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You are necessary. It is the blessings of God in your life – your passions, abilities, resources, experiences with God… they are to be blessings for the nations. I’ve seen people like you at Overlake make all the difference.
I have seen firsthand the devastation of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. I have held in my arms a dying baby. I have met the poor living in conditions no human being should live in. I have walked the slums of India as well as Africa where children are abandoned to survive on their own. I have seen the injustice of children being sold into prostitution enslaving their lives forever (View OCC Project Videos). I have walked the cities of Afghanistan, a country torn by war and hate. But there are always the signs of hope.
I have seen new generations in these broken places, thirsty and hungry for truth. As I have met with Muslim background believers in North Africa and the Middle East, I have learned the meaning of true sacrifice as they are directly paying the price for living out their faith in the context of their own people. I have met brothers and sisters in the underground church in China deep with passion and fervor for God and for reaching their own people with His Love. The Latinos in South America also are passionate and willing to leave their people and country and venture into a Muslim country in Central Asia to see God’s Kingdom spread where God’s church does not exist. And I’ve witnessed members of OCC sacrificing time and resources to invest in the movements of God.
In Jesus’ first public sermon in Luke 4, he quoted Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
Together as a church, we can make a difference. God is using the members of OCC to partner with people to reach the most forsaken places and causes in the world. Now is the time to respond.
PRAY for our partners and missionaries around the world. Pray for how God may want to use you for a specific people group or cause.
GIVE. A special matching grant has been extended to OCC Reach/Missions. Every dollar you give before the END OF DECEMBER will be matched. Consider stretching your current giving to maximize this opportunity.
GO. Consider serving on a short-term mission trip this next year. You can use your gifts and abilities to serve the world’s needs.
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