Do you have a heart for mission trips? Maybe you’ve traveled to third-world countries helping others. That’s commendable. It’s something God hasn’t asked me to do yet. Right now my mission field is my books.
Deuteronomy 15:11 says, For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
You should travel to help others if that is what God has put on your heart. However, it seems lately a lot of churches are sending their members out of the country to help others, yet these same churches have a tendency to forget that their largest mission field is in their own back yard.
Too many church members are willing to help their own members or those in foreign countries. Unfortunately, they don’t acknowledge the widow down the road who needs help just as much as the shoeless child in India. There are people in every city in this country that need help, yet some churches are so busy sending their people away, they ignore those close to home.
That is probably why I like my church so much. Our leaders have a heart for helping others. Not just those far away. We help support our local community, including the elementary school where approximately 3/4 of the children come from low income housing. We not only help in the way of food and backpacks at the beginning of the school year, but we have a several people who go and mentor/tutor the children. The former principal was so pleased with how we helped out the families in the area that she joined our church.
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The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity. – Mike Stachura, Global Ministries Pastor
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Those in your town, your workplace, and your own home are just as important as the starving children in Africa. Unfortunately people don’t get a pat on the back for helping those nearby like they do for traveling overseas. But that’s okay. God knows your 
heart and knows you are helping others. Your accolades will come in Heaven.
Going to hospitals, nursing homes, and local schools show that your church is involved in the community and is giving back.
Too many churches send their people far away, yet don’t do a lot in their own neighborhood. How do you expect to reach those farthest if you don’t reach those nearest? It’s great to want to help others in faraway lands. But sometimes the most important people you can reach are right next door.
If you or someone you know are in need of prayer this week, please let us know. We’d be more than happy to pray for you.
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