by Randy Harp
I will be honest, as we work toward getting this issue of the Tribune to our printers, I am doing it on little sleep. The reason … I have been staying up late watching the Olympics. Whether it is the most recent edition of the “Dream Team” in basketball, the “Little Giant” in gymnastics, or Michael Phelps winning, at the time of print, his 21st Olympic gold medal, I love it all. Nothing amps up my American pride as much as the Olympics.
But even as I type this I fall under conviction. My thoughts go to a lunch I had recently with a new friend who just moved to town. In discussing how his search for a local church was going, he mentioned visiting a church the day before Independence Day. He said something along the lines of, “Having served Christ internationally for long enough, it was hard to see a church focus so much on American patriotism.” I am also reminded of the challenge from my local church. Our pastor challenged us, as a church, to raise funds to translate the Bible for a people group in the Ivory Coast that does not have a written Bible in their language. In an interview, one of the translators relayed the response of this people group to having a Bible in their language, “God is no longer a Western God. He is no longer a white God. He is ours.”
As much as I love living in the United States, I must not lose sight that we serve an international God. This is the reason we have missions and missionaries. We are commanded to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” But as the book of Romans points out, “How shall they preach unless they are sent?” A modern-day question might be, “How do those who are sent get there?” This issue of the Tribune helps answer that question. In this edition of the bi-annual Global Partners we focus on deputation. Many missionaries I know have a love/hate relationship with deputation. There is much more to the process than many of us realize. As you read through this Tribune, take time to pray for our missionaries, especially the ones who are just getting started on their journey.
I would also like to remind you about our upcoming National Fellowship Meeting at Cape Cod Church in Falmouth, MA. It is not too late to make plans to join us. There is a great lineup of speakers and activities as well as some important Fellowship business to take care of. See page 6 for more information about this meeting.
As always, thank you for the opportunity to serve Christ as I serve you. If I can ever be a help to you or your church, please let me know.