Wayne Hochstedler addresses the crowd of nearly 1000 during EMM's commissioning service on July 12

From June 12-30, World Missions Institute, held on the campus of Lancaster Mennonite School, helped to provide foundational biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic training for 22 long-term missionaries and mission interns.

World Missions Institute was followed by a commissioning for 93 short- and long-term missionaries on July 9. The evening included testimonies from both an EMM worker in Central Asia and a woman who is reaching out near her home in Wrightsville, Pa. Then a team from Illinois Mennonite Conference, led by conference minister Wayne Hochstedler, gave a mission challenge.

Wayne noted that three years ago, a missionary from Patagonia, Argentina, Juan Siebert, challenged their conference, “Where are your missions?”

“We showed him soup kitchens and remodeling projects,” Wayne said, “But Juan persisted, ‘This is good. But where are you planting churches? Where are people coming into the kingdom?’”

“The churches of Argentina sent us Juan Siebert as a missionary,” Wayne said, “and this has grown into the Southern Illinois Mission Partnership. Most importantly we have been changed as we’ve stepped out – withoutt having a clear strategy, but learning to depend on God.”

Wayne explained that in the last several years, the three southern Illinois Mennonite churches have begun to reach out in Mt. Vernon, three hours away. God has connected them with other like-minded people who have been praying for Mt. Vernon. On visits every other Saturday, they’ve joined a local house church and are in the process of erecting a building for training house church leaders.

“We are the sent, not only the sending ones,” Wayne said. “We’re becoming more intentional about the larger purposes of God.”

EMM President Richard Showalter reported that people told him, “That was a powerful evening.” One man from another part of the church said, “I've never been in a meeting like this before. There’s no other part of the Mennonite church where you can see a thousand people gathered to send out nearly a hundred missionaries.”

Following the commissioning service, many of the long-term missionaries headed down to Black Rock Retreat for the Discovery and Enrichment event, which Global Ministries Director Mervin Charles describes as a “mission family reunion” as well as a training time. Jon and Loice Byler served as primary resource persons.

Then Global Fair on July 15 managed to elude heavy rainstorms, which passed to the east and north, while offering its exotic mix of everything from henna hand painting from the Middle East to Mexican piñatas, served up with Turkish coffee, iced Thai tea, and spicy injera and wat from Ethiopia.

A three day training for 12 mission directors and mission representatives, July 17-19, included training on team formation and crisis management, along with big picture brainstorming about headquarters and field interaction.

EMM President Richard Showalter said, “Perhaps the most moving word of affirmation I heard during this month’s events was from a missionary couple who had worked for many years outside the supportive frameworks of the EMM global family, then was led to serve among us several years ago. With no apparent attempt to exaggerate, they said this week, ‘When we came to EMM, we thought we had died and gone to heaven.’”

Back to news and stories