Here are friends from an inner-city “village,” encouraging Christians to come alongside them. In my 27 years of inner city work, I’ve seen perhaps six churches in the Chattanooga area whose members intentionally go into the inner city to regularly hangout with residents. Fear, indifference, and perhaps not wanting to identify with materially poorer people are probably the main reasons. “A poor man is shunned by all his relatives-- how much more do his friends avoid him!” (Pro 19:7 NIV) Please listen.

We have to start letting go of some of our long-held ideas about church and ministry. Especially when it comes to evangelism and outreach. But it’s not always easy.

Here’s a true story that illustrates that reality. (I’ve kept some details vague, and adjusted others slightly to protect the identity of the pastor and church in question.)

Recently, I was talking with a small church pastor who was upset at his deacons.

"I have five deacons," he told me. "And they help out everywhere but at the church. One of them builds houses for Habitat for Humanity, the others volunteer at the senior center, the homeless shelter, the food bank, and as an assistant coach for the high school football team. That last one makes me especially angry."

"Why is that?” I asked.

Continue reading at ChristianityToday

Good insights by David Crabb at TLI: http://trainingleadersinternational.org/blog/765/why-dont-we-see-many-african-american-missionaries

RMNi joins the Medical Missions Network

We invite all medical and dental personnel interested in short-term missions to visit our Medical Missions website listing. You'll find the kinds of specialties that we can use, places we serve, and photos of past medical missions. We are passionate about trying to meet the medical and dental needs of those we serve. Team members have worked in clinics and hospitals, in tents, and under a tree. Consider our S. Sudan trip scheduled for April, 2015. These fit within a two-week vacation period. We welcome medical support staff as well.