These verses, and others included in Romans 10:8-17, provided the cornerstone for Saturday Send, an afternoon program organized and led by Caleb Mason, Director of Student Ministries & Missions, at Gashland on Saturday, March 4th.

      Attendee Nancy Williams commented, “Saturday Send was a great opportunity to become better acquainted with some of the missionaries GEPC supports, to learn more abut the countries they serve and the ministry opportunities they are involved in.” The program began with a worship service in the sanctuary in which Ellie McGinty led in congregational singing.  One of the songs was “He Reigns,” with its first verse providing the crux of Saturday Send:

     It’s the song of the redeemed 

     rising from the African plain

     It’s the song of the forgiven 

     drowning out the Amazon rain

     The song of Asian believers 

     filled with God’s holy fire

     It’s every tribe, every tongue, 

     every nation,       

     a love song born of a grateful choir

      Caleb brought a mission-based message, explaining that there are 8 billion people in the world, of which 40% (that’s 3.2 billion!!) are unreached by the gospel, and then offered 7 ways to reach the lost:

      1.  Meditate on the Word of God

      2.  Spread the gospel here in Kansas  

      City; there are nations in our own backyards

      3.  Pray specifically for the unreached; prayer is  

      not simply a formality

      4.  Give sacrificially, as little or as much as God 

      has given

      5.  Go to other countries where the gospel is not 

      shared

      6.  Read biographies of missionaries, from the 

      apostle Paul to modern day

      7.  Hold loosely to your life, it is not yours; be  

      willing to go wherever God wants you to go

      While obviously not every Christian believer can fulfill all seven of these methods of reaching the lost, each person can help in whatever ways are possible.

      Following the service, everyone moved down

stairs to Fellowship Hall to be served the first of many samples of food and beverages from countries in which Gashland supports missionaries.  Harley Schull offered good descriptions of some of the refreshments, “The Kenyan food was delicious with nice music to go along with it.” (Choice of beef or chicken with rice and vegetables) “The Philippines station offered juice and a quick history of missions there.”  (Mango nectar)   “The Lebanon room had baklava and the sweet news that many in the Arab world were having Jesus dreams and converting that way.”  Additional tastes included popcorn in The Jesus Film room, a strong hibiscus tea from Africa, biscuits (we call them cookies!) from London, a fruit drink from Haiti, and a sweet ending of strawberry gelato from Italy.

       Cindy Harris expressed, “We appreciated learning of the missionaries GEPC supports as a whole, giving us a more global perspective.  It felt good to become more personally connected with some of them through various means, and to hear about specific challenges that they are facing.”  

Areas throughout the world & missionaries that Gashland 

supports:

      Kenya – Robert Mulumbi                                           

      Philippines – PGA Linda Belugo

      Lebanon – Mook Family (World Outreach)               

      Haiti – Haiti Christian Mission

      Egypt/Northern Africa – Boaz & Ruth Glad; Kameel & Rachel Kilada   

      England – Matt Creacy

      Jesus Film Project – David & Sarah Kennedy           

      Italy – Francesco & Claudia Arco

       Attendees were given a Passport booklet containing blank pages that could be filled with information. Each location offered stickers of that country’s flag, perhaps a stamp and other information. Bill Pearce appreciated the missions-focused afternoon, “It was very well done.  Thanks to Caleb Mason and others, we had our horizons expanded about the people and places GEPC supports.  Let’s do it again sometime!”  And his wife, Binny, added, “Not only did we become acquainted with the work our supported missionaries are doing around the world as we went from station to station tasting the foods of that nation, we also learned how we must all be missionaries if we will obey God’s call.”