Pastor Brian McFadden asks an intriguing question in his OneChild podcast: Is our heart for others part of us — or all of us? Be inspired and challenged by the podcast!
Mission trips often involve helping an impoverished community in a positive way. Here, volunteers are helping build a bathroom at a Hope Center in Honduras.
At Rush Creek Church in Arlington, Texas, the leadership team doesn’t like to use the word “missions.”
Wait. What?
How can a church today not be passionate about missions?
Brian McFadden, compassion pastor at Rock Creek, explains why in a recent OneChild podcast.
Here are a few things that I learned from his answer that I think you’ll find interesting, too!
The leadership team at Rock Creek doesn’t have a “missions” program because helping others and sharing the gospel isn’t something that they do. It’s much more than words. For them, it’s who they are. It’s their heartbeat — the way that they live each moment.
Is your church also passionate about changing lives around the world? Explore exciting partnership opportunities with OneChild!
Everything they do centers on that, locally and globally. And their desire is for every person in their church to be fully engaged in serving others.
For members of Rush Creek Church, that may mean going door to door telling their neighbors about the love of Jesus.
Or giving children in poverty hope for the future through sponsorship.
Kids are never too young to start learning about Jesus.
It could even mean traveling to Central America to build safe houses for families living in poverty in areas that are prone to deadly mudslides.
Or feeding the homeless in downtown Arlington.
Because Brian believes that God calls us to reach everyone with the hope of Jesus. No matter who they are or where they live. He takes Jesus’ words in the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:19-20, to heart:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The World Is Watching
In the podcast, Brian also says we need to “ooze out love for other people.” Why? Because others are watching us to see what God’s love is all about.
As a writer, I’m inspired by the verb that he chose (even though as the mom of a 5-year-old boy, when I hear the word “ooze” it’s usually concerning slime!). Because that’s exactly how our compassion needs to be — flowing out of us every second so that everyone will see the life-changing love of God.
When I heard Brian’s description, I found myself reflecting on Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
It’s Never Too Early to Get Started
I was also challenged when Brian discusses the importance of parents training their children to walk with God. And he reminds moms and dads that kids are never too young to start learning about Jesus.
He also encourages families to take international service trips together because he’s seen how much families grow spiritually on such trips. And he’s witnessed how the trips help kids understand the significance of serving others.
When families come home from service trips, Brian has seen them completely reprioritize their lives. As I heard this, I started thinking about how much a trip would help our 5-year-old see the world through God’s eyes — and I started researching ideas about making that happen!
3 Easy Things You Can Do to Make a Difference
Brian encourages everyone to do something, even if they can’t travel internationally. You can make a difference right where you are today. Here are a few ideas:
- Pray for global missions. Ask God to protect and bless kids in hard places and the courageous Child Champions around the world who serve them.
- Be creative as a family. Brian recommends the next time you go out to eat, have everyone at the table order water and explain that your family will send the money that you would normally spend on soda or tea to kids living in poverty. This teaches kids valuable lessons and helps others in need.
- Sponsor a child. Kids in OneChild’s sponsorship program, who live in some of the hardest places on earth, receive life-changing care like medical checkups, nutritious food, and educational opportunities. They also learn about God’s love. You can help a child break the cycle of poverty and reach their God-given potential! Find your child!
What does it mean when you sponsor a child? Antony, who lost his dad, would love to tell you how his sponsor brings him hope for the future. Watch Antony’s powerful video!
You can transform a child’s life by sponsoring a child. Find a boy or girl who needs your love today!
Why Rush Creek Loves Child Sponsorship
Brian is a huge believer in sponsoring kids around the world. Because one of the most strategic ways that you can fight poverty and transform a life is to sponsor a child. Time after time, Brian has seen kids graduate from child sponsorship programs, break the cycle of poverty, and pursue their dreams.
Through Rush Creek’s child sponsorship program in El Salvador, six students have graduated from college since 2015. And 25 students are enrolled in college right now.
If you sponsor a child, be sure to write letters! Your words of hope will mean more than you know. Children treasure letters from their sponsors because sponsorship is much more than monthly support. It’s about a relationship. Many kids in the program say that their sponsors’ letters encourage them to keep going. Remind your child that you care about them, that God has special plans for them, and that they can do anything with God’s help. Read more about the beautiful bond that letters create between children and their sponsors!
Plus, many more are excelling in vocational school where they are learning specialized trades that will help them secure stable jobs in the future. And they are all faithfully serving in the church that they grew up in.
How awesome is that? They received encouragement and vital care as children and now they are determined to transform their communities.
Brian explains that before the program, these teens felt completely hopeless. But through child sponsorship, they discovered the courage to overcome.
Their stories of redemption remind me of one of my all-time favorite OneChild sponsorship stories. And I know that once you “meet” Israel, it will be one of yours too …
Israel
Israel grew up in a neighborhood in the Dominican Republic called “No Way Out” — an area filled with crime, drugs, and gangs. But with the love of his sponsor and Child Champions at his Hope Center, Israel found a way out. Be encouraged by Israel’s story of hope!
Read more stories on OneChild’s blog that will fill you with joy!
Letting God Lead Us
The last thing that Brian emphasizes in his podcast is how important it is to let God take control — just like Israel tells us in his story.
When we let God lead, whether it’s in our own personal life or in ministry, miracles happen.
Because He always knows what’s best for us. I love how Brian puts it regarding their church’s outreach in El Salvador: “We saw God working and we jumped in and joined Him.”
That brings me of one my favorite verses:
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).
God is able to do so much more than we could ever dream or imagine.
And at OneChild, we boldly invite God to take control because it’s our desire to witness more miracles, more hope in hard places, and more lives changed!
Check out more insights from Pastor Brian and others in OneChild’s Podcasts! And be sure to share the podcasts with your pastors to encourage them in their ministry.
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