Congo Missions Trip

Dear Friends and Family,

I pray that you are all doing well. Two years ago my church started on a journey towards partnering with the Evangelical Free Church of Congo. We sent a team to do a vision trip. After hearing what the team came back with, I was excited to see if there was a way I could help partner with the Congo Free Church. After praying about it with Tomina I felt like God was giving me the green light to go. Now all I needed was a reason to go. Well, I talked with the leaders of the Congo trip this coming April. There is an opportunity for me and one other youth pastor to meet and partner with the director over youth ministry in the Congolese Free Church. We would be going over there to learn the culture, assess the ministry that they are doing there, and then work with the director to think of ways to do ministry more effectively in the Congo. We are not going over there to tell them how to do ministry. We are going to partner with them as fresh eyes to look and come up with a plan together. This is exciting to me. The trip is from April 25th – May 10th 2009.

There are two big hurdles at this point. The first of which in God’s economy is not that big. The cost of the trip is going to be about $5,000. This will include everything I would need, but it is an amount that is bigger than my family has. Please prayerfully consider partnering with me as I partner with the Congolese Free Church. If you want to give to this ministry opportunity you can send a tax deductible check to Elim Evangelical Free Church, 9421 128th St E, Puyallup WA 98373. The second hurdle is, this is a big scary trip for me. I am away from my wife and my two little girls. I know that God has opened the door for me to go. I just need a team to support me in prayer. If you are willing to be a prayer partner please email me at bsharpe@elimefc.org. I would love to be able to update you so that you know exactly how to pray. Thank you for your time. I look forward to partnering with you as we partner with the Congolese Free Church. I thank God that he has placed so many people in my life all over the country that are such an encouragement to me.

In Him,

Brian Sharpe

On the wrong team

I generally have an opinion about everything, even girly stuff. I think though if I was Peter and Jesus told me something I would shut my mouth and take it to heart. In Matthew 26 Jesus tells Peter he is going to betray Jesus and Peter says “no I will not.” Ok you have Jesus who heals the sick. He raises people from the dead. He casts out demons. He walks on water. He turns water into wine. And he is always talking about the future. Or you have a fisherman that is a hot head. Hmmm who would you listen to? I would think by that time Peter would have learned to shut his mouth and take to heart what Jesus was saying. How often do I shut my mouth and listen to Jesus instead of trying to have all the answers. This is something to consider.

Then later on I had the thought. This chapter introduces Judas as the guy that is going to betray Jesus. Think about this. Jesus knew before the foundation of the earth that Judas was going to betray him. Knowing this he still befriended him and let him be on his team. Man when I do not like someone because I don’t trust them I do not let them in. Yet Jesus let Judas in. Who do I write off? I am not the Messiah, so I do not have to worry about knowing how things are going to end. But who do I not befriend because I don’t like them. Who do I not give a chance? What an unbelievable act of grace Jesus gives to someone that was going to betray him. I understand that, that was the plan from the beginning, but it is still a picture of God’s grace and love. He loved you and me so much that he would befriend his betrayer. That is crazy.

Waiting for God or Living for him?

Ok so I picked up in Matthew where I left off. I think this is good for me to read. Besides the fact that it is the words of Jesus, it is something I think everyone who is in ministry needs to think about. Matthew 24 and 25 are all about Jesus second coming. They are critiqued and looked at for there eschatology. There is way more there for us to see. It is all about how are we living today. Jesus is saying I am coming back, but don’t just wait for me, live for me.

I grew up in the church. I grew up as a P.K. I am not sure I can remember a time when I was not involved in the church (place you attend). I have been in full or part time ministry now for about 10 years. I think sometimes I get so involved with the everyday of “church” that I forget about the church. It is about the people. Not paint or carpet colors. It is about the people who know Jesus and the people who do not know Jesus. The ones who do not know Jesus are not apart of the church, but maybe they would be if I was not so focused on the color of things or how they were arranged. We need to recognize who the least of these is. Who are they among us and how are we serving them.

Wow, everything always gets back to us serving. Not being served. It always comes back to how we are living for Jesus. How we are serving in his name.