The Arcola Covenant Community is committed to serving and building relationships with all people as a direct result our covenant relationship with God. While church ministries foster gospel character within, missions serve as a vehicle to live out our gospel identity by impacting the lives of others both locally and globally. Through missions, we seek to serve the world as Jesus did before us.

PEACE (Shalom, Salaam)

As defined: restoration or completeness; offering; salvation
Restoring brokenness and disjointed arenas of this world as Christ did.
Understanding the role of missions with a Christ-consciousness.

• Physical needs of healing, restoration, and meeting
• Spiritual vacancies for the hurt and lost
• Emotional wounds

PRAYER

To meet the needs on a physical and spiritual basis.

• Being cautious not to get trapped into a works-righteousness mentality, but in the Spirit, by the Spirit, and with the Spirit on every outing, preparation, and mentality.
• Ephesians 6:18-19 – “18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

PERSONS

The individual being met as well as the individual being sent.

• To fight against the temptation to bless-&-run; whence brought into the lives of others to begin to see and care for them as fellow ‘brothers & sisters’ in Christ. (ie. Long-term relationships)

PREPARATION

Missions Education

• Teaching, preaching, training
• Seminars, retreats, conferences
• Church-wide adoption and not solely a small sector of the church’s involvement

PRACTICE

That in all our coming-in and going-outs we might display:

• Consistency
• Excellence
• Frequency
• Love
• Humility/Teach-ability

Resources:

THE UMC - “The world is our parish.”

• Global Ministries – The United Methodist Church
  • http://new.gbgm-umc.org/
• UMCOR – The United Methodist Committee on Relief
  • http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/