SHORT-TERM MISSIONS &
DISASTER RESPONSE

Many of us do not know where to start with the idea of bringing the gospel to a place we have never been. Cross-Cultural Missions Training (CCMT) is a one-month program that takes young men and women aged 18+ through two weeks of Bible teaching and cultural and language immersion followed by two weeks of service in a foreign context. This month is meant to provide an opportunity to see and to experience what it means to go and make disciples of all nations. It serves to equip young people to overcome the common challenges of culture and to understand more fully the offer of the gospel to every people, tribe, and nation. Whether CCMT is a step toward the foreign field, or a step toward the foreigner at home, this month is a kingdom investment worth making.

After two years of planning and COVID delays, we are hoping to get this project off the ground! This year’s dates for CCMT are May 12- June 12, 2023. The location is central Mexico. Rev. Eric Watkins from the OPC and the Rev. Paul Murphy (church-planter in NYC) from the URCNA are among the teachers in the initial boot camp. We will be immersed in Biblical teaching and culture and language training. The second week will be spent settling into the homes of Mexican Christians, furthering language, and cultural experience. The last two weeks will be directed to service in local churches and ministries. A thorough debriefing at the end will help all participants to share and compare their experience.

The planning committee of the CCMT is made up of pastors and missionaries of the URCNA, some of whom had a similar training experience in their youth. The impact of a foreign trip helped guide them in their calling to gospel ministry. Their goal is to provide to our young people an honest glimpse of what going to bring the gospel to the nations looks like, while providing them with the tools and context to succeed. There is no greater calling and no greater blessing than winning souls for Christ.

Please pray while we plan and prepare for CCMT 2022. For more information, contact Rev. Richard Bout at urcnamissions@gmail.com or go to the program website: ccmtmissions.com.

The author is URCNA Missions Coordinator