July 29, 2026

“Here, sign here.” We do it a lot; credit card transactions, agreements for services, disclosure statements, etc. And sometimes we do it without fully understanding what we are agreeing to. If you have gone through the process of purchasing a home, you lose count how many times you sign your name. In fact, one of the forms that you sign is an agreement that this is your name.

This weekend, we as a church are entering into an agreement with Nathan and Jen Eda. They are serving in a closed access country that is currently increasing its harassment and persecution of Christians. In the years that we have been supporting them, we have watched the political climate in their country change. Their need for oversight, care, and protection increases almost daily. We are agreeing to be the “Sending Church” of this family. This is needed and somber.

In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were sent out from the church in Antioch to plant churches. There were other churches that ended up partnering with them and supporting them, but the church of Antioch was their home base. Paul and Barnabas reported back to them, strategized with them, were supported by them, and were more accountable to them than any other church. This is the role we are agreeing to for this missionary family.

We support many missionaries and seek to be very involved, encouraging, and informed. But there is a higher level of responsibility to being a sending church that goes beyond a supporting church. As a sending church, the missionary is more accountable to us and we are more responsible for him. If he finds himself in an emergency situation, we are the Army Rangers or Navy Seals who help figure out a plan of rescue. For the missionary family it is not only necessary, it is a huge benefit to know that there is an entire congregation who “has your back.”

The church is the greenhouse that God has created to grow his kids. It is also the school and bootcamp to teach and train his ambassadors to go into all the world and plant churches that make much of Jesus. Our ongoing focus of cultivating a healthy church here has a global perspective to it, not only for the missionaries that we support, but for those whom we seek to send out from us in the years to come.

We are making an agreement with the Edas who are the first of what we pray will be many more to come.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Sunday’s Text: Luke 21:10-19