WORLD OUTREACH COMMITTEE

SUMMARY OF WORK

1. Provided Member Care for all global workers.

2. Equipped Missions Committee leaders and Engage’25 Home Team Leaders.

3. Mobilization of the next generation of workers.

4. Strengthened church engagement in missions effectiveness through trainings and launching of EPC missions leaders network.

5. Continued the growth of ITEN work.

6. Managed the International Disaster Relief Fund for crisis aid.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

44-19 That the 44th General Assembly approve Paraclete Missions Group as an EPC World Outreach Cooperative Agency.

44-20 That the 44th General Assembly approve MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) as an EPC World Outreach Cooperative Agency.

44-21 That the 44th General Assembly approve API (Asian Partners International) as an EPC World Outreach approved Agency.

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WORK OF THE COMMITTEE

The Committee would like to highlight in greater detail the areas of focus noted above:

MEMBER CARE

The mission of World Outreach Member Care is to keep our WO global workers healthy, effective and on the field. By “Healthy”, we mean spiritually healthy, emotionally healthy, and even physically healthy. By “Effective,” we mean we want to see our workers resilient and unhindered in doing to the best of their ability what God has called them to do. Finally, by “On the Field,” we mean we want to lower preventable attrition and increase longevity, so our workers stay where God has called them to serve.

Our Member Care team and WO leadership is available morning, noon, or night to serve our workers. When needs arise our workers know WO will respond. In October of last year one of our WO teams in the Middle East needed to evacuate because of war in the region. Within 12 hours they had tickets to our Member Care “Ministry Center” in Budapest and within 36 hours the entire team was safely relocated.

The team of 17 spent a month there in the safety and security of a place that had been prepared and planned for just such a need, receiving critical encouragement, intercession, and support.
Being there when needed is an important part of all what Member Care does and a significant factor in the health and effectiveness of our workers. We are pleased that the WO Member Care Team is growing with additional members joining the team. We are also thankful that the EPC is a family, consisting of loving Churches, Presbyteries, and individuals who provide a unique, connected, caring “Covenant Family,” giving loving care for the members of our WO family of Global Workers.

ENGAGE 2025

The vision of seeing every EPC presbytery commit to and begin a church planting effort among a Muslim unreached people group is nearly fulfilled with the 14th and 15th presbyteries making their commitments official this year. Home Teams (presbytery care/pray teams for their respective Engage 2025 partnership) continue to provide essential care and support through monthly connection and prayer gatherings. One WO couple, who have benefitted by one of the new presbytery partnerships in the last year has said “Having a Home Team care and pray for us is a lifeline that has transformed our field experience. It’s incredible. We can’t say thank you enough!”

MOBILIZATION

God continues to show Himself faithful in sending more laborers to the field through EPC World Outreach mobilization efforts! The EPC commissioned 10 WO global workers during the 2023 General Assembly, and this Spring (2024) we have 11 candidates going through the application process to become appointed as World Outreach missionaries. The especially exciting thing about these candidates is that their callings enrich the entire missionary process: we have Senders (ex: member care, missionary health research), Mobilizers (ex: cohort leadership, church mobilization), Goers (Ex: nurse, directors, education, refugee care, etc)!

The Mission Cohorts continue to be a place of excitement and growth for EPC WO! We had 9 cohort students and alumni attend 2023 General Assembly to help the mobilization team and to speak about the Mission Cohort program. AND, two of the cohort alumni in attendance actually stood on stage and were commissioned as long-term workers! Mission Cohort Five (MC5) began in August 2023 with 9 members participating in the program. Most of them came to the Cross Conference in January 2024 as our first in-person retreat, and four will be attending the summer mission trip to Indonesia with one cohort alumni joining as one of the team leaders.

If anyone is interested going to the field as a WO missionary, joining a Mission Cohort, or becoming part of our amazing mobilization team, please contact Saul Huber at saul.h@epcwo.org or visit either of these sites: epcwo.org/go OR epcwo.org/cohort.

CHURCH ENGAGEMENT

(Strengthened church engagement in missions effectiveness through trainings and launching of EPC missions leaders network)

EPC World Outreach serves the Church by empowering Spirit-filled witnesses to make disciples and plant reproducing churches among those with the least access to the gospel. One way we do this is by providing cohort experiences, courses, and inspiration to aid in the discipleship of our EPC members.

We have 2500 people receiving the Reach, our monthly update about international work and ways to get connected. Sign up at http://www.epcwo.org/reach

KAIROS (WORLDVIEW COURSE)

See http://www.epcwo.org/kairos to sign up.

This past year, four Kairos courses were offered (1 Summer ’23, 2 Autumn ’23, and 1 Winter ’24) with 78 participants including Teaching Elders, Ruling Elders, and others from the EPC. Participants came from the following presbyteries: Alleghenies, Coastal Carolina, East, Florida & Caribbean, Gulf South, New River, Pacific North West, and West. The next course is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2024. Currently there are 2 trained head facilitators who serve with EPC World Outreach and in addition 4 other facilitators from the EPC, 2 of whom are ruling elders and 2 of whom are teaching elders. Additional facilitators from outside the denomination have been volunteering their time to help implement the courses.
Here’s a quote. “I took Kairos reluctantly, and wasn’t at all sure that I agreed with the articles I was reading in the beginning. I never understood that I had a role to play in the great commission. That was for pastors and missionaries. I viewed the Bible as a handbook for how to live my life and my responsibility was to be thankful for my salvation and to try to live a good life. But Kairos totally changed my thinking. I now understand that I have been blessed to be a blessing. That we are all called to the great commission, to share the good news and to glorify His name both locally and to the ends of the earth!”

Resourcing Missions Leaders and Launching EPC missions leader network
We will be hosting our first Connecting Missions Leaders Conference in October ‘24, bringing together missions leaders from across the EPC and other like-minded denominations and agencies in the reformed tradition.
https://www.epcwo.org/cml/

Hearing the felt need among EPC missions leaders to have time with each other for support, gaining knowledge, understanding best practices and praying together, we recently launched an EPC Missions Leaders network to we can all benefit from the collective wisdom God has provided.

ITEN

Training trainers who will train others. The International Theological Education Network continues to equip national church pastors in areas of the world that have least access to the gospel and least access to theological education. Most of these pastors have multiplied themselves many times over during the course of their training so when you see the following statistics there are many more unseen, not represented in the statistical report.

Outputs for 2023:
1. Trainees Total Number of Trainees: 323 Total Number of trainees trained in occasional or one-off training: 2,171

2. The number of locations/sites where ITEN provides ongoing training or other input. TOTAL 8

3. One-off or occasional training locations/sites: TOTAL 1

4. Number of churches planted through ministries ITEN partners with (existing MOU) in the past 5 years: 263 Number of churches planted by Unofficial partners (no existing MOU): TOTAL 1 Number of churches impacted by ITEN training: 313

5. Trainers trained (ITEN trainees who now are training others): TOTAL 397

6. Total Number of trainees trained by ITEN trainees (2nd generation trainees): 540

REMARKS FROM OUTGOING CHAIRMAN: RICK DIETZMAN

Serving on the World Outreach committee for the last six years has been a privilege. I have been the chair for four of them and loved working with Gabriel. One of my goals in taking this role was to provide a better connection between Presbytery missions committees/teams and the national World Outreach committee. During these past several years, that has been realized in the regular networking of all the Presbytery missions chairpeople who interact with their leadership councils. I want to especially thank WO worker Nancy Cimprich, whom I’ve been partnering with to bring WO committee members and these leaders together on multiple Zoom calls and other gathering opportunities. Church Engagement has been a high priority for Gabriel this season, and it’s been wonderful helping forward this vision during my tenure. I plan to continue supporting this effort in the years ahead.

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RECOMMENDATIONS (DETAILED)

RECOMMENDATION 44-19

Recommends that the 44th General Assembly approve Paraclete Missions Group as an EPC World Outreach Cooperative Agency.

Rationale: 
Paraclete is the sending organization of a seasoned missionary couple. Chris and Kristen Furr, long-time members of the EPC, are applying to World Outreach as coop workers. Sending and supporting our own is a high value in the EPC and we want to do that for the Furrs. As determined by the WOC this couple and their work are aligned with EPC World Outreach and both the EPC and the Furrs would benefit by having them commissioned as World Outreach workers. Approving Paraclete as an official cooperative agency would enable this to happen as well as create options for future workers to serve.

Paraclete.pdf

RECOMMENDATION 44-20

Recommends that the 44th General Assembly approve MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) as an EPC World Outreach Cooperative Agency.

Rationale:
MAF is a longstanding ministry that has been critical in bringing the gospel to the most remote places and people in the world for decades. It is an organization that EPC World Outreach is fully aligned with. Kelly and Rebecca Green, EPC members and former longtime missionaries are headed back to the field with MAF. Sending and supporting our own is a high value in the EPC and we want to do that for the Greens who are applying to World Outreach as coop workers. As determined by the WOC this couple and their work is aligned with EPC World Outreach and the EPC and would benefit by having them commissioned as World Outreach workers. Approving MAF as an official cooperative agency would enable this to happen as well as create options for future workers to serve.

MAF.pdf

RECOMMENDATION 44-21

Recommends that the 44th General Assembly approve API (Asian Partners International) as an EPC World Outreach approved Agency.

Rationale:
API is a ministry doing amazing gospel work in India. It has strong endorsements from EPC Teaching and Ruling elders from Manoa EPC and is fully aligned with the master plan of EPC World Outreach. Giving API “approved agency” status provides them increased credibility when allowed to present at churches and Presbytery.

API.pdf

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COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Whitney Alexander
TE, Presbytery of the Gulf South

Susan Lear
RE, Presbytery of the Great Plains

Marcos Ortega
TE, Presbytery of the East

Waring Porter
TE, Presbytery of the Central South

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MEETING DATES

October 19-20, 2023: Office of the General Assembly (Orlando, Florida)
January 18-19, 2024: Office of the General Assembly (Orlando, Florida)
April 11-12, 2023: Video Conference
May 7, 2024: Video Conference

Respectfully submitted,

Rick Dietzman, Chairman
June 2024

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