Tag Archives: AIMUPCI

April in Review

May 3, 2014 By in Process Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Welcome to May!

As I sit down to write this first post for the month of May… we are on the verge of a very busy month! Before we get to that, however, let me give you a quick run-down of some of the things that happened in April.

Financial Update:

progress 14-05-01

Financial standing to-date
(graphic courtesy of iPhone app: GOTRAKiT)

This graphic gives you a general snapshot of where we are to date in terms of our financial support. It shows:

  • Monthly Partners in Mission pledges* and
  • One-time offerings

At this point, roughly 14% of funds needed for a 2-year stay in France have been pledged to, or received by, Global Missions in St. Louis.

This is VERY encouraging, thank you!

* Note: This amount…

  • assumes that PIMs maintain their support for the entire duration of our AIM term.
  • reflects only those pledges or gifts already received and processed by Global Missions – some may have been sent, but are still being processed.

Honour Roll!

A HUGE thank you to those pastors and churches whose support has already been received by Global Missions:

  • Rev. Stephen Tompkins – McAdam NB
  • Rev. David Ferrell – Perth-Andover NB
  • Rev. Scott Grant – Trois-Rivières & Greenfield QC
  • Rev. Dwayne Steeves – Corner Brook NF
  • Rev. Timothy Mitchell – Montgomery AL
  • Rev. Doug Davis – Old Westbury NY
  • Rev. Anthony Mangun – Alexandria LA
  • Rev. Gary Keller – Lancaster OH
  • Rev. Wayne Neyland – DeQuincy LA
  • Rev. David Reever – Baltimore MD
  • Rev. Jimmy Wallace – Elk City OK
  • Rev. Richard Flowers – Mesquite TX

Also… a HUGE thank you to those pastors who have supported us, to date, by scheduling services in the coming months (in order of calendar dates).

  • Rev. Stephen Tompkins – McAdam NB
  • Rev. Timothy Mitchell – Montgomery AL
  • Rev. Scott Grant – Trois-Rivières & Greenfield QC
  • Rev. Steve Schobert – Dallas TX
  • Rev. Dieudonné Kahozi – Montréal East
  • Rev. Kent Carter – Shediac NB
  • Rev. Trevor McGuire – Milleville NB
  • Rev. Donald Hood – Charlottetown PEI
  • Rev. Troy Wickett – Summerside PEI
  • Rev. Keith Carter – Ste-Anne de Madawaska NB
  • Rev. Ron Carroll – Doaktown NB
  • Rev. Allison Cromwell – McNamee NB
  • Rev. Raymond Woodward – Fredericton NB
  • Rev. Michael Trail – Taymouth NB

 For up-to-date details, please see our schedule.

(During the month of May, we will be driving through the Alabama, Florida, Texas & Missouri. If you would like to have us come to your church or know of someone who might like to have us come, please fill out the form below.)

More April-Highlights…

  • On April 3rd, I began some of the paperwork necessary to temporarily move to Europe.  Bureaucracy exists in every country and France specializes in it!  Starting early, though, should help alleviate some of the stress.

Our efforts… God’s credit

We are trying to be diligent in our attempts to raise financial and prayer support. We realize however that for whatever comes in, the credit belongs to God. This principle is portrayed in Proverbs 21.31:

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. (KJV)
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. (NIV)

The assurance that “victory rests with the Lord” does not alleviate the necessity of the horsemen to prepare or make ready their horses for the battle. In the words of Duncan Campbell:

“…while God is sovereign in the affairs of men,
His sovereignty does not relieve men of responsibility.”

Contact Form:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Are you the Pastor of this Church?(required)

Thank you!

Thank you for your support. Yes. You are showing support simply by the fact that you are coming back time and again to stay informed about our project and preparations. Let it inform your prayer time and be part of the work of God in France.

Not a follower yet?

You can follow by email or in your WordPress reader by clicking the buttons on the top right of this page.

Connections…

April 23, 2014 By in People Tags: , , Leave a comment

They say you can tell a lot about a person by the people they surround themselves with!

Perhaps in our online world… another version could be, “You can tell a lot about a person by the people / things they connect themselves to.”  As we have gotten and continue to get closer to being on the field, I find myself wanting some new connections in addition to the ones I already have.

Disclaimer: I don’t intend to leave folks out….
just intending to give a smattering for now, not a complete directory:
For that, you can check out my profile @RevMikeLong

Entity Twitter Feeds:

North American Missionaries:

Global Missions & AIM:

Interested in Missions?

twitter-logo-birdI recently read a great article by Rev. Mark Hattabaugh (@HappyHattabaugh) in a recent Pentecostal Herald article entitled The Power of Exposure. In it, there is a zinger of a quote (among many):

“You get a burden the same way you get the measles… by being exposed!”

If you’re at all interested in missions – whether in North America or around the world – begin to tap into folks who are already involved in missions. A great way to do that is through twitter.

  • You’ll hear reports of things happening (baptisms, bible studies, Holy Ghost infillings, miracles)
  • You’ll come across links to articles on missions
  • You’ll begin to become aware of key players that are involved

Don’t see someone listed above for an area that you’re interested in?

It’s one small way… but it’s a start if you’re not already connected to the world of Global Missions.

Go ahead, I challenge you. Find and connect with two new Missions tweeps today.

Presentation Schedule

February 1, 2014 By in Churches, Places Tags: , 4 Comments

banner setup

Below, you’ll find a “calendar view” and a “table view” of our schedule to date.

Given the interest to date, many are looking to welcome us in the fall, which will, I suspect, fill up quickly. If you’d like us to come and are able to take us earlier in the year, it would allow us to visit as many churches as possible.

*Note* there are some problems with the google calendar display on mobile devices (shows simply “busy” in stead of the presentation locations. Recommendation: check out “table view”).

Calendar View:

Table View:

No upcoming events

Thank you for your interest in having us come!

.

Letter from my Pastor

January 11, 2014 By in Churches, People, Process Tags: , 6 Comments

This note was sent from my pastor, Rev. Brent Carter, to the other ministers of the Atlantic Carter_bust_bw flipDistrict, on Friday, January 10th, 2013. I have his permission to share it in here as well.

Good Afternoon Brethren,

The Lord has opened the door for Bro. and Sis Long, and their family, to be involved in AIM in the country of France. Bro. Long has felt the burden for a number of years and under our direction as Pastor, we support fully their desire to see this come to pass.

During our vision service for 2014 and beyond, this past Sunday, Bro. Long announced to our congregation what we, as a team, have worked towards for their future. This will be a great loss for Mission Point but a great blessing to the Missionaries of France. Their primary purpose will be to take care of things while the Bro. and Sis. Brochu are on deputation.

All approvals have been given by WEC and the budget has been set. The timeline for the Long’s to be in France would be by January 2015. Bro. and Sis. Long are fully versed in the Language and are very capable of accomplishing what God has laid on their heart to do, immediately upon their arrival.

Mission Point will be very involved in helping them financially fulfill this term. If any individuals could assist them financially or if any church would be willing for them to come and share their burden for France, it would be much appreciated as well.

You can either contact myself or Bro. Long by phone or email (633-0010, pastorcarter@missionpoint.ca or mike@missionpoint.ca ) to schedule a service, or, a donation can be sent to the church on their behalf.

Thank You for being an incredible Missions minded District. I thank you in advance for your sacrifice towards this awesome family. They are a wonderful couple and have three awesome children.
 
Thank You,
Pastor B Carter

I can honestly say that this note is very representative of the level of support that I have received from Bro. Carter from the time we began working together, in September 2012.

As I’ve already written a post on the importance of your spouse being on board with the vision that God gives you, I urge you to take a look at another post:

10 Reasons it’s important to keep your pastor in the loop.

 

5 Parties Decisionmakers look out for…

December 28, 2013 By in Churches, Process Tags: , , , Leave a comment

What happens when decision-makers consider your application?  By what criteria are they evaluating your readiness for service overseas? Who are they really looking out for?

Decision-makers look out for…

  1. the candidate – An AIM term gone bad (or at least, one that doesn’t meet your expectations) can endanger a legitimate call of God on your life. How could it go bad? Check out my Short Term Nightmare post for 8 possible ways.
  2. the missionary – A missionary wears many hats at the best of times. They’re responsible to their church(es) on the field, to the national church as well as to their support base in North America. They must grow a church, often without the well developed leadership team that would be common back home. They must remain constantly focused on what’s happening now while also planning the next step. An improperly vetted short-term candidate can require a great deal of support from the missionary since they know the country, the people, the resources, etc. given their longer tenure onsite. They are also “the closest thing to home”, so if a volunteer is having a difficult time with any part of their experience, the missionary becomes the first gatekeeper of support (translator if language skills are insufficient, first responder in a medical situation, go-between with  government agencies (hospitals, drivers’ licenses, visa officers, etc.) or just plain emotional support). They always expects to deal with some such issues, but too much can become a major drain on the missionary’s time, energy and mental focus.
  3. the national church – Although doctrinal issues are typically the same across the organization, the treatment of some questions of doctrine, or the practice thereof, can subtly differ from one country / continent / national church to another. By the very nature of the short term during which a volunteer may come, any lack of care on any of these questions can cause controversy among local believers.  In Missions settings, many believers are younger in the faith and/or churches smaller in size, therefore, any controversy will have a greater impact that one would expect or anticipate. When decision-makers closely scrutinize applications on questions of belief, they are trying to protect national churches on the Mission Field.
  4. the sending organization – If a short-term experience goes bad, in any way, for an individual… the ramifications are felt by the sending organization.
      1. If the budget falls far shorter than expected and unforeseen economic reasons are not to blame, it’s organization can be seen as not properly creating an opportunity in which the candidate could “succeed” and lacking due diligence.
      2. If the candidate is not truly a good fit for either the missionary or the field – whether in terms of personality, skill or responsibility – the organization will be seen to have not properly screened either the individual or the opportunity.
      3. And the list could go on….  What’s important is that everyone involved (missionary, candidate, support base, etc.) looks to the organization to ensure, as much as possible, a good fit and a positive experience. If that does not happen… everyone still looks to them (to some degree) as having responsibility.  If they are seen or perceived to not sufficiently prepare or protect all involved, they will lose the confidence of those looking to them and the organization ceases to be a viable choice for those looking for a short-term experience.
  5. the sending church – The sending church (be it a local church, a local district or the collective North American church) places a great deal of confidence and invests a great deal of money into short-term missions candidates. If the sending church invests $30,000 into a volunteer on a 6-month assignment and that individual has to return home early, having neither completed the term, significantly advanced the work on the field or having inadvertently caused an issue in the national church, then the sending church can feel as though, through no fault of their own, they have not be a faithful steward of the financial resources that God has entrusted to them. They can then become hesitant to give in the future or may give with reservation.Both long and short-term missions are greatly dependent on the giving of the North American church. The quality of decisions made by organizational decision-makers, as proven out over time, greatly impacts the confidence level of this church. It is therefore essential to protect the confidence of the sending church.

Decision-makers are important: all parties involved depend on them to create, as much as possible, a win-win situation. So when they seem to over-emphasize this or that aspect of the application or the application process, they are really doing it for your benefit as much as everyone else’s …  though it might not seem so at the time.

A negative decision might not mean that what you feel to be the will of God is not that. It might be an indication that it’s not the will of God for that particular moment. If it truly is the will of God, then it will happen.

Decisionmakers have been entrusted by men and by the Lord with judgement and responsibility to ensure that you experience the dream that God put in your heart without it ending up as a nightmare.  If you haven’t yet read my Short Term Nightmare post… now might be a good time. Thank God for decision-makers!

More than Acceptance

December 19, 2013 By in Blog, Process Tags: , Leave a comment

accepted_png

This was the beginning of my journal entry yesterday:

“Got the call this afternoon from Bro. Poitras letting us know that our AIM application had been approved.”

While speaking with him on the phone yesterday afternoon, I was of course very glad at the news. As the day progressed, however, it occurred to me that the full weight of what that meant was really only beginning to dawn on me.

We fill out application forms all the time, and often have them approved by people we have never, nor will ever, see. The acceptance letter is seen as the natural and expected next step: a “given” as opposed to something that is contingent on a number of factors. It occurred to me however, that – at least in the case of an AIM application – an expression of acceptance is a great deal more.

Acceptance is…

An expression of confidence:   Our AIM application was deliberated by…

      1. Bro. Bruce Howell (General Director of Global Missions for the United Pentecostal Church and long time missionary in El Salvador)
      2. Bro. Scott Slaydon (General Secretary of Global Missions)
      3. Bro. Bryan Abernathy (Director of Promotions, Global Missions)
      4. Bro. Jim Poitras (Director of Education / AIM, Global Missions and long time missionary in Ghana, West Africa)
      5. Bro. David Schwarz (Regional Director of the Central American / Caribbean Region, Global Missions)

These five men do more than simply check off items on a list. They attempt to read between the lines and make decisions that are in the best interest of the applicant, the missionaries concerned and the national church. This of course over and above the confidence already expressed by my pastor and district superintendent as well as the others who have encouraged us along the way.

A Definite Next Step:  There are certain Line in the Sand moments, when something feels very, very real. It’s easy to say “We’re in the process of…” doing this or that, but when an application has been accepted for a project of this nature, the trajectory is set and it becomes only a matter of time. Other things or secondary processes that depended on this one, can begin to be engaged.  We’re one step closer to the dream.

A Transfer of Anointing/Authority/Responsibility: As I sat in Bible Study, listening to my pastor’s message – as he talked about gatekeepers in and for the local church and for the city, I couldn’t help but utter a prayer for the cities in which we will be working (Paris and Châtellerault)… asking that God would give gatekeepers in those cities as well: people who would be key in opening up relationships and opportunities, that the Kingdom of God be advanced there.

Lord, like Ananias of Damascus in Acts chapter 9, bring me into contact with, your chosen vessel(s) … those who will, in turn, bear your name to their villages in western France and beyond.  

I am, to a greater degree, feeling a responsibility for those communities. To some degree, it is like the passing of a mantle I suppose… and I accept.

Lord, just give me Châtellerault and her surroundings and let me win victories for you… let me be a vessel that brings honour to my master.

These are just a couple of things that a letter of acceptance of acceptance can produce, when we apply ourselves to the right things.

 

 

Controlled burn

December 1, 2013 By in Process Tags: , 1 Comment

You could say that a controlled burn is using fire to fight fire, and though that may sound counter-intuitive, it is effective.

According to Wikipedia, a controlled burn is also known as a hazard-reduction burn and is used in the areas of forestry management, farming, prairie restoration etc. In the case of forestry management it would essentially look like this: Forestry management staff target an area with many dead or dying trees and, during the cooler months, purposefully set it on fire.  Their intention is to burn, in a controlled setting, a swath of land which would pose an ever greater risk, were it to occur during hot summer months where stronger wind would spread the fire further and faster. It also means reducing the risk of this particular area catching fire while other forest fires are also raging, limiting available fire-fighting personnel to all fires.

Similarly, during the first fifteen months of our preparation to go on the mission field, we made a pointed effort to control the spread of information about our plan. Here’s how we did it.

  • In the six days after God had spoken to me (this happened while I was on-site in the country), I mentioned it only to the two missionaries. They had both, at various times, expressed either an interest in having me take part in the the work or simply mentioned that they could easily see me fitting in to the work. At this point I simply expressed that I felt God had spoken something and there was a possibility. I mentioned that as I left France that particular time, it was unlike previous times and  I asked them to be in prayer.
  • In the two months following my return to Canada, I mentioned it to three people: my current pastor and two previous pastors who had played a great role of mentorship in my life. I wanted their input and their prayer support but I didn’t present it as a “done deal.”
  • In the third month following my return, I began discussing it with my wife (my Patience is a Virtue post describes why I waited this long to talk to her about it) and a couple of months after that, she mentioned it to one person.
  • In the seventh month after my return, three members of my district leadership became aware as the question of future ministry came up during my interview for Ministerial Ordination. Two other close minister friends also became aware during the same time period… and this is where things stayed until four months after that, when – by virtue of my application to Global Missions‘ A.I.M. Program – staff in St. Louis became aware.

This was definitely a slow-burn situation. For almost a year, there were only a dozen people who were aware of what God was slowly maturing in our life. We knew that it was wise to seek counsel from those with more experience in ministry so we engaged some key voices in our life.

As to the delay… call it our attempt at self-preservation. Perhaps I was afraid of hastily making a grandiose statement about what I felt to be the call of God which would prove, in the end, to not be the case. Either way, one thing is sure… having only limited involvement by others allowed us to keenly distill and discern the will of God for our family. We know that we have heard from the Lord and are not simply seeking to do what others expect… We think of this as hazard reduction… or a controlled burn.

What do you see as the benefits to limiting the spread of info before it’s time?

Patience is a virtue

November 24, 2013 By in Process Tags: 1 Comment

“Pa-cheeen-tsa… pa-cheeen-tsa!” repeated my wife’s Sicilian grandmother, before we were married.  (This is as close as I can come to transcribing her pronunciation of the italian word for “patience”).

This is a sequel to Don’t even Think about it,  discussing the importance of your spouse being on-board with the extended missions involvement that you feel God is calling you to.  If you haven’t read it yet, it might be helpful to begin with that post and come back to this one.

That God called me to a greater involvement in foreign missions is not so surprising. In fact, my wife likely feared that this day might come (the word ‘fear’ is intentional), yet as we prepare to go, she is 100% on-board. How did we get from “I fear it” to “I’m all for-it”?

Over the past twenty years, I had spent a great deal of time in France between personal travel, study for my Master’s Degree and ministry involvement. It was no secret that I had a love for the country and the culture. My wife, on the other hand, grew up an Italian in Belgium (a country that the French typically make fun of), so there was familiarity but no particular affinity. Liz moved to Canada after we married and in doing so, uprooted her entire life (friends, family, cultural and institutional familiarity, etc.), something I both admire and respect. Given that it was such a huge sacrifice, I had said repeatedly that I would never again ask her to do that unless it was very clearly the will of God to do so.

Different ministry opportunities had presented themselves, and although some would’ve been appealing in terms of autonomy or adventure, none were of the Lord. When we would discuss these possibilities, I was careful to reiterate the guideline that I’d established…. that I would not ask her to uproot again unless absolutely convinced that it was clearly the Lord’s plan. Over time she realized that I meant those words.  This built security in her.

Even after I felt quite sure that the Lord was leading us to France, I refrained from discussing it with her for about three months.  I also asked the Lord to speak to her during that time… to prepare her to receive what was solidifying in my heart. If it was of Him, He was well able to speak to her as He had to me.

Before half of those three months had passed, she mentioned to me a desire to get some things in order (the house, bills, etc.) in case we would have to make any kind of move. In that, along with a few other things, I could see that the Lord was preparing the ground… and answering my prayer.

We also limited the spread of what we were contemplating. Sometimes the more people are aware, the more pressure there is to move the process forward at a faster pace. For this reason, only a 1/2-dozen people, or so, were aware of our plan for nearly a year – people whose prayer life, walk with God and advice we trusted.

Did you catch that? I said “nearly a year”. In fact… at the time of this writing, we have been formally in the process for fifteen months and still very few people are aware of our plans. By exhibiting patience (pa-cheeen-tsa) I have given the Lord time to speak into my wife’s spirit and given my wife time to get comfortable with the idea.

They say that “slow & steady wins the race”.  I have found that to be the case. By taking our time, it has allowed my wife to opt-in to the plan. It is something we are planning together. Rather than simply “her following God’s plan for my life” we are pursuing God’s plan for our life… together.
And it feels great!

Thanks Nonna… pa-cheeen-tsa! … it works!

Don’t even think about it!

November 20, 2013 By in Process Tags: , 2 Comments

MLGagetownDon’t even think about extended missions involvement without the full support of your spouse!

The necessity for your spouse to be “on board” is essential with any kind of ministry involvement as it can involve long days, an unpredictable schedule, and high expectations (voiced or implied).  If your spouse is not fully supportive, there can arise a tug of war – in your spirit if no where else – for you must balance the needs of ministry along with the needs of your marriage and family. Balance is key in this area for two reasons:

  1. Your joy depends on experiencing fulfillment in all areas of your life… personal and ministerial, and joy is key!  If things at home are stable and balanced, you will approach the work of the Lord from a more positive start-point… and positivity breeds positivity.
  2. Your family is an example to those with whom you minister. This is not to say that your family needs be perfect (that’s not reality) but it should be a positive example of Christianity and should inspire others to want to serve Christ as a family.

This holds true for ministering families in any context, but there is an added layer when it comes to missions work, particularly in an overseas setting.

It’s one thing for an individual to feel a call to missions, but when an individual is part of a family unit, it’s something entirely different. Your call has implications for the other people in your family. In our case, four other people: my wife and three children, and the balance element must still be there.  Despite a host of new circumstances, your spouse will…

  1. be key in helping your children manage a new cultural context with its different norms and expectations.
  2. help your children balance the sense of loss (having left friends and familiarity) with the opportunities for discovery and growth that a new country and culture afford.
  3. remind you when its time for you to balance a bit… perhaps pull back to make sure your kids feel your support as well. If you are the one who has primarily experienced the call of God for this place, it will be easy for you to pour yourself into the work with full gusto. There will be times when your children and your spouse will need you, and your spouse will remind you of that.

Because of this heightened role in the life of your kids, it’s important to remain aware of their state of balance as well. Whatever their experience of your time in missions, it will be reflected onto, and likely magnified in, the life of your children. If, because of imbalance, their experience begins to be negative; that negativity will be amplified in the life of your kids. Inversely, if their experience is positive, they will propagate positivity into your kids’ experience.

Hence my initial statement: “…don’t even think about extended missions involvement without the full support of your spouse!”  If, from the outset, your spouse is not fully on board with your call to missions, it will jeopardize your family’s experience of the mission field, as well as your effectiveness in fulfilling what the Lord desires to accomplish through you.

What are some other ways in which an on-board spouse is vital?