Focus

Krystle Thorne was stirred by hearing about a vision for West Africa because it was a place that is still near and dear to her heart and people who she knew and loved. That was the start of she and her husvand, Nate's journey to begin a long-term assignment serving in The Gambia, West Africa.

EMM’s new vision statement is: We catalyze movements that multiply disciples of Jesus around the world, giving primary focus to people groups that are currently least-reached. Sometimes, we use a few “jargony” words when we talk about mission work. Words like catalyze, movement, and least-reached. We thought it might be helpful to explain why we use these words and what we mean when we talk about...

Holly Hollenbach is one of the Advance Global participants this year. Her discipleship training is in Costa Rica through Vida220 and she will be doing outreach in Peru. Holly’s first week of Advance was in Lancaster, and she described it as busy, stretching, and profound. She was blessed to be surrounded by people overflowing with God’s peace and encouragement.

Over the past year, Carol has been digging into the faith practices of her spiritual ancestors — the Anabaptists. Her research led her to conclude that the early Anabaptists of the sixteenth century, many of whom were former Catholic priests, nuns, and clerics brought more with them from their Catholic background to their "new" convictions than we realize. One practice evidenced in the e...

... .That’s the number of people who don’t have access to the gospel or proximity to a follower of Jesus who can tell them about this good news. Another 2 billion people may have access to the gospel but have not experienced its life-transforming power. Very simply, EMM’s work is to share the good news of Christ’s transforming love with people who don’t know him.

This program is being recorded on the last day of summer. If you’re listening to this program on the radio, it’s now the first day of autumn. We can now anticipate a whole new array of colors emerging from the trees. Every new season has new opportunities. For EMM worker Michael Clancy, now that the kids are in school, he took some time to reflect on what ministry looked like for him this summer i...

EMM worker Kandace Glenn is engaged in language study and relationship building in Cambodia. She is involved in a variety of dynamic friendships and discipling relationships in which she seeks to help university/post-grad students discover God‘s purpose for their lives as they grow in relationship with Jesus.

Bethany Tobin and her husband, Steve, and children serve with EMM in Thailand. Recently, Bethany reflected on a devotional about Jesus cleansing the temple. Jesus cleansed the temple of all the exclusive temple systems and atoning sacrifices, instead establishing himself as the atoning sacrifice — so that the new temple — us, the church — would indeed be a house of prayer for all nations.

Truett Cathy, the founder of Chic-fil-A, said: If you hire the “right people again and again, you will strengthen your culture over time.” Hiring with purpose makes all the difference. Being able to identify whether a potential employee is values-aligned to fit your organizational culture and has the essential characteristics needed to be successful in the role is critical to successful hiring.

Several months ago, the campus of the seminary where Peter* teaches was under water, accessible only by boat, and visited occasionally by hippos from the nearby river. The rainy season in central Africa was extraordinary this year, resulting in the highest water levels in sixty years in N’Djamena, Chad. Many thousands of people have temporarily or permanently lost their homes to the flooding, incl...

The Coatses had been on home leave and returned to Cambodia a few months ago. When they returned, John found the staff had been doing a fairly good job of keeping things running smoothly with the children’s program. There was some discouragement though. Over the past few years, they have lost most of their older teenagers, those in grades 10 through 12. Why?

Missionary Messenger has been enriching readers for almost 100 years, and in an effort to continue the relevance of this important publication, we’re making some changes. Later this month, for the September issue of Messenger , we’ll be introducing you to a new version of this publication. Here’s some information about what we’re planning to do.

Approaching the Temple of Luang Pu Suang, the glorified mummified monk, Emm worker Andre pulled the car over to the side of the road. He turned to one of his trainees, Lee, and asked, “Lee, could you read Acts 17:24-31 for us?”

Krystle* took a 5-day trip to The Gambia in May to explore housing options and to see how things have changed in the 13 years since she has lived there. Krystle served as a mission intern in The Gambia with EMM during that time. This recent trip was insightful and helpful to be there in person and begin to understand how life and ministry will look different as a family.

In the 16th century, the Radical Reformers — also known as the Anabaptists — looked to the “roots” of the church as their inspiration. The term “radical” comes from the Latin word “radix” which means “root.” The early Anabaptists wanted to see the kingdom of God restored to a kingdom that was not of this world — but a kingdom that transcended national, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.

Perhaps you’ve heard us talk about the Kairos course before, and maybe you’re wondering, “What is Kairos?” Well, today, we’re going to take an in-depth look at this course. The Kairos course is an exciting nine-lesson interactive study of the purpose and plan of God from Genesis to the end of the age.

When Phil Gottschalk was 17 years old the Lord called him to work with Russian-speaking young people. So, he did a bachelor’s degree in Russian language at Penn State University. When he graduated in 1980, the Iron Curtain was still up. Phil went on to seminary to prepare to be a missionary.

Last summer EMM workers and staff led Chamber Choir members from the Mennonite Children’s Choir of Lancaster on a tour to Central Europe. They traveled in both the Czech Republic and Germany. Beyond providing cross-cultural experiences for youth, EMM hopes that these kinds of trips inspire people to find their calling in missions. Here’s a quick snapshot of one of the more interesting concerts the...

John and Debbie Coats are EMM workers who serve in Cambodia. There is a lady who lives on the streets about a mile from their house in Phnom Penh city. Though she never asks, John has often stopped and given her a little money for food. She won’t look at or speak to him. She never smiles. He can’t hand her the money. He has to lay it down on the street, and later when he is gone, she picks it up a...

It’s a transformational journey that each person who chooses King Jesus as our leader needs to make — a reversal of the mind and a turning of the heart. From thinking about self, to thinking about others. Welcoming rather than turning away the ’least of these,’ putting aside personal agendas and valuing the contributions of all, forgiving others as God, in Christ, forgave us, and becoming leaders...

What is Central Europe? This is an interesting question that will probably bring a different answer depending on who you ask. Is this region defined by a common language, distinctive geographic features, similar political histories, or shared religious influences? The short answer is, “Sort of ... but not necessarily.”

Not everyone will move into a new country or engage with another culture. However, many people can participate in this calling by partnering with those who “go,” impacting people and cultures far from our home communities.

Jen Hoover is an EMM worker who lives with her family in Costa Rica and serves with VidaNet. Jen recently reflected on the idea of one’s own purpose in life. Jen defines purpose as knowing the reason why something is done or created or for which something exists. In the grand scheme of things knowing one’s purpose, enables one to look outward. Not knowing one’s purpose, causes inward destructive t...

Recently, EMM Mission Team Director Lorri Bentch reflected on the need for mission work in Europe. She and her family served with EMM in Hungary for a number of years. Here are some of Lorri’s thoughts about how critical this work is.

EMM and LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches invite you to respond to a critical humanitarian appeal from the Meserete Kristos Church (or MKC) in Ethiopia. Since 2020, the southern Borena zone of the Oromia state has experienced severe drought due to 5 failed rainy seasons. It is estimated that 24 million people have been impacted by the drought — 11 million of whom are experiencing food insec...