We Value Them!

One of our partnership pastors once said when addressing one of our teams, "I don't know why you are came. But I asked God why you came and He said, 'I sent them to remind you that you are not in this alone.'" We have been taking steps to show our pastors we value them and we are in this with them by building relationships, bringing teams to encourage them in their ministry, and by hosting a pastors conference. We are excited as our relationships with these pastors grow and they begin to build relationships with each other.

We know that when these partners connect together, something beautiful happens. Ideas are shared and dreams are born! Check out this blog about on our Partnership Conferences.  Our vision and hope for our upcoming Partnership Conference this fall is to not only invite the Pastors, but host their wives as well. We want to give them a real time of relaxation and fellowship with training, encouragement, worship, and meetings.

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Without our staff, we couldn't host teams like we do. We have been encouraged by their leadership and growth throughout the years and know that they sacrifice much to serve with us. Many of them have families, so when they serve with us for a week or two or three, they leave their kids and wives (or husbands) for that time. I know that that this is a great sacrifice that they are choosing to make as a family.

At our last staff meeting, the focus was being healthy in every aspect of life so we can serve the Lord well. This includes our relationships with our families and friends. This is especially important for husbands and wives. To find out more about what that last meeting was like (I really encourage you to do this) read Prepare to be Poured. My goal is to be able to recognize the value of our staff in August when we hold our end of summer celebration. This year, I want to invite their families to join us for an overnight stay at a local hotel/resort. We will spend time in worship, fellowship, fun, and debriefing the summer.

Many people know the value of our partnership pastors and our staff. These men and women have impacted  so many lives in the US and in Haiti. I have made these two events a priority this year and, hopefully, for many years in the future. For these events specifically, YOU have an opportunity to give. You have an opportunity to get involved in helping us show our partnership pastors how much we appreciate the work they do in their communities. You have an opportunity to invest in our staff and their families.

If you would like to make a donation toward these events, you can do so on the Praying Pelican Missions' secure website. Make sure to add a note to indicate which event you want your donation to go to. If you want more information about the cost of these events or just want more information about them, please feel free to contact me by using the sidebar.

Please prayerfully consider helping us show our Partnership Pastors and our staff valuable they really are to us!

Connecting the Dots

In the Spring of 2013, we were inspired. Praying Pelican Missions strives to connect the local church on a global level and that message was the focus of our President, Matt Pfingsten, during one of his sessions that year. I remember it clearly. He showed a slide of Belize and all the communities we partner with there. Then a slide of the US and Belize with the churches in the states that partner with the communities in Belize and the dots connected. Then, the what if. What if all the churches in the whole world were connected to each other? What ideas would be shared? How would the world be affected if the local churches were connected. The light bulb over Al's head turned on.

What if we connected all of our local partnership churches in Haiti?

The idea was born. We let the idea and plan grow and develop worked for over a year. In early December 2014, we brought 20 of our partnership pastors together at a hotel in the Port-au-Prince area for a 24 hour conference. We focused on true partnership and talked about what the Body of Christ looks like. The pastors had a chance to get to know one another. Many denominations were represented that weekend: Nazarene, Baptist, Catholic, Church of God, etc.  As the weekend went on, the denominational lines dissolved and these men became friends.

I remember, at the end of that conference, the pastors were so excited about what the future holds for them as they partner with churches in the states and with each other.

Almost a year later, we held the second Partnership Conference. This time the theme was Koinonia--Christian fellowship or communion with God and/or other believers. And that weekend, we truly enjoyed this community. Different pastors shared, led worship, addressed community development concerns and brainstormed ideas. Almando gave presentations on the basics of Praying Pelican Missions, what it takes for a team to get here, and addressed the importance of knowing the state of the world and community development projects.

The impact we have started to see from connecting these churches, these dots on the map, is amazing. Pastors are inviting one another to preach in their churches or be the keynote speaker at a conference, the idea came up of having a Partnership Pastors Mission Trip (which we are hoping to see happen this year), and ideas are being implemented in different communities as the pastors share vision and creative solutions to problems with each other. 

This conference has become a highlight for Al and myself. One of the things we look forward to planning and hosting because we see it make a difference. It is such a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ coming together to serve and grow. We see a change. Yes, it is a slow change--and some people are faster to learn than others, but we know that as we continue to lift up our pastors and connect them together, God will use and honor that.

Pray for our partnership pastors this summer as they receive teams from churches in the United States and Canada. Pray for the teams that are serving--that they would know that these partnerships matter. Pray that the partnerships are healthy and that God is glorified in them.