Mission Alive

By Gailyn & Becky Van Rheenen

We have been blessed during our first month as full-time workers in Mission Alive.    We thank many of you who have remembered us in your prayers and have committed to working with us to develop a pathway to church planting for Churches of Christ during the 21st century.  We would like to use these brief monthly reports to keep you abreast of God’s work through us.
 
Mission Alive’s purpose is “to discover, equip, and place church-planting leaders who will plant missional* churches in suburbs, city centers, and poverty areas with unbelievers as the primary target.”  Pray that God will direct our paths as this dream comes alive.
 
Significant People Helping Us on the Journey
 
We praise God for the many resource people who have guided us during this formative stage of Mission Alive.  We have tried to follow the counsel:  “Make plans by seeking advice” (Proverb 20:18).   We thank . . .

• Randy Harris, instructor of Bible at ACU, for spiritual and theological guidance.
• Jerry and Marcia Browder of the Singing Oaks Church of Christ in Denton for helping us organize the initial budget of Mission Alive and agreeing to keep the books for the ministry.
• Robbie James, a Missions Associate with Mission Alive, for diligently working with us to develop the various training programs.
• Bob Waldron and Alan Phillips of Missions Resource Network for their invaluable advice about sources of funds and the organization of Mission Alive.
• Reg Cox, evangelist of the Lakewood church in Denver, for modeling powerful preaching and incisive church organization.
• The encouragement of many from the 11th and Willis Church in Abilene, where I have served as an elder since 1996, and the members of the faculty of Abilene Christian University, where I have served as a faculty member since 1986.

Goals for 2004
 
We view 2004 as a time to learn urban culture and church planting and to develop the organizational structure of Mission Alive.   Our five goals for the year are to (1) develop the overall organization of Mission Alive, (2) select sites for future church planting, (3) recruit interns and apprentices, (4) network with Churches of Christ about future church plantings, and (5) establish two apartment churches.  During January, we have done significant work toward four of these five goals.
 
Develop the Overall Organization of Mission Alive:  After much prayer and advice from various church leaders, we have decided that Mission Alive will be a non-profit organization, a 501 (C)3, with a Board of Advisers of mature Christian leaders.  We are thus following the pattern of other ministries in Churches of Christ like Let’s Start Talking, World Christian Broadcasting, Missions Resource Network, and Herald of Truth.   Two exceptional resource people, Randy Harris and Jerry Browder, have already accepted our invitation to serve on the Board of Advisers. 
 
Select Sites for Future Church Planting:  During 2004 we will interview numerous religious and social leaders as we develop criteria for selecting sites for urban church plantings in North America.  Based upon these interviews and advice from local church leaders who desire to plant future churches, we will select five sites for church planting within the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area.  During January we conducted five such interviews.  This research is similar to what we have done in determining areas in Africa that are receptive for church planting.
 
Recruit Interns and Apprentices:  Another goal for this year is to recruit 15 interns, 5 apprentices, and one or two missions associates to enter our ministry during 2005.  To facilitate this we have scheduled times to be at four of the Christian universities during the spring semester.  We will speak in chapel, to mission groups, and in Bible classes, as well as have times for individual conversations with those interested in joining us.  We already have several who have contacted us about becoming apprentices (15-month participants in church planting) and/or mission associates (long-term church planters).
 
Network with Churches of Christ about Future Church Plantings: During January we also met with various churches in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area about partnering with us in planting churches.  We anticipate helping local churches in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area (and in other areas within three years) to grow as local communities of faith and as missions-sending churches as well as helping them to develop tangible plans to plant a new church.  These future churches might be among poor people living in apartments or in growing suburban areas.  If we have not yet visited you, please contact us for an evening of discussion, planning, and prayer.
 
Living Transitions
 
Currently our house in Abilene is up for sale.  We have mixed feelings about selling “our” house.  We tend to put down deep roots and stay in one place for many years.  We lived in one house in Kenya, East Africa, for 13 years and in our current house in Abilene for over 17 years.  Two of our four children, Deborah and David, still live in Abilene.  Deborah is married to Chuck Pinson, a graduate Missions student, and is a GED teacher in a “Youth to Work” program through Goodwill Industries.  David, our youngest, is in a graduate program in Psychology.  David Tonui, the principal of the Siriat Bible School in Kenya, is staying with us this year in Abilene as he finishes a Masters of Christian Ministry that will enhance the accreditation of our school in Kenya.  We will miss being close to our children and son-in-the-faith from Kenya.   
 
Financial Considerations
 
Within the next few months we will seek to raise enough money to launch Mission Alive.  We would prefer to minister without raising money.  The reality of our ministry, however, is that fund-raising is necessary.  Our next report will include a summary of our needs.  
 
Prayer Requests
 
Please join us in petitioning God for:

• Vision in selecting the board of Mission Alive.
• Collaborative, godly, visionary relationships with church leaders in Dallas-Ft. Worth
• Initial finances for Mission Alive.
• Our imminent move from Abilene to Dallas-Ft. Worth

*Missional Churches are fellowships representing the purpose and reign of God on earth.