Serving Families in Christian Education

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” When God gifts you with children, he gifts you with an amazing discipleship opportunity, right in your own home! You can raise your children up to know the Lord and to walk in His ways. But when God calls you to move across the ocean to serve others, what does that mean for your children? Is it possible for them to experience a school environment grounded in solid, biblical truth?

The good news is yes! There are safe places where children can continue to grow both academically and in their faith. One such example is Black Forest Academy.

This Christian school in Kandern, Germany is run and staffed by global workers from a variety of organizations, including GEM, who have answered God’s call to serve in this type of ministry. In addition to their day program, BFA also serves remote families that don’t have adequate educational alternatives for their children by offering a high school boarding program. BFA has the privilege of serving over 200 students of over 20 different nationalities, who come from families living in over 60 countries. Talk about having a global impact!

Those who serve in ministry at Black Forest Academy take on roles including teachers, office staff, counselors, maintenance, dorm parents, resident assistants, and everything else that keeps a professional school going. They do it because they love it and are passionate about raising a strong up-and-coming generation.

So, why would God call someone to serve in this capacity? Maggie Green, a Resident Assistant at Black Forest Academy shares several reasons; “To work at BFA is to support ministries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. To support missionaries working in the 10/40 window, or with refugees or translating the Bible, or to end human trafficking. The list goes on and on.” The workers at this school aren’t just ‘doing their jobs’, they are allowing other workers to fulfill their callings, as well as ensuring their children are being trained up in the way they should go. “When you break this job into pieces – making breakfast, or driving a student somewhere, or helping someone with their homework, there’s a lot about it that may seem mundane, but all stitched together, this job is literally life on life discipleship,” Maggie explains.

These students are continually in community. What an amazing discipleship opportunity these workers have, to be in community with these students and display what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus.

Katrina Custer, a middle school teacher at BFA says, “I think anybody who gets into education as a teacher does so because they want to make an impact. I think being at BFA as a teacher, it just maximizes that impact because it’s a world-wide scale.” Katrina is excited about the possible impact that serving missionary kids can have, “Statistics show us that a quarter of these students could end up in missions someday… that’s a generation I want to be a part of!”

In 3 John 1:4 it says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth”, and although Paul wasn’t referring to actual children, I believe we can apply it to those the Lord entrusted to us – our children. Yes, there is so much joy in knowing that our children are walking in the truth, and thankfully we don’t have to carry the entire weight of teaching them on our own shoulders.

Let’s pause in our busy lives to pray for those working at Black Forest Academy and schools like it. They have a great responsibility in not only ensuring these kids receive academic success, but also in raising up the next generation to know the Lord and to walk in His ways. That is something these kids will remember the rest of their lives!

About the author:


Leanne Monge Barrera is a storyteller with Greater Europe Mission and serves out of Winnipeg, Canada.

Artistic Ministries at Work in Europe

What do you think of when you hear the term missionary? Do you imagine a labourer building a house in a third world country? Or maybe someone boldly praying for the sick to be healed? Does a missionary only serve within an already established church? Or perhaps only in planting new ones?

I wonder if you’d pictured a missionary painting a stunning sunset or sketching an olive tree, inspiring onlookers to ask deeper questions of the artist. Or could you have possibly imagined a musician standing in a piazza holding an acoustic guitar and singing worship songs to God, drawing interest from curious spectators?

I’d like to share with you some of the creative ways missionaries are serving through Europe and beyond. You see, the truth is that there are many unique ways a servant of God can reach others that do not necessarily fit into a box or stereotype. There’s no lack in the ways one can serve. So, let’s dive in and reveal some of the ways the original creator, God, is moving across Europe.

Maya and Patrick are missionaries with GEM serving in London, England. They’ve chosen to serve in ministry creatively. “Patrick does lettering and illustration. We also teach and coach creatives,” Maya shares. She goes on to describe how God has moved wonderfully through their ministry. “Someone shared with us that they had chosen to walk away from their faith and had packed up all their paint, etc. After God used us to share our story, they had taken out all their art supplies, started creating again and felt re-connected with God!”

Jessica, a missionary in Rome, Italy has also seen God move through her unique paintings. “A lot of my creating is out of a place of worship, and I think something that’s fun about being an artist [that has a relationship with the Father] is that people notice it in your art. It’s an instant connection, like “wow! There’s something different about your art.” Jessica has also seen artwork make an impact in those receiving it. “Recently someone who was in a difficult season received a piece of my artwork, and the art piece was life changing for them. They identified with it and found that it symbolized the season they were in.”

Another GEM worker, Pamela, who serves in Camps of the Peaks in France, wears many creative hats. She showcases her creativity through playing several musical instruments and through teaching leather crafting at the camp. “There’s just something about the way people connect over art; it breaks down a lot of barriers.”

Barriers are broken, hearts are opened, and interests are piqued – these are just a few of the reasons some choose to serve artistically. Art tells a story and can reach people in ways that other efforts can’t. Can you imagine the potential of reaching those around you with simply doing what you love, and then having an honest conversation with a curious stranger? Amazing!

Greater Europe Mission has seen this potential, and has created an outlet for artists to encourage others, instill hope, share stories, and inspire one another. This group covers a multitude of mediums, including painting, dancing, singing, woodworking, writing, photography, and needlework, and the list goes on! And although this group of over 50 members are part of Greater Europe Mission, many work alongside others serving in different mission organizations, churches, schools, businesses, and even with unbelievers. There is no telling how big of an impact this creative ministry is having throughout Europe!

Not every lost soul of the world will respond to the gospel being preached in the same way, and if we’re willing to say ‘yes’, there’s no limit to how God will use us. Do you have a gift that you haven’t yet realized God could use? Let’s rejoice in the gifts that God has given us, and say YES to using them for his glory!


About the author:

Leanne Monge Barrera is a storyteller with Greater Europe Mission and serves out of Winnipeg, Canada.

Building Relationships with our Muslim Neighbours

God has called us to reach the nations and tell everyone about his name, right? What if there’s hesitation due to uncertainty of how someone might respond? Let’s talk about what many of our missionaries will have some level of interaction with; meeting and befriending Muslims.

Due to war, persecution, and political unrest across the Middle East and North Africa, millions of Muslims have relocated to Europe in search of peace in a new home. Muslims account for 5% of the population across Europe, and that number continues to rise. In contrast, most countries in Europe have less than 3% of people claiming to follow Jesus and most cities have well under 2%.

We’re making an effort to serve our Muslim neighbours and equip our global workers to best meet followers of Islam with the light and love of Christ. 

Part of this equipping involves addressing stereotypes. Sadly, our western context includes inaccurate assumptions that lead to unfounded fear and hesitation. Walk with me as we learn just a little bit more together.

Because of the differences between Islam and Christianity, many Christians falsely assume it would be difficult to talk with Muslims about spiritual things. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Muslims believe in God, they believe in many of the same prophets as Christians do, they believe in Jesus and even that God inspired the Bible. With each of these commonalities, there are many connecting points for Christians to build bridges from scripture.

On the flip side, some elements of Christianity are either confusing or hard to understand when put into practice. For example, what’s going on with the trinity? Do we serve three different Gods? And is God’s grace too cheap, if all that Christians need to do is say a prayer and then they’re saved? Are Christians just free to go on living their lives as they please after that? 

Befriending our Muslim neighbours and having these spiritual discussions with them can certainly help bring clarity to these misunderstandings we each might have! Islam is a part of every aspect of a Muslim’s life; this is important in understanding your Muslim neighbour, and in opening yourself up to being understood as well.

Another interesting misconception we sometimes see among some Christians is the idea that Muslims don’t want to be friends with Christians. Through community centres, sports, kids play groups, tea parties, or any number of other connection points, Muslim people can be very easy to befriend. We all seek community. Some aspects of our social lives are drawn on religious lines, but many others are based on interests, stages of life, and geography.

And this is at the core of GEM: discipleship starts with friendship.

Inter-faith friendships lead to inter-faith discussions and chances for gospel seeds to be sown. Sadly, many Muslims have never been befriended by disciples of Jesus. “They might be surprised that you as a Christian want to hang out with them because that hasn’t been their experience,” says Luke, a global worker in Berlin, Germany. “So when they meet a real one, they are interested in your faith,” adds Forrest, a GEM worker in Stockholm, Sweden. Just like any religion or culture, no two followers of the Quran are identical. And as Luke notes, we must “be careful not to reduce people to a stereotype or a project.”

Another misunderstanding is that Muslims are antagonistic toward Christians and only want to debate. This is a common caricature people in the West have of Muslims. But as Emily, a global worker in France, emphatically remarks, “This is not true!” Depending on who you encounter, the same could be said of Christians, if your experience was limited enough! But many Muslims have genuine questions and are seeking to understand. Emily goes on to say that “the key here is loving discussion, not debate. We must avoid the temptation to want to ‘win’ debate.”

Although misconceptions abound no matter what the faith or background, I do hope this has shed some light on what our missionaries are experiencing across Europe and can help you in the relationships you’re building in your own neighbourhoods.  

Please join us in praying for open doors and opportunities for God’s workers as they build relationships with their Muslim neighbours!

References:

https://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/

https://joshuaproject.net/continents/EUR

https://gemission.org/five-misconceptions-in-ministry-to-muslims/


About the author:

Leanne Monge Barrera is a storyteller with Greater Europe Mission and serves out of Winnipeg, Canada.