August 28, 2007

Dear Friends in Christ,

I write to share exciting news that affects all Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission coworkers in Russia and, hopefully, each of you and your congregation!

In October, Mission Challenge ’07 will unfold and blossom into the largest mission event in the life of our church in decades. Forty-seven missionaries will spend a week sharing the stories of their service across 143 of our denomination’s presbyteries. In short, over 80 percent of our presbyteries will host folks and learn firsthand about our ministries with brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

It is my privilege to be part of the 47 visiting mission personnel. I’m scheduled to travel to churches in the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest (that’s Eastern Washington and north Idaho) and Glacier Presbytery (Western Montana).

If all goes as prayed for, our PC(USA) mission story will be lifted up in over 700 congregations. The sharing will not just be about twinning or seminaries in St. Petersburg or Roma in Russia or Ukraine, but will be about the full spectrum of sharing the good news in word and deed in Christ’s name across the globe.

Another part of Mission Challenge ’07 is an appeal to every church in the denomination to support Presbyterian mission co-workers like me. In mid-September a letter will go to the pastors and clerks of session in all 10,884 churches in our denomination. It will inform them of materials coming in early October that interpret the excellence of the Presbyterian Church as a mission-sending agency and invite them to offer financial support to Presbyterian missionaries through the World Mission program unit.

During the first week of October, a box will arrive in every church with bulletin inserts equal to the church’s average Sunday attendance. The inserts include a call to action, inviting all to participate in mission by praying faithfully and giving generously. These are accompanied by a DVD featuring our new director of World Mission, Hunter Farrell. The box will contain two short but compelling videos that bring to life a representative sample of our missionaries in service.

It’s likely that your presbytery will be visited in October by a missionary. Hopefully, your congregation has been working with the mission committee of the presbytery to schedule events that you can participate in. To find out if your presbytery is involved, go to the Mission Challenge '07 Web site.

Obviously, the denomination can’t send a missionary to every congregation this October, but I’m hoping that all of our congregations will participate in Mission Challenge ’07 by choosing a Sunday to view the DVD, use the bulletin inserts, and commit to supporting at least one missionary. 

Let me make you a promise. If your congregation wants me to come to you (and you can pay my airfare from Spokane, Washington) in the next year, I’ll bring you the full story of Mission Challenge ’07 and presentations on our PC(USA) mission in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland. Email me, please, at Gary Payton if you are interested.

I just returned from an enthusiastic four-day visit to the Missouri River Valley Presbytery. I spoke at the presbytery meeting, preached on Sunday, met with university staff about the scourge of human trafficking, and gave multiple presentations on the fullness of our church partnerships in these four Slavic nations. We talked about congregational twinning, support to theological and Christian education, unreached peoples, and social ministries. I’d be delighted to share with you both the “big picture” of the PC(USA) mission around the world, and the piece of that picture that the Lord has called me to participate in.

My friends, I am asking you to support and encourage your congregation’s full participation in Mission Challenge ’07. And, in these days ahead, may we hold in our prayers all who take part in this great mission effort.

Yours in Christ,

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.187