Going Global, Serving Local
June 3, 2022
Going Global, Serving Local
Pentecost means “fiftieth day.” It is the 50th day of Passover. And in the year Jesus Christ was crucified, a remarkable chain of events began that impacts each of us today.
That year — probably 29 AD — thousands of Jews had come to the Holy City of Jerusalem for Passover and the celebration of Pentecost. They witnessed the crucifixion of a rabbi from the small region of Galilee. While significant today, it seemed like just another execution at the hands of the Romans. And yet…the resurrection of Jesus would establish in the minds of many that he was Jesus…THE CHRIST.
Some of his final words foreshadow our emphasis at Northwest this Sunday, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Although these words were spoken to Jesus’ apostles, they have influenced the church from that time to now as we start right where we live, extend reach regionally, and support efforts globally. That’s why we take up a special offering every Pentecost Sunday to support our efforts located in, “…the ends of the earth.”
Followers of Jesus have always felt a calling to go global while serving locally. But we often fail to realize we are a multi-site church. Northwest has multiple sites for ministry, including Kenya, West Africa, Mozambique, Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, and Lynnwood. While our “multi-site structure” is not about coordinating Sunday morning worship, it is about spreading the good news of God’s love through serving the people around us.
Sometimes this means helping refugees, while other times it involves the translating of scripture. For some, it includes feeding programs and camps, while others utilize education as an effective outreach. One of our sites allows us to help buy families out of slavery (or indentured servitude), while another enables us to help educate aids/war orphans.
All of this is about going global while serving locally.
We go about the business of planting seeds of faith and allowing God to give the growth. Many of our sites only realize small conversion rates, while others are more evangelistically blessed. But all of our sites share this in common…we believe if we serve faithfully through God’s love, we will all witness the transformation God desires for people and communities.
I want to encourage you to give generously to our global mission efforts this Sunday. Your gift is one way we make an impact globally while we are faithfully serving locally.
Pentecost means “fiftieth day.” It is the 50th day of Passover. And in the year Jesus Christ was crucified, a remarkable chain of events began that impacts each of us today.
That year — probably 29 AD — thousands of Jews had come to the Holy City of Jerusalem for Passover and the celebration of Pentecost. They witnessed the crucifixion of a rabbi from the small region of Galilee. While significant today, it seemed like just another execution at the hands of the Romans. And yet…the resurrection of Jesus would establish in the minds of many that he was Jesus…THE CHRIST.
Some of his final words foreshadow our emphasis at Northwest this Sunday, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Although these words were spoken to Jesus’ apostles, they have influenced the church from that time to now as we start right where we live, extend reach regionally, and support efforts globally. That’s why we take up a special offering every Pentecost Sunday to support our efforts located in, “…the ends of the earth.”
Followers of Jesus have always felt a calling to go global while serving locally. But we often fail to realize we are a multi-site church. Northwest has multiple sites for ministry, including Kenya, West Africa, Mozambique, Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, and Lynnwood. While our “multi-site structure” is not about coordinating Sunday morning worship, it is about spreading the good news of God’s love through serving the people around us.
Sometimes this means helping refugees, while other times it involves the translating of scripture. For some, it includes feeding programs and camps, while others utilize education as an effective outreach. One of our sites allows us to help buy families out of slavery (or indentured servitude), while another enables us to help educate aids/war orphans.
All of this is about going global while serving locally.
We go about the business of planting seeds of faith and allowing God to give the growth. Many of our sites only realize small conversion rates, while others are more evangelistically blessed. But all of our sites share this in common…we believe if we serve faithfully through God’s love, we will all witness the transformation God desires for people and communities.
I want to encourage you to give generously to our global mission efforts this Sunday. Your gift is one way we make an impact globally while we are faithfully serving locally.