Being Fully Seen: A Testimony
Pastors and other ministry leaders are continually pouring themselves out to others in their community, but few have someone regularly coaching and building them up as they strive to disciple others. To disciple well, leaders need the security and encouragement generated in supportive relationships saturated with grace. They are battling discipleship poverty, yet they succumb to it themselves. Developing Workers is here to walk with, minister to, and build up these leaders, intending to refresh them and empower them for their important work of ministry. Read a firsthand experience from an Arizona pastor after returning from a pastors’ retreat and reflection time with DW’s Michael Parker. Fully Seen by Ryan, from Scottsdale, AZ “Who knew just how life-giving a 24 hour retreat with a bunch of strangers could be? Being a pastor, I’m used to being on the receiving end of someone’s life-story and testimony. Showing empathy to others and speaking truth against the lies their souls had embraced about their identity is one of the privileges of being a pastor. However, to get away from my normal routine and actually be invited to share my own deep scars, hurts, and regrets was a new experience – Not only sharing everything that weighed my soul down, but to be fully seen and accepted for who I am by other brothers in Christ. To have other godly men speak truth against the lies that I myself had embraced was such a life-affirming and healing practice. Reading a book about “Confessional Communities” is helpful, but participating in this group was life-changing. Thank you (Developing Workers) for allowing me to be part of this retreat!” Developing Workers pours into pastors and leaders through life-on-life encouragement, coaching and development, and the empowerment to live out their specific mission, vision, and values. Are you a pastor in need of coaching or care? Do you know one who is? Contact us today! Or support the ongoing work to build up Kingdom workers.
Building the Church
The vast majority of Developing Workers’ ministry is focused on building up the Church – the people of God here and around the world that make up the Body of Christ so they might serve as a light in the nations they live. However, today, we have the privilege to share how a volunteer with DW caught a vision for building up the Church by helping Tanzanian brothers and sisters fashion an actual church building. Praise God with us! The Church: Meeting Many Needs While serving as a volunteer on Developing Workers Mobilize Medical trips, Dave Jackson met Pastor Peter Olosotu. Dave explains, “Pastor Peter is devoted to God and the people in Northern rural Tanzania. He preaches to several churches with almost nothing. They meet under trees or out in the open.” Dave shared with us that even though his background is not in the medical field, he has become a seasoned volunteer of half-a-dozen trips who loves serving alongside our team and ministry partners in underserved parts of the world. It was after a recent trip to Tanzania that Dave’s burden to take action outside of the short-term trips he knew well began to grow. Hear his thoughts: “During my trip to Tanzania, I had made a decision to help out in some way when I left. I just wasn’t sure how that would look… I did reach out to Peter, and he told me of the need in two villages that had no buildings for worship. So, we figured out what was needed in cost, and I asked for support. That support came from a number of people in my class at Grace Community Church (Tempe, Arizona). These ‘church buildings’ are not exactly a long term permanent structure. They are built in a manner that the local people (Maasai) understand very well – Out of sticks and mud. This kind of structure fills a number of needs: It is a place that is out of the weather and people can learn and worship God. It is something that can be used NOW, versus waiting for all of the parts and pieces for a masonry permanent structure. It is a very familiar type of building that a new Christian or a local person that wants to know more about God may not be intimidated with a foreign building type. It is very fast to build [and] can be done in weeks versus a permanent building which may take months or longer to complete. It is very cheap to build and very cheap to repair.” Isn’t it beautiful to see the faithfulness of God’s people bring about good fruit?! Dave answered the call to join a Developing Workers medical trip years ago, and the fruit of that obedient response has continued to multiply. Now the people in the villages of these rural Tanzanian villages will have the blessing of clear and sheltered place to meet for worship. Whether you go or send, you can transform the lives of people around the world. Developing Workers Mobilize teams go all over the globe, training church leaders and offering medical care to the places where help is needed most. Join us! Or support a volunteer financially today.
