These are words of gratitude for
the opportunity to go and see with my own eyes what Christ is doing in Africa. I found that the
evangelical question wasn’t whether the Ugandans will live spirit filled lives - for they already do
so. The question is rather with what sort of spirit will they fill their lives? While nominally the
majority of Ugandans are Christians, the fact of the matter is that often they carry the title in
name only. The reality is that for so many their lives show little sign of being transformed, and
there is little evidence of Christian fruit in their culture. Many of their brightest and most
educated deny that the Westerner’s God can be their God. Some claim a separate Christian
God for Africans and see the God of the West as an idol. Some, on the other hand, seek the
Western God merely for the fruits of Western materialism. And some seek no God at all but that
of power and wealth. None of these of course are true, and all are forms of idolatry to which we
fall prey ourselves. We must be relentless in proclaiming the truth: we all seek the same Lord,
one who is neither an American God nor an African God, but a sovereign God. Christ is the only
answer, and the Ugandans simply need to hear it clearly. This we are doing — not perfectly, but
we are doing it faithfully. The Christian church, irrespective of denominational connection, is
alive and on the march in Africa. Its testimony is that first the heart must change – truly we must
be born again. After that we can discuss practical matters. Too often the American church
seems to get the two actions in reverse order! One of the great virtues of mission trips to Africa
lies in what they can teach us about ourselves, if we will but pay attention. It was a powerful
blessing to be able to go, and I am richer for it.
Cheers and blessings,
Charlie
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What follows are some recommendations, not in order of importance.
• Establish Trinity Center for World Mission (TCWM) as a 501.c.3 with its own board
separate from the Session of TCCO. Space doesn’t allow me to elaborate on this, but let
me simply say that this recommendation is made with the belief that TCWM is going to
be a national mission sending force.
• Continue pursuing discipleship – and pursue more work on the concept of Servant
leadership. Expand focus into Christian leadership and stewardship.
• Schedule training in stewardship/governance for the leaders (men and women) on the
various enterprise boards. We need to intentionally build in time and resources to
address board governance for the PCU enterprises with which we work. It is too critical
to allow this form of stewardship to be a second thought.
• Approach each summer’s trip so that the elders and women leaders become more
involved in organizing the conferences and classes. We must simply rely on local
support more – spreading the responsibility, and accepting that God will provide.
• Pursue more deliberate and intentional pre mission training as well, for our own team.
• Send an advance person (Westerner/outsider) the week before the team comes, and
pay less up front. Use ATM cards to access team funds not carried to Uganda.
• Continue providing first aid kits, but pay someone to check on them each quarter (Kiti
Peter?). Find some way to get feedback on their use, so we can modify what we are
providing (if necessary).
• Continue working with Dr Elisha and follow his recommendations for continued success
with medical missions.
• Be intentional about getting team members on KTR for interviews and testimony.
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• Add a line in the budget for:
o Food at every location
o Small change for team members
o Dr. Elisha expenses
o Contribution to Elisha’s mission.
o A certain amount for unanticipated charitable work
• Plan for some cross-culture experience at the end for new team members. This is not
just a nod to their curiosity, but part of the training and experience that the team m
• embers will take back.
• Leverage more in-country NGOs, missionaries, and mission organizations, such as:
o Uganda Bible Society,
o Uganda Protestant Medical Board,
o Christian Broadcasters at UCU,
o PresAid
o Micro Loan organizations
o SIL
Exactly how to do this is an open question, but we need to continue to avoid denominational
parochialism and seek a fellowship of believers. For example, the fact that we had pastors from
many denominations attend our conference was crucial to its success – we should seek to do
so next year as well.
• Visit/Crusade at Bukwo and Suam next year
• Establish a board to oversee Mpigi orphanage. Deliberate and intentional stewardship is
needed there.
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V. Location and Facilities TCWM will be headquartered in Dahlonega, GA. The organization will use donated space of approximately 4,000 square feet for its Discipleship Training Center and offices and 2,000 square feet for its Hospitality House. The facility will be donated to the organization for a period of 8 years.
Welcome to Our Home—A Place for Spiritual Growth
Discipleship Training Center and Offices of TCWM
Hospitality House
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Plans for Renovation of Discipleship Training Center and Offices
We are adding about 2000 square feet to the barn.
Office Fireplace Reception Volunteers for Uganda,
South Sudan, Philippines, Kairos
4480 square feet
Kitchen
Training area
Director’s office
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We would like to build a very small Ugandan Village in the woods next to the Discipleship Training Center so that missionaries going to Uganda can get a feel or sense of how many people in Uganda actually live.
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VI. Vision for the Future
What are the desired outcomes in the first ten years?
a. TCWM will have been used by God to produce worshippers. Mission work is about worship.
b. Disciples of our disciples will be making disciples.
c. TCWM will have been used by God to strengthen the Presbyterian Church in Uganda.
d. Our church plants will be planting more and more churches without significant help from TCWM.
e. There will be at least a total of 50 churches in the 5 networks that TCWM has helped establish or encouraged.
f. In each of our networks of churches, there will be continuing discipleship training and theological education.
g. The PCU will have become a missionary sending denomination.
h. There will be a thorough vetting of all candidates for the Gospel ministry.
i. Numerous NGO’s will have come alongside of our ministry so that our focus can continue to be on planting and strengthening.
j. Administratively the ministry of TCWM will be prepared to enter the decade with new, experienced leadership.
k. A building fund established by several years of generous giving will the available for the establishment of a permanent facility to carry forward TCWM
l. TCWM will have a good relationship with PCU leaders, pastors and community leaders.
m. TCWM will have a vibrant prayer ministry including a trail through the woods with various benches placed near the trail where people stop and pray for special needs in world missions.
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Goals for 2014 (Draft)
- Establish a presence for TCWM; complete construction and develop a base of operations in Dahlonega -- recruit work teams - Form board of directors and advisors - Visit all PCA churches in N. Georgia - Strengthen the three new churches started by our church plants - Fundraising for mission trips and construction of next group of churches - Vision trip to S. Sudan - Networking with all partners - Establish working agreement with PCU - Prayer Requests and Prayer Partners - Establish newsletter and refine website: trinitycwm.org - Complete Prayer Trail in Dahlonega and install benches - Receive our 501(c)(3) status--application submitted about two or three months ago - Begin process of establishing a NGO status in Uganda - Recruit faculty for Trinity Biblical Institute for next three years—Our focus will be upon recruiting 8 PCA teaching elders and several key reformed African pastors. - Introduce TCWM and Kairos to N. Georgia - Apply for grants for church planting -- primarily for block machine - Establish partnerships with those ministering in Uganda - Complete additional church planting and peacemaking training - Identify future church planters and help with their training, particularly at Westminster College and Theological Seminary - Begin prayer and Kairos ministry in Dahlonega - Produce videos of Kefa sharing insights into short term ministry in Uganda.
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VII. Needs and Start Up Expenses in the U.S. Copier $ 1,000
10 Tables 550
Couch and Chair 400
Desks 600
120 Chairs 4,200
20 Beds, Mattresses, Sheet Sets, Pillows, Blankets and towels 5,000
Washer, Dryer 800
Lamps 200
Refrigerator, icemaker, stove 2,000
Sound and Projection System 8,700
Initial office supplies 500
Office chairs 450
Lectern 350
35 ESV Bibles 400
Kitchen supplies and utensils 350
Internet Installation 400
Piano and amp 2,400
Wireless microphones 1,400
DVD Player 200
Large Screen for projection 1,400
Parking Lot 24,000
Completion of Renovation of Barn 37,000
Total Needs and Start Up Expenses $92,300
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Books Needed by Ugandan Pastors
TCWM would like to give each pastor in the Presbyterian Church in Uganda the following books:
1. An ESV Reformation Study Bible
2. Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof
3. Mathew Henry Commentary in one volume
4. Westminster Confession of Faith
5. Westminster Shorter Catechism by G. I. Williamson
6. The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter
7. Power Preaching for Church Growth by Dave Eby
8. The Master Plan of Evangelism by Coleman
9. How to Prepare Sermons by William Evans
10. Talk through the Bible by Wilkinson and Boa
11. African Christian Ethics by Samuel Wage Kunhiyop
12. Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson
13. Kingdom of the Cults, by Walter Martin
14. Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
15. The Sovereignty of God – by A W Pink
16. Introduction to the Old Testament -‐ R K Harrison
17. Introduction to the New Testament -‐ Carson & Moo
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VIII. Fundraising Strategy TCWM is a faith-based ministry. Our commitment as good stewards is to live within the bounds of what God provides.
TCWM has a number of people who have supported us in the past. Our plan is to ask them to continue and keep them informed.
In addition, we will use the following means:
• Social Networking Online - including email, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Advertising - We use largely internet publications to inform the public regarding our needs and ministries.
• Word-of-mouth - Our past and prior supporters will be one of our strongest forms of advertising.
• Website - We have a professional and well maintained website, listing our needs and ministries, trinitycwm.org.
• Sponsorship Program for Orphans
• Monthly newsletter that shares events, pictures of victories and ways to participate.
• Online Community - We hope to build an online community which includes blogging, podcasting, posting boards, social networking, video blogging, webinars and wikis.
• Church Support
• Networking with NGOs
• Grants for Start Up Expenses and Special Needs
• Additional staff - As TCWM grows, we will need additional staff. They will need to help raise their support.
• Team Support - Each person going on one of our teams must raise a minimum of $3000.
• Director of Development - We will search for a volunteer to serve in this capacity.
• Friends of Trinity Church
• Mission Conferences for Local Churches
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• Other
1. Corporate sponsors
2. Private foundations
3. Government support programs and services
4. We will target potential sponsors who support:
• Individuals in need
• Religious organizations
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IX. Statement of Faith
WE BELIEVE …
• …the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21)
• …there is one God, eternally existent in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30)
• …in the deity of Christ (John 10:33), His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:35), His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:26), His miracles (John 2:11), His vicarious and atoning death (1 Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9), His resurrection (John 11:25, 1 Corinthians 15:4), His ascension to the right hand of God (Mark 16:19), His personal return in power and glory (Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11)
• …in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature; and that we are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ and that only by God’s grace and through faith alone we are saved. (John 3:16–19, John 5:24, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8–9, Ephesians 2:8–10, Titus 3:5)
• …in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost—the saved to the resurrection of life, and the lost to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28–29)
• …in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:12–13, Galatians 3:26–28)
• …in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. (Romans 8:13–14, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Ephesians 4:30, Ephesians 5:18)
• …marriage has been created by God, from the time of the creation of human beings, and that it is ordained and defined by Him to be the lifelong union of one man and one woman (Genesis 1-3; Matthew 19:5-6).
Note: All teachers at Trinity Biblical Institute subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith.
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X. Prayer Retreats at TCWM: Draft of the plan to encourage pray for missions Introduction: TCWM is pleased that you have chosen to walk the prayer trail and pray along the way. Feel free to take your time, keep your own pace, and stop to rest and enjoy being still with God along the path. Take time to listen to God, read His Word, journal.
Even Jesus went away by himself to pray. TCWM has a short trail in the woods with five stops, plus a gazebo next to the pond where you are welcome to continue your prayer. The trail is open from nine to five. It is best to wear hiking shoes or tennis shoes and to bring some water.
This is an opportunity to pray for missions and your own special time with the Lord.
As you walk, you will come to five different benches in five different locations. You can stay as long as you like.
We do ask you to sign in and sign out at the entrance of the barn.
There you will find some materials relating to prayer and missions.
If you need an assembly area, you can arrange to use our facilities. We have seating for over 100 as well as a fully equipped kitchen and restrooms.
If you need someone to speak to a group regarding prayer, we will be glad to help.
Please do not park off the property. Use the designated spaces and talk to the Father.
Now that you are armed with the Word of God and a pen and paper, make your way to the back of the
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barn and you will see a small sign, “Prayer Trail Begins.” You are on your way.
Map of Prayer Path
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Here are some suggestions regarding prayer for missions:
Praying for Missions and Missionaries Because prayer makes a difference, we urge you to keep praying for your missionaries and the work of missions worldwide. Not sure what to pray? Here are some suggestions to help you begin.
Prayers of thanksgiving which bring honor and glory to God:
• Thank God for His eternal plan of salvation. • Thank God for His provision of salvation through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. • Thank God for His promise to gather His family from the nations. • Thank God for His command and commission to the church.
Pray for the world and its peoples: • Ask God to move mightily among the nations. • Pray that governments and rulers act favorably toward those who desire to share the Gospel. • Pray for those who suffer from poverty, injustice, oppression and disease. • Pray for political and economic stability. • Ask God to open doors for sharing the Gospel. • Pray for the unreached and under-reached peoples. • Pray that God's light would shine into the hearts of unbelievers.
Pray for the world-wide church and its mission: • Pray for more workers and the resources to sustain them. • Pray that more national churches will feel called to missions. • Pray that new Christians will be discipled. • Pray that TCWM will be obedient in its God-given mission. • Pray that TCWM will be faithful and generous in its financial support of missions.
Pray for missionaries everywhere to: • proclaim the Gospel clearly and without bias. • see and seize God-given opportunities to share the Gospel. • experience God's grace increasing in their lives and work. • hear God speaking to them and willingly and eagerly follow the Holy Spirit's leading. • be protected from Satan and those who might wish to harm them. • see and seek God-glorifying results. • experience good emotional, spiritual, physical health. • have healthy relationships with their families, missionaries, and national colleagues. • be appropriately sensitive toward and in adapting to other cultures. • have clear vision and great joy in mission tasks while keeping their eyes focused on God. • to show the fruits of the Spirit. • experience protection from loneliness, discouragement, and depression. • have excellent relationships with North American supporters. • reflect integrity and holiness.
Bible Verses on Prayer:
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"The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous" (Prov. 15:29). "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you (Jeremiah 29:12).
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message" (John 17:20).
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"(Phil. 4:6-7). "We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light" (Col. 1:10-12).
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HOW TO REVITALIZE YOUR PRAYER LIFE
I. APPROACH PRAYER WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE. (Matthew 6:5-8)
•BE REAL
(Matthew 6:5) "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
•BE RELAXED (Matthew 6:6) But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. •BE REVEALING (Matthew 6:7-8) And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. {8} Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. II. USE THE MODEL JESUS GAVE US Matt. 6:9-15 "This, then, is HOW you should pray ..."
THE SIX PARTS OF PRAYER
1. PRAISE: BEGIN WITH PRAISE "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name .."
TWO KINDS OF PRAISE:
• "ADORATION" - Praising God for who he is. • "THANKSGIVING"- Praising God for what he has done. (Psa 100:4) Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
HOW TO PRAISE GOD:
1st: As you read your Bible, make a list of God's character qualities that you discover and then review them when you pray. (See Prayer Guide 1)
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Examples: God is patient Num. 14:18 God is merciful Num. 14:18 God is forgiving Num. 14.18 God knows everything 1 Sam. 2:2 God is loving 1 John 4:8 KEY: God’s character is the basis for our boldness in making requests in prayer. God answers the prayers that acknowledge who he is!
2nd: Remind yourself and affirm the promises God has made that are contained in the meaning of his names. (See Prayer Guide 2) 3rd: Make a list of all that you are thankful for and review them when you pray. (See Prayer Guide 3) 2. PURPOSE: COMMIT YOURSELF TO GOD’S PURPOSE AND GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE .
"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven ..." Pray for God's will to be done ... in your family ... your church ... your ministry ... your job ... your future ... your city ... your nation ... the world. (Romans 12:1-2) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. {2} Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3. PROVISION: ASK GOD TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR NEEDS .
"Give us today our daily bread ..." What needs do you have? _____________________________________________________ (Philippians 4:19) And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:32) He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (James 4:2) You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. THE KEY: Prayer is my personal declaration of dependence upon God. Write down your requests, with a promise you are claiming from the Bible, and expect an answer! (See Prayer Guide 4)
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(Philippians 4:6) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 4. PARDON: ASK GOD TO FORGIVE YOUR SINS.
"Forgive us our debts ..." 4 Steps to Forgiveness
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal every sin. (Psa 139:23-24) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. {24} See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 2. Confess each sin specifically. (Prov 28:13) He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. 3. Make restitution to others when necessary. (Mat 5:23-24) "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, {24} leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
4. By faith, accept God's forgiveness. (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
5. PEOPLE: PRAY FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
"... as we have also forgive our debtors." (1 Timothy 2:1) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- If you want to know how to pray for others ..._look at Paul’s prayers:
Make a prayer list of people you want to pray for. You might pray for different people on different days of the week. (See Prayer Guide #5) 6. PROTECTION: ASK FOR SPIRITUAL PROTECTION.
"And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." (vs. 13) Believers face a spiritual battle every day. Satan wants to defeat you through temptation and fear. By praying for protection, you will have the confidence to face every situation during the day. (1 John 4:4) You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
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PRAYER GUIDE 1 CHARACTER TRAITS OF GOD
Faithful 2 Cor 1: 20 Righteous 2Tim 4: 8 The Light John 8: 12
PRAYER GUIDE 2
THE NAMES OF GOD Did you know that God has several names? They are all in the Bible and each name describes a facet of his character. You can take each of these 8 names and focus individually on what God is really like! Pray the names of God as affirmations of praise!
8 HEBREW NAMES OF GOD - DECLARE WHO GOD IS
Jehovah-Shammah-" God is Present with me" (Ezekial 48:35) You are here! I am never alone! Jehovah-Rohi-" God is my Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) You lead me and feed me and protect me! Jehovah-Jireh- " God is my Provider" (Gen. 22:14) You see what I need before I even ask! Jehovah-Rophe- " God is my Healer" (Exodus 15:26) You can heal my body, emotions, and relationships! Jehovah-Tsidkenu-" God is my Righteousness" (Jer. 23:6) You accept me and forgive me because of Jesus! Jehovah-M'Kiddish-" God is my Sanctification" (Lev. 20:8) You make me holy and like Jesus! Jehovah-Shalom-" God is my Peace" (Judges 6:24) You give me peace in spite of circumstances! Jehovah-Nissi-" God is my Banner" (Exodus 17:15) You are my victory in conflict and confrontation! Think on the implications of these names and you'll have plenty to praise God for!
ADVISORS Dr. Elisha Birikire—Dr. Elisha for many years was the head physician at our clinic in Kaserem. Each year he oversees our mobile medical mission work and assists us in buy medicines. Dr. Elisha has worked with us almost ten years and now has his own private practice as well as an outreach to orphans and prisoners.
Pastor Bob Hayes—Bob is a leader in the African Christian Training Institute, a retired PCA pastor, with a tremendous love for Uganda, where he has ministered for many years. He is a servant leader.
Pastor Fred Kabenge—Pastor Fred is the Coordinator at the Secretariat Office of the Presbyterian Church in Uganda. He is a longtime friend and professor at Westminster College and Seminary; Pastor Fred is also a graduate of Westminster Seminary in California with a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MABS). Each week I generally email him a couple of times.
Dr. Henry Krabbendam—Founder of African Christian Training Institute
Bruce Cheadle—Bruce is a man of prayer and great generosity. He loves to serve God and has come to Uganda many times. He is a man who has gone through good times and very difficult, painful times and in both he has given glory to Christ.
Dr. Jim Sutherland—Director of RMNI Ministries and Missionary to South Sudan. He is a man who has gone where others would not go. He is a faithful PCA teaching elder. See http://www.rmni.org/
PROPOSED ADVISORS Pastor Wyatt George—Wyatt is the founder of the TentMakers Project. Pastor George has been a minister in the Presbyterian Church (RPCES and PCA) for over 35 years. He has a heart for mercy ministry and a passion for the church. The TentMaker Project brings these two passions together in a wonderful way. The TentMaker Project grew out of the needs that Pastor Wyatt George of Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, Ill. saw during a visit to Uganda in 1999. Congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Uganda were languishing for years with poor members, make-shift buildings, and unpaid pastors. The mission of the TentMaker Project has been to alleviate poverty in the church and meet family needs.
Melvin Mow—Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of First Hawaiian Bank. Mel has not been to Uganda, but he has the best insights regarding stewardship of anyone I know.
Pastor Rashid Luswa—Rashid is the representative in Uganda of ACTI; he is a pastor, entrepreneur, builder, lover of orphans, and the man to call when you have a crisis in Uganda
Dr. Kefa Sempangi—Kefa is the founder of the Presbyterian Church in Uganda, and a former member of Parliament; he is also a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He has extensive experience in church planting and government service. He is also a very talented artist. He lived next to me at Westminster Seminary 40 years ago.
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Hal Jones—President and CEO of Global Hope Network International. Hal has been my friend for about 30 years and almost every year comes to HI and speaks at Trinity. TCCO supports his work. Hal and I used to be leaders of a group called the Oahu Association of Evangelicals.
Al Baker--- Pastor Al Baker is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and has been in the ministry for 25 years. A graduate of the University of Alabama, he received his Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. Pastor Baker has been actively involved in foreign missions to Central America, Africa, The British Isles, Asia and the Far East. He is a regular contributor to Come Follow magazine (Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship). Al and his wife, Wini, have been married over 35 years and have three grown children. Pastor Baker is the director of The Alabama Church Planting Network and an Evangelistic Revival Preacher with Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship. He has started a radio ministry called “Between Two Worlds” - a daily, fifteen-minute program designed to instruct and challenge you to seek God for a mighty movement of His Spirit in our day.
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Appendix 2
Proposed Partnerships
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PROPOSED PARTNERSHIPS
Note: We have no legal partnership with any of these organizations. These are simply part of the network of friends and contacts that we have as we seek to minister in various parts of the world.
1. Presbyterian Church in Uganda
2. Trinity Church Central Oahu
3. Mission to the World and PCA Missionaries in Uganda
4. Reconciliation Ministries Network, Inc.
5. African Christian Training Institute
6. Global Hope Network International
7. Words of Hope
8. Rafiki African Ministries
9. Reformed University Fellowship
10. Various Water Ministries
11. Kairos
12. The TentMaker Project
13. Westminster College and Theological Seminary in Uganda
14. African Bible College
15. Third Millennium Ministries
16. Uganda Bible Society
17. Uganda Protestant Medical Board
18. PresAid
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Appendix 3
Report of Pastor Pete Anderson Regarding TCWM’s Plan to Minimize Dependence
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ROUGH DRAFT By Pastor Pete Anderson
It is humbling to work in Uganda; all of us are learning and we need to be teachable. We can learn so much from the Ugandans and other missionaries.
Most missionaries do not want to create dependence; they sometimes talk about not helping anyone financially. But generally the needs are so great, sometimes they cannot resist helping; the needs are in our face and the Lord gives us a heart to help, but we must learn to help without doing damage.
Americans grow up with money, much more money than typical Africans. Many Africans that we desire to reach have rarely dealt with money. They barter and trade, but often have little experience in handling money, saving money, budgeting, or accountability.
When it comes to America, much of the aid to Africa over the years has been wasted. In contrast, TCWM can do much better.
As a starting point, each director and team member of TCWM needs to read the following three books:
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
Toxic Charity by Robert D. Lupton
African Friends and Money Matters by David Maranz
Over the years, TCWM has been involved in many ministries, including drilling wells, building toilets, church construction, school construction, a clinic and orphanages. These were obvious needs in the places where we were called to minister.
Why do we build church buildings? Why are these necessary? Why not simply preach and let the Africans build their own buildings? Church buildings are helpful in Uganda for the same reasons that they are helpful in America.
Another reason we have built church buildings is that there are few successful models of Ugandans developing self-sustaining churches over a period of years without buildings. In Western Uganda, some missionaries worked for two decades and have left behind congregations who meet under trees. In recent years, these preaching points have dwindled from 22 to 12 or less. (We need to research this more and learn from the experience of others, lest we fall into the trap of forgetting that our primary mission focuses on discipleship.) In contrast, in Kapchorwa, where we have built buildings, the churches are continuing and planting other churches.
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Another reason we have helped construct buildings has to do with the areas where TCWM has worked. When we arrived in Kapchorwa 17 years ago, there were no paved roads; some people had never seen a book; money was very scarce; most people were unemployed; there had been times of drought; many had died from AIDS. It usually rained every year and some years the roads were impassable. The buildings provided a dry place to gather, develop community and provided locals with a few jobs. (Generally our buildings are not elaborate—they take about 10-12 weeks to construct.)
There are two rainy seasons each year in Uganda, called short and long rains.
• Short Rains: April to May of the year accompanied by fantastic thunderstorms. • Long Rains: September to November and once again often there is a thunderstorm
with it. Usually it is during the night or early morning, by 10 am the sun is out. In 2012 the long rains arrived early.
Rains and cold weather in the winter and at higher altitudes can easily disrupt worship and discipleship. Our buildings enable year round worship. Over the years, we have more and more turned construction over to the presbytery and local congregations. (All our funding is sent through the Office of the Secretariat of the PCU). In our most recent church construction, Serere Presbyterian Church, the construction was completed almost entirely by members of the congregation. The cost was almost one third of other churches and the building was bigger and stronger; now the local community sees this as the work of the community.
We have encouraged each church to contribute to the labor and funds for the buildings. Most of the churches in Kapchorwa contributed 2 million shillings to have stucco put on the inside and outside of their buildings. Others are still raising funds.
All the churches in Kapchrowa and Gulu are self-supporting; some have great needs, but others seem to be doing well financially. In Gulu we still want to finish the orphanage we started, but the plan is to quickly turn it over to the PCU and Grace Church.
In the early days of a church plant, we help with land, a tarp, and benches.
What about financial support of pastors? We have helped each of the pastors in Kapchorwa with a microenterprise so that they can develop some independence and support for their families. We have regularly taught on the subject of tithing. We have supported some pastors up to $50 per month for two years, but not in recent years.
In the future I suspect that we will favor microloans rather than grants. In future years, we hope to work with Pastor Wyatt George and The TentMakers Project so that loan programs for community development can occur. There are many opportunities through small loans to help the poor without hurting the poor. These include tailoring, motorcycle repair, fruit and vegetable stands, solar lighting, piggery, bread baking, bicycle shop, crafts, bottled water, firewood, wedding dress shop, etc. At the end of this article we have a draft application called, “Project Independence.”
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One of our great needs is for the leadership of TCWM to visit church and community leaders in each of the cities and villages. We need to spend time with them and listen.
As we think about the future, we want to offer guidance and expertise in terms of construction, but our African brothers and sisters must do the work. At this point we have very good plans for a rural church, a city church and a primary school. We are in the process of purchasing a block machine that we plan to loan to each congregation that desires to build. We hope to inspire and mobilize indigenous leaders to see many possibilities in their communities.
There are times when the wise use of money can be of great benefit. In our experience, we were glad to help:
• Orphans who live on the street with nothing. • Snake bite victims who are about to die. • Pregnant mothers who have no place to give birth. • Land for a PCU church • Loan of tools for construction • Benches but not chairs for a new church • Some conference expenses, but not presbytery meetings • Seminary fees and related travel fees, but not for family members • Funds for medicines and medical care—God has used us to save many lives and this
has been a great witness.
One of the hardest decisions is school fees. Many children cannot afford to go to school. Should we begin a search for sponsors? Generally we do not help, but there are rare exceptions. In this area, our focus has been on sponsoring students for theological education.
We have decided not to fund the following:
• Clothing • Plastic Chairs • Repair of sound systems • Grants • Transportation to presbytery meetings • Bibles (we will sell them at a discounted price of $2.00) • Long term care of orphans • Further repair of church buildings except the stucco and floor projects.
We are learning, but often the going is tough. It appears that many in government work are corrupt. We do not pay bribes. Often we do not know enough to make wise decisions regarding many issues, e.g. mosquito nets, care of widows, seed for planting, and much more. We must learn. This whole path to help the poor is filled with possible corruption, jealousy and division.
Guiding principles from Robert D. Lupton:
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1. Never do for the poor what they have (or could have) the capacity to do for themselves. 2. Limit one-way giving to emergency situations. 3. Strive to empower the poor through employment, lending, and investing, using grants
sparingly to reinforce achievements. 4. Subordinate self-interests to the needs of those being served. 5. Listen closely to those you seek to help, especially to what is not being said—unspoken
feelings may contain essential clues to effective service. 6. Above all, do no harm.
Without Christ, we can do nothing.
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The TentMaker Project Micro-Economic Development Through the Church
By Pastor Wyatt George VILLAGE LIFT UP In the Name and Power of Christ! The TentMaker Project (TMP) is a Christian, humanitarian service that operates in Uganda, East Africa. It extends micro-loans to entrepreneurs in Presbyterian churches. Entire villages are lifted up by improving spiritual and economic well-being. Ugandan leaders do this deed ministry on the ground. This program involves Christ’s redemption, economic and community development. Here is its working sequence in the usual order of priority. Sequence of Ministry
1. Presbytery holds all-village meetings, supported by village Chief, to call all to help identify village needs, believe the Gospel.
2. Presbytery forms a church and disciples new believers, or works with existing churches.
3. TMP Lends quality, treated seeds to farmers in the village to see who is faithful in production [does not eat or sell them, or be negligent].
4. TMP Builds skills and knowledge by training church leaders and loan recipients in the stewardship and business principles of the Bible. The trainer is Ugandan Ed Kasaija.
5. TMP Builds an animal facility, stocks it, and demonstrates the best-known animal care and multiplication of the stock.
6. TMP makes animal in-kind loans to qualified recipients who will repay to The TentMaker project in-kind when the animals multiply.
7. The church builds a medical clinic, seeks equipping, stocking of meds, and staffing.
8. TMP helps implement value-added processes [i.e., milling of corn] and makes marketing plans for the farmers and animal raisers.
9. The church develops a school for the children’s education. 10. The church/village develops water, sewage, and other infrastructure needs. 11. The church calls everyone to faith and repentance, bringing hope in Christ as
applied to all of community life. TMP supporters can be involved in all 11 steps. Your sponsorship or participation in portions of the above is welcome. The above items speak how the plan is working Ntenjeru Village, 40 miles East of Kampala, the Capital City. As of the end of 2011, success is seen in steps 1-6 with progress on 7-11, especially 11 (water). This village is rising out of the pit pessimism,
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disease, poverty, and hopelessness. Key to it all is a church that focuses on the redemption and teaching of Jesus Christ. At Kiyola Village, near Ntenjeru, the process is well underway. At a third village, Seeta-Nazigo, the process is also under way, and now by the end of 2011, a fourth village, where ministry has just begun. All have assigned pastors and church planting is in process. Partners The TentMaker Project is privileged to do the economic development part through our Ugandan friends and our US financial and prayer supporters. Quality leadership, from within Ugandan churches, is our main African partnership, and every loan recipient that is a success story adds to the depth of that partnership. Recently, Churches and Villages Together (Virginia) has joined with TMP to help. The Kampala Presbytery does the church-planting. The Village Chief with his/her Council is always supportive. We also invite your interest, prayer, and economic support, even your visit to Uganda to see the operation. 95% of every dollar given by US supporters goes into these projects including the training of leaders and recipients. Go with us, enjoy African hospitality, and put your talents to work. Goals We must double our US support base from the present 13 US churches and 100 individuals. We want to share the privilege of doing this beneficial word and deed ministry, for the need in Uganda is vast. We plan in 2012 to 2013 to expand our micro-loan program to three other groups of Presbyterian churches.
TentMaker Project* 173 Lamb’s Ln, Murphysboro, IL 62966
* TMP is a mission of Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA) of Carbondale, Illinois, is governed by a national Board, W George, Exec Secretary. Grace is a member of Iliana Presbytery. Mr. George is available for presentations. DVDs of the work are available.
January 2012 Copy and share this brochure
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Project Independence
TCWM Microloan Program
We care about you and the needs of your family. In order to qualify for a loan of $100-$250, you will be required to present a proposal first to the elders and deacons of your church. When you submit your proposal, it may take about a month to approve. If they approve your application, they will send it to my church. We may send the first application back to you with additional ideas and suggestions. Please fill out the following form:
MY PLAN: _________________________________________________________
AMOUNT I AM REQUESTING________________________________________
LENGTH OF LOAN AND REPAYMENT PLAN __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Describe your business plan. What do you plan to do? What is your experience in this area? Will you have a partner in this business? We especially recommend raising maize and pigs, but there are many other opportunities. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. If you fail in this project, what will be the reason why? What obstacles do you anticipate?
4. With your loan, how much money do you hope to make and who will help you? How long will it take for you to make a profit? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Please list your present debts? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Have you prayed about this project? _________
7. Is your wife/husband in agreement with this project? _____________________
8. Provide below the names of three men or women who know you and have had a similar project and believe that your project will result in a successful business. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Do you agree to tithe on the profits of your business and also to send me a report every three months for one year regarding your progress? I would appreciate pictures of your project and also of your wife and family.
9. Do you agree to spend the funds only on the project? NOTE: THIS PROJECT IS NOT FOR SCHOOL FEES OR NEEDS IN YOUR HOME; YOU ARE EXPECTED TO WORK HARD AND START A BUSINESS.
10. Do you agree to refuse any further financial help from foreigners? The goal is to financial support your family and be independent from the funds of foreigners forever!!! God can help you become a successful businessman or businesswoman. ________________
11. Are you hiding some secret sin that would prevent God’s blessing on your new business? If you are repent and press on.
12. Will you promise to attend our conference on microenterprise? __________________
13. Does your pastor believe this is a good business with the expectation of success? ___________
14. We will send someone to see your progress after three months; they will come and photograph the project and send me a report. Is this OK? Will you cooperate with him? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A LOAN AND THAT I AM EXPECTED TO PAY THE FUNDS BACK TO MY CHURCH SO THAT OTHERS WILL HAVE A SIMILAR OPPORTUNITY.
Initial Suggestions Regarding the Ministry of the Board Directors
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How Can Our Board of Directors Best Contribute to the Work of TCWM
1. Prayer
2. Networking
3. Development of Policies—Financial, Partnerships, TBI (Trinity Biblical Institute)
4. Financial Oversight
5. Special Projects—Startup Expenses, Van and Block Machine
6. Go on Mission Trips and Vision Trips
7. Training and Teaching
8. Use of your resources—what do you have that you can make available in the work of discipleship.
9. Developing partnerships with US churches
10. Development of the Discipleship Training Center in Dahlonega; bring your family and friends for a week of fellowship and adopt a work project
11. Additions to Facebook and Web page, trinitycwm.org
12. Ownership of the Mission of TCWM
13. Enlist those with skills who might be willing to go on a mission trip---nurses, paramedics, doctors, teaching elders, ruling elders, deacons, dentists, children’s workers, youth pastors, women’s ministry….cooks….
14. Prayer for staff and interns
15. Invite Mission Committees to Visit TCWM for a week for training including Kairos.
16. Sponsors for orphans and seminary students
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17. Support for Martha in my absence
18. See the list of needs and the books that pastor’s need
19. Development of the African Village
20. We have three churches that would like to start Christian elementary schools.
They need direction and counsel, particularly regarding curriculum.
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Appendix 5 Why will TCWM Focus on Discipleship?
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THE PRIORITY OF DISCIPLESHIP IN MISSIONS A Message by Pastor Pete Anderson
Based on a book by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
Matthew 28: 16-20
What is the primary mission of the church? What are we sent by God to do? What is the main thing churches must do? Is it to work for world peace? Feed the hungry? Heal the sick? Work for social justice? Minister to orphans and widows? Relieve suffering?
All of these are important and good things. But what is the most important task of the church given by its Head and King, the Lord Jesus?
Recently I started reading a book by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. The following statement represents their view of the mission of the church. "The mission of the church is to go into the world and make disciples by declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit and gathering these disciples into churches, that they might worship the Lord and obey his commands now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father."
The church is sent into the world to witness to Jesus by proclaiming the gospel and making disciples of all nations. This is our main task; this is our unique and central calling.
So the question is: Is this the major mission of your church, or how are you supporting this mission?
If you observe some churches, their major mission seems to be fellowship—eating food together. Others focus on music, others on many programs, the end of the world, charismatic gifts, spiritual gifts, prosperity, entertainment, and a host of projects and ministries.
Some sadly do nothing in way of discipling the nations. Today in America it takes 100 church attendees, a pastor, and 100,000 a year to win one convert.
Today I want you to become excited about discipleship! I want you to go away convinced that you MUST make disciples. I want you to come to the place where every activity of our church is seen in its relationship to the central mission of the church, discipleship. This includes men’s groups, women’s groups, Sunday School, youth programs—everything.
My hope is that Trinity Church will become a disciplemaking factory! Today as we study this passage, I hope that your heart will be awakened—that you will begin to see yourself as a disciplemaker. I hope that you will begin to look at your life through a new lens.
How can we do this? How can you get excited about this mission?
We must go to the Bible. You must see that this focus on discipleship is taught in Scripture and particularly you must see that this is the primary command of Jesus to His church.
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Perhaps you have never thought of this, but discipleship is largely what Jesus spent his life on earth doing and as those who follow in his steps, we must be busy imitating Him and following in His footsteps.
So we begin by examining Christ’s Great Commissions in each of the four gospels: (Note: Not great commission)
1. Matthew 28:16-20 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Now let’s think about the context here: If you knew you had one last opportunity to speak to your family and loved ones, if you knew that your time to go on to Heaven was near through illness or you were advanced in age, what message would you leave with those you loved most? What challenge would assist them in seeing clearly the responsibility and challenge of their lives? And what encouragement would stimulate them to accept it?
The Resurrected Lord had such an opportunity to share with His disciples. Jesus had sacrificially died and miraculously risen from the dead. He has one last opportunity to give His disciples instructions. He had recently burst forth in new power from the grave. Now this victorious king having died for sins, having defeated Satan and firmly established his kingdom comes to his disciples.
Jesus gathers his disciples on a mountain in Galilee to tell them something very important. Verse 17 tells us the disciples response to seeing Jesus, the resurrected Lord of Life. “And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.”
The fact that they worshipped Him is very significant. When they saw Jesus, they worshiped Him.
Who is Jesus? He is God Almighty. He has all power in Heaven and earth. He is the creator and sustainer of the Universe. He is the resurrection and the life.
So, what was their response? They worshiped him! The men who knew Jesus best worshiped Him. These disciples spent day and night with Him for three years. They had seen Him perform miracles. They had listened carefully to his teaching, and been discipled by Him. They had seen Him face tremendous challenges of opportunity and opposition. They had seen Him when things were going well and when things were going poorly. They had seen Him when circumstances and enemies were closing in around Him. They had seen him beaten, crucified, dead, buried and now risen.
These men, these Jewish men, for whom the First and Second Commandments forbid giving worship to any but the One True God, fell down and worshiped Jesus. Worship is reserved for the Lord God alone.
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Notice that as they bowed in worship that some were doubtful. Jesus was still working in their hearts. We remember particularly Thomas the doubter. He was one who had to see to believe. He had to see and touch the wounds of the cross and crown and sword. And when he did that, he declared, “My Lord and my God.” Verse 18 continues, And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Jesus begins their commission and our commission with a claim: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
We have here the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy centuries earlier, when the Prophet spoke of Jesus, “Son of Man” in this way.
Daniel 7:13b-14 “…..and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
Jesus has been given dominion over the universe. This authority is the basis for everything else that follows in this text. His authority over heaven and earth means that Jesus is not just your personal Lord and Savior. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave, and now He is exalted at the Father’s right hand as the Lord over all creation.
Philippians 2: 9-11 speaks to this truth very clearly:
Philippians 2:9-11 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
One day every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess, “Jesus is Lord”—that is a guarantee. So the question for all of us is this: “Will you confess Jesus as Lord now, or will you confess Him as Lord when it is too late?”
What we see here that Jesus is more than your personal Lord and Savior. Jesus is the universal Lord and Savior over all. Jesus came to save people from every nation and tongue and tribe.
In Revelation 7:9-12 we have the picture of a great multitude from every nation before the throne of Jesus:
The Apostle John writes:
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they
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fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Now think of these first disciples. They did not grow up with a global mission, a sense of a worldwide task. They grew up loving the nation of Israel. They followed a Jewish Messiah. But now they are given a worldwide purpose.
This is not the first time Jesus has brought this up. Throughout His training program, Jesus was intent on showing His Jewish disciples that He was not simply their Lord and King, but Lord and King over all nations. Throughout Matthew’s Gospel we see Jesus’ universal lordship.
Today, we must remember what he taught them about His Lordship—because this is going to important the rest of your life. The question will be one day, “Does Jesus have authority to tell me what to do?”
You see, I do not want you leaving saying that Pete said so and so. I want you to hear from Jesus….to closing think about His life and commands. So what right does Jesus have to tell you what to do with your life? What does it mean that Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and earth.
It means this:
1. Jesus has authority over nature and nations.
Jesus calmed the sea with a rebuke in 8:26, showing His mastery over nature.
Matthew 8:26 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
His authority over nations is one of the central themes of the Great Commission, since all peoples are to be His disciples.
2. Jesus has authority over disease and demons. When Jesus speaks, the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are healed, and disease is gone.
Matthew 4:23-24 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
He speaks and the demons flee.
Matthew 8:28-34 28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,[a] two demon-possessed[b] men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you
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come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
3. Jesus has authority over sin and death. As the Son of God, Jesus has authority to forgive sin against God.
Matthew 9:1-7 9 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing[a] their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home.
4. Jesus also has authority to overcome man’s ultimate enemy, death which is the payment for sin.
Matthew 28:1-10 28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Now what does this say about our mission? It tells us that our mission is given by the One who has all authority in heaven and earth. He is the Lord, the boss. This means that we serve King Jesus, the Head of the Church, and as such He has authority to issue commands, commands that must be obeyed.
Again, what is happening here? Jesus is stating His authority, and then He issues the mission based on His authority. This means that our mission was given to us by the King of the universe.
Our mission comes from Jesus. He was sent by the Father to complete a mission. On the cross He declares that his mission is finished. The price for our redemption has been paid. And now Jesus is sending his disciples on a mission.
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5. Jesus has authority over your life.
Jesus’ authority extends to every individual, which for us means a dying to self.
Matthew 16:24-25 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
For the believer, there should be a glad submission to the Lordship of Jesus.
This means, in relation to the Great Commission in Matthew 28: 18-20, that we must be open to whatever the Lord calls us to, including serving Him in another cultural context.
6. Jesus has authority over every life on the planet. Jesus has authority over every life in the world and that is why we seek to make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 25:31-33 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
It is Jesus’ authority that compels us to go, for missions only make sense if He has all authority in heaven and on earth.
Why must we go into the world? It is because he is worthy. It is because Jesus is worthy of the worship of every person on the planet. We go because we want everyone in the world to confess Jesus as Lord. We want the world to bow down in worship. We look forward to the day when every tribe and tongue and people and nation gather around our God to give Him the global glory that He is due.
Further, Jesus authority gives us the confidence to go.
Whether we go around the world or to our coworkers, we have the wonderful words of life. We have words of hope, good, transforming news of the Gospel, a message that fits reality.
We have a message of victory, a message that offers eternal life based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
What does not make sense is millions of Christians sitting back and saying nothing to the nations.
Romans 1:16-18 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,[a] as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”[b]
You have the Gospel, the words of life. Christ’s mission on earth will succeed. His authority and power guarantee success.
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In Matthew 24: 14, Jesus gives this guarantee: “This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.
I. Jesus’ Authority
II. Jesus’ Command
After clearly establishing His authority over heaven and earth, the next words out of Jesus’ mouth are, “Go, therefore”
i.e. In light of my authority, go.
Here is the full command: Matthew 28:19-20 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is not a comfortable call inviting most Christians to come, be baptized, and stay in one location. For most of these early disciples it mean sweat, hardship, travel, separation, persecution and martyrdom.
This is a command to go into the world and make disciples. This is a command to reproduce disciples.
Think about it: In the first century tens of thousands of people were converted without radio, television, printing presses, Facebook, social media, cell phones. Lives were changed and people stopped everything.
Now forgive me for what I am about to say: Many of you are doing very, very important work. You have many gifts and as indispensable parts of the body, you are serving right here: in the church kitchen, taking up the offering, caring for the building, feeding the hungry, and so much more. In your bible study you may be studying all kinds of interesting things. I praise the Lord for the things you are doing, but we must keep the main thing the main thing.
Let us all see our work through the eyes of Jesus and His priorities. The big job emphasized here by Jesus is discipleship. Jesus is saying here to you and to me, as 21st century disciples, Go and clone yourselves, be fruitful and multiply, go and make disciples, train them to obey and to follow me.
Jesus intention is that everyone who follows Him must become a fisher of men. To become a disciple, is to be become a disciplemaker. You see, you are part of the mission. You are part of the story. You are the light of the world. You are messengers of the King.
Every disciple must be a disciplemaker. To be a disciple is to make a disciple. The New Testament knows nothing of disciples not making disciples.
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Do you see the sequence here in our major text:
You go.
You make disciples
You baptize
You teach.
And what is the process? Going, baptizing, and teaching.
Going implies being sent. Baptizing implies the need for cleansing, repentance and forgiveness as well as inclusion in God’s family. And teaching reminds us and makes clear that Jesus has more in mind than initial evangelism and a one-time follow-up.
Jesus wants going, obedient, mature disciples, educated in His teaching, ready to teach others, not just decisions.
And to whom are we to go? We are to go to the people groups of the world. You begin in your home, your community, your church, your workplace and when you can, you do to the world, or you help someone else go.
Today there are more than 11,000 people groups spread throughout the world.
This is a very specific command. It is a command that keeps you for just focusing on those around you. This is a specific command to make disciples among every people group in the world.
At this point, there are more than 6,800 people groups who have still not been reached with the gospel. Therefore, obedience to the Great commission necessarily involves intentionally going after these 6,800 people groups.
Yes, there are hungry people, sick people, and people with many needs, but we must never forget that spiritually dead people are in greater than any other group. Without Christ they are eternally lost.
While we are alive, we are charged with reaching the world with the gospel.
I think of Pat Mamaclay, our church administrator. He eats and sleeps this mission. He has a desire to reach a people group, the Badjao Muslims. They are people no one seems to love. They are beggars, rejects of society. Therefore, we must support him in this effort.
Now think about what we have learned from the great commission in Matthew. Are you convinced regarding the priority of discipleship? Perhaps you are not.
I want us to go beyond this passage and show you this is Christ’s teaching in all of the Gospels and this priority for the church is seen in the Book of Acts and all the writings of the Apostle Paul
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2. Now consider the restatement of the Great Commission in Mark 13:10
There Jesus declares: 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.
What is this?
This is not just a prediction that the gospel will be proclaimed in the whole world, Jesus says that this must be done. “Must” is a word that requires necessity and action. The Gospel must be proclaimed in the whole world.
3. Then let’s consider a third restatement of the Great Commission. In Luke 24, we come to the last chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus has recently risen from the dead and appears to the disciples.
Luke 24:44-49 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and[a] forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
What is happening here? Jesus opens their minds. Jesus is exercising his authority, and He is sending the disciples out as witnesses to the nations.
4. Then there is the fourth restatement of the great commission in the Gospel of John:
Jesus says in John 20: 21 21 …., “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
Jesus came to earth on a mission from the Father. Now the Son is continuing to do what He did on earth through us! What a privilege! We must not drop the ball. This is the main mission…. The mission of King Jesus must be carried out by and through His followers.
5. Then there is a fifth restatement of the great commission in the Book of Acts, right before His ascension:
Acts 1:8 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
One New Testament scholar, Darrell Bock, comments about this final statement of Jesus: “This commission describes the church’s key assignment of what to do until the Lord returns. The priority for the church until he returns, a mission of which the community must never lose sight, is to witness to Jesus to the end of the earth. The church exists, in major part, to extend the apostolic witness to Jesus everywhere.”
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Later in Acts, 1 Matthias is chosen to replace Judas, that he might become a witness to Christ’s resurrection.
In Acts 2 Peter preaches at Pentecost, bearing witness to Christ, calling people to faith and repentance.
In Acts 3 Peters heals a lame beggar in Jesus’s name and then uses the occasion to bear witness to Christ and call people to repentance..
As they proclaim the resurrection, many more hear the Word, and five thousand men believe..
In Acts 4 Peter and John testify before the council to the crucifixion and resurrection, and when they are released from custody, and they continue to speak the Word with boldness.
We could go on and on. Over and over again Luke makes clear that the point of this book of Acts is to show the mission of Jesus being fulfilled as the Word of God increases and multiplies.
Everywhere the Word goes there is opposition, but everywhere the Word goes, some believe and they begin the process of discipleship.
There was urgency to this mission. Babies, young children in the faith, cannot be left alone. They need to grow, which requires discipleship.
As you read through the Book of Acts, we learn of the Apostle Paul. What is his focus, his priority? Paul not only preaches the gospel in new frontiers, but also strengthens the disciples, encourages them in the faith, and appoints elders (Acts 14: 21-33).
His mission is not just evangelism, but deeper discipleship. He has his own Schools of Discipleship and has followers, disciples like Timothy and Titus and more. The Book of Acts is the History of the Discipleship Mission. The Apostle Paul wins converts, plants churches, builds up existing congregations. He writes letters to the churches and individuals about discipleship and they become half of the New Testament.
The Apostle Paul has left us a model for ministry. He wrote to the church at Corinth:
1 Corinthians 10:32-11:1 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 11 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Philippians 1: 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
As we think of the future of Trinity Church. We must see the biblical priority of discipleship. This does not mean that we have to abandon plans for meeting people’s needs. But it means in a world of finite time, energy, and resources, Trinity church, above all else, should be evangelizing non-Christians, nurturing believers, and establishing healthy churches.
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This means that discipleship is NOT something we tack on to existing programs and make it fit in. Discipleship must be at the heart of the church’s ministry.
All other ministries should be evaluated by whether or not in some way they are developing disciples.
So how are we doing? How are we responding to our mission given by Christ? Who are you discipling? Have you gone out into your world, shared the Gospel, seen someone come to Christ, and discipled them? And are they now reproducing? And are you making disciples, mature disciples who last? Or have we gotten busy making a
In your homes and in the church, new believers, prospective believers, seekers, must be taught, equipped, coached, mentored, disciple.
Now let me summarize what we have learned.:
We can summarize this mission by answering eight questions (largely from DeYoung and Gilbert):
1. Who gave the mission? Jesus gave this mission verbally to the first disciples, but it did not end with their deaths. As Lord of the church, he expects his followers to carry out this mission “to the end of the age.” Their mission is our mission.
2. Why must we respond to the mission? The authority for our mission comes from King Jesus. It is rooted in the Word of God and based on the Father’s sending of the Son. We are sent because Christ was sent, and we go in his name, under his authority.
3. What is the mission? The mission consists of preaching and teaching, announcing and testifying, making disciples and bearing witness. The mission focuses on the initial and continuing verbal declaration and explanation of the gospel. The mission is all about discipleship.
4. Where does Jesus send His church on His mission? We are sent into the world. Our strategy is not simply come and visit our church.
We are commanded to “go and tell.” The message of salvation is for every people group—near, far, and everywhere in between.
5. How are we to accomplish the mission? In and of ourselves, we are weak, but we go forward with confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit and in submission to the Son just as he was obedient to and dependent upon the Father.
6. When does the mission begin and when does it end? The mission began at Pentecost when the disciples were clothed with power from on high with the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The mission will last as long as the promise of Christ’s presence lasts; that is, to the end of the age. We live in the Age of Discipleship.
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7. To whom does Jesus send us? The church should make disciples of the nations, all the nations.
We must go to every people group, proclaiming the good news to the ends of the earth.
8. What will be the consequences if we obey Christ and respond to this mission?
The church of Christ will be strengthened and built up and many more churches will be planted. Disciples will be made.
TR>>>Now this brings us to a key question:
We have answered the first question?
I. What is our mission? Answer: Make Disciples…..
II. What is a disciple?
A disciple is a follower, a learner, a student, an intern, an apprentice. A disciple of Jesus Christ is a growing believer, being equipped to carry on the work of his Teacher. He is under the authority of Jesus. His life has been changed. He has a new heart, a new record, a new life. He has a new mission in life, a new purpose for living. He has surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. A change has occurred. Now his first allegiance is to Jesus Christ. He recognizes that his first loyalty, his first priority in life is serving Jesus Christ, His church and His Kingdom. He wants to learn all that Jesus has commanded. He is follower of Jesus. He wants to live as Jesus lived. He wants to have the character of Jesus. His life is spent in service to Christ and others. He spends time with Jesus in prayer and in His word. He develops the habits of Jesus. He memorizes the teachings of Jesus. He imitates Jesus. He loves other people like Jesus. He displays the fruit of Christ’s Spirit.
He is quick to obey, to submit to Jesus. Information given in the word of God is obeyed. Jesus said, “You are my disciples if you keep my commandments.”
Once you have been through Jesus’ school of discipleship, you are ready to obey the last part of this commission--to teach others to obey all that Jesus has commanded.
George Barna writes, “A little more than 60% of born-again adults have set no goals for their spiritual development, failed to develop standards against which to measure their grow, or failed to establish procedures for being held accountable for themselves.”
They have no plan for spiritual growth. They just go to church. What they prefer is a no discipleship Christianity. But that is not Christianity at all. And so 80 percent of local churches in America are in spiritual decline.
Jesus said in Luke 9:23-24. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
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Now, what is Jesus requiring here? Jesus here is teaching that if you follow him, if you are to be his disciple, you must die. That is what taking up a cross is all about. You are required as a disciple to die to your personal mission and to invest your life in His mission. It is a radical call to be disciple. The early disciples left everything.
Jesus taught to be his disciple, you must be willing to leave your family; you must be willing to die to your mission; you must be willing to obey Him at a moment’s call; you must be willing to surrender your wealth, time, resources, talents,
In all things Christ must be preeminent. Now do you get it? Discipleship must be the primary mission of our church. It must be reinforced in our Sunday School programs, youth programs, men’s and women’s groups, young couples groups.
Discipleship must occur in every worship service and it must be a major focus of your home. God told Abraham why he called him:
Genesis 18:19 19 For I have chosen[a] him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
He called Abraham to disciple his children who would disciple his grandchildren….
Just after giving the ten commandments, Moses said:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[a] 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
What is that? That is discipleship.
Proverbs 22:6 6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Ephesians 6:4 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
This is discipleship.
Now what about you?
Now here is some very good news.
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Conclusion - Now I wish to close with CHRIST’S GREAT PROMISE in Matthew 28: 20b. His promise to disciples, who become disciplemakers is: “And lo, I am with you all the days, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus promised to be with us all the days of our life.
So what have we learned in this message? We have learned that at the heart of the great commission of Jesus is the task of making disciples.
So, what about you? Now do you see what is really important? Can you say with Isaiah, “Here I am, send me.”
What must be your response to Christ’s Great Declaration, Christ’s Great Command and His Great Promise?
How must you respond if you obey Christ’s command to make disciples? What does it mean for you to die to yourself? How can you help with the work of discipleship?
Three ways: Pray Go Give
You can be a discipler. You have talents and gifts given by King Jesus, so that you can serve in this great cause.
Luke 10:2 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
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Appendix 6 Links
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Links
Ministry Resources Brigada.org
Trinity Websites Trinitycwm.org and Trinitycentraloahu.org
Facebook Pages: Trinity Church Central Oahu https://www.facebook.com/TCCO.HI Trinity Center for World Mission https://www.facebook.com/trinitycwm
Partner Websites
ACTI ugandamission.net/acti
African Bible College africanbiblecolleges.net
The Bible Society of Uganda biblesociety-uganda.org
Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics reformed.org
Christ Presbyterian Church clarksvillepca.org
Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation ccef.org
Desiring God Ministries desiringgod.org
Global Hope Network International globalhopenetwork.org/
