During our return from the recent International Conference On Missions in Kansas City, my wife and I talked of how changes over the years. Some of our discussion centered around a conversation she had with her mother about our travel. They were talking over a cellular telephone about the weather conditions that my mother in law had been following on satellite television. Just think of how my mother in law’s life has changed in her ninety-one years!
Many things have changed over the 17 years during which I have served at Mission Services and many more during the nearly 68 years of this work. The aforementioned cellular telephone has enabled billions to communicate where no land lines existed! The development of Skype followed shortly after the introduction of the Internet, and now we have video communication the likes of which were “dreams” of the future included in Dick Tracy comics of my youth!
The work we perform has changed along with these advancements. I am certain Harrold McFarland, who founded Mission Services along with his wife Adele, would be excited about our new ventures of “the missions network” and our “app” that was introduced just days ago. Harrold was a man of vision who sought to use every means possible (magazines, newsletters, and newspapers in his day) to promote the work of world missions. I am excited about and thankful for the new possibilities of service that were discussed during our days in Kansas City.
There are some things that have not changed for Mission Services, nor will they in my opinion. First, our focus has always been upon promoting the cause of world missions! Mission Services printed newsletters and HORIZONS magazines, but our purpose was never about applying ink to paper. Our goal has always been to help more people know about and become involved in the work of God’s Kingdom around the world! The new communication tools available help us in that task!
Second, our dependence has always been upon God and His church for this work. Mission Services never sought. Our goal has been to promote the work of missions while leaving the most possible in the work on the field. God has allowed us to MULTIPLY the impact of the support we have received into greater Kingdom ventures, and this continues to be our focus today.
We want to thank YOU, those who support us financially and pray for us regularly, for making this work possible! We are thankful that God has enabled us to continue serving and allowed us to grow in service as circumstances have changed.
In closing, I would like to let you know how you can help us do this growing work more effectively.
1. Stay in touch with missions
a. Read HORIZONS in print or on the Internet.
b. Download our free app & learn about missions on your smartphone. It is available in the Apple App Store and in the Play Store for Android.
c. Visit http://themissionsnetwork.com for even more information
2. Tell a friend about all the information we supply
a.Tell EVERYONE at church about MSA, the missions network & our app
b. Do not assume everyone knows about us!
3. Pray for our Board & Staff to be guided by God’s wisdom & Spirit
4. Give as you can! For more than 67 years, we have depended on many people giving small to medium sized gifts. That continues to be true.
We will never be able to adequately thank those individuals and congregations who make this work possible. Never forget that we remember you in our prayers.
Mission Services Association, Inc.
