Missions, long a bright spot in the Church, has become brighter in recent years.
Expanding from Missions Abroad to include Home Missions and Church Planting, this ministry needed a leader with high energy, vision, and passion to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Such a person was found in Pastor Bill Hicks, who often describes the G. C. Missions department as “Working for you around the corner and around the world.” As a result, mission-mindedness at home and our global presence are on the rise. Opportunities to touch the world in the name of Christ are provided through managed projects like Pioneer Missionary Training, Medical Missions, and Disaster Relief.
Another managed project is Cristo Viene, Spanish for “Christ is coming.” This missionary fund now provides maintenance salary for indigenous evangelists in fifteen countries: Cuba, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Uruguay, Ecuador, Argentina, India, Kenya, United Kingdom, Philippines, Indonesia, and Italy. It solicits members in the U.S. and Canada to give twenty dollars per month toward this effort, with the goal of supporting five hundred missionaries through contributions from five thousand members.
This is an ambitious goal, but I’m not surprised, knowing the men behind the project. Immigrant leaders of our Haines City, Florida, congregation, Mario Mora (Costa Rica) and Rafael Parra (Colombia), conceived the idea and remain the human force behind it. Initially, they drove from church to church, personally soliciting funds. Motivated by a love for the whole world, they want to see the Church increase its commitment to missions. I spent time with these two brothers earlier this year and was refreshed to hear their hearts and observe their passion.
Historically, the U.S.-Canadian Church has not seen itself as a global administration but as one among many conferences of the Church of God (Seventh Day) around the world. It was only in 1978 that the International Ministerial Congress was formed to foster doctrinal harmony and to coordinate the evangelistic efforts of its members. But through G. C. Missions, the General Conference is becoming more and more a church with global vision and more at ease with the term “world church.” Therefore, Cristo Viene is apropos because it calls the whole Church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.
The gathering of the congress in Overland Park this summer is a good opportunity to observe the increasing global presence of our church and the role of G. C. Missions in this growth. Whether or not you attend the congress, please renew your commitment to world missions and, if you haven’t already, become a contributor to Cristo Viene. Since the fund became a managed project of G. C. Missions, measures to ensure its financial integrity have been taken. Contributions are sent directly to the Denver office, placing the fund under the Conference’s auditing standards. Gifts are tax deductible. And appropriately, IMC President Ramon Ruiz Garza serves as chair of our Missions Advisory Board that oversees this fund.
Recently, a letter came from the Church in Costa Rica expressing appreciation for the financial support we provide its workers. Reading it, I reflected on Cristo Viene and prayed for God to give us more men like Hicks, Mora, and Parra. I thank God that, through their efforts and yours, the Church of God (Seventh Day) is becoming a world-class church.
-- Whaid Guscott Rose
General Conference President
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