How to join our Wycliffe ministry

When you make the decision to be a part of our ministry with Wycliffe in Europe and beyond, here’s what you need to know.

If you’re committing to pray for us and want to let us know, you can go to this Wycliffe site to indicate that. You people who are crazy-committed to praying for us should probably give us a phone call when the Spirit drives you to pray. I think you know what I mean – the Lord works in mysterious ways.

If the Spirit is pressing you to give to God’s Kingdom, and you’ve decided that our ministry is a good outlet for that need, there are two ways to do that: 1) go to this Wycliffe site and complete the process on the Internet, or 2) send a check payable to Wycliffe Bible Translators to the following address, with a note that your gift is for our ministry.

Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862-8200

You may be interested to know that we have two kinds of financial needs: regular monthly support and one-time household setup. So far as the first goes, we need to receive about 9% more ongoing support before we can go to Germany (as of 7/8/2011). Once we get there, we have to “set up house” by purchasing a car and home furnishings. So far, we have a bit more than 62% of that amount (as of 7/8/2011). To contribute to our getting set up there, please note that your gift is for account 281600-71.

Where does it all go?

The livelihood of every Christian worker depends on the other members of the Church at large.

It’s a very similar situation to the position of the Levites, who were set apart by God from the rest of Israel to serve Him. This tribe and its clans were supplied from the offerings and gifts brought by the other twelve. The cities they lived in were designated out of those in the territories of the other twelve. The Levites belonged completely to God.

The priests and their duties are well known. Those who did not serve as priests, on the other hand, had seemingly menial tasks. Most of them were responsible for the care of parts of the tabernacle, including transporting them when the Israelites moved from one place to the next. (See Numbers 1:50-51.) Once the temple was built, these people were assigned to other tasks in the care and administration of the temple, which supported the office of the priests (the descendants of Aaron) as well as the service of the king. (See 1 Chronicles 24-26.)

In these times also, there are many of us who serve God in support of those who are in positions better-known than our own. Yet we are as dependent on the Church as they. Our needs are not very different from your own. But what are they? Here’s where our support goes:

DescriptionPercentNote
Basic living40%Vehicle purchase is not included. It's a separate cost.
Housing21%Household setup costs are separate from this.
Social Security12.8%As religious workers, we pay 100% of this tax.
Health insurance8%Thankfully, we'll get more coverage for less cost in Germany!
Wycliffe Global Alliance (Europe Area)5%Wycliffe members contribute to the expenses of the offices they work in.
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA5%Every Wycliffe member helps cover the costs incurred by the mission on our behalf.
Retirement savings3.7%There is no expectation that Wycliffe missionaries will be supported after retirement, so we each must save.
Life and other insurance2%
Return airfare for furloughs1.5%We do plan to return someday.
Communications with partners1%We spend this to let you who pray and give know how we're doing, to send pictures of the kids (and the work), and to warn you before we come back.

Wycliffe USA processes all of the donations to our ministry, and handles some of those line items as well. Once we’re in Germany, the Wycliffe office there will process the health insurance cost and transfer the funds for our living expenses to a local bank. I’m glad those people are there to take care of such details, so that we can focus on our ministry!

We need more people to join the churches and individuals who are praying for and supporting us right now. We need a little less than $2000 more each month before we can go. Jesus does not shun “small” gifts, so please don’t feel that you can’t make a difference. You can! If you want to help support Bible translation work in Europe, Africa, and western Asia through our ministry, just use this link to get started:

http://www.wycliffe.org/Partnership.aspx?mid=ECCA8C

There you can choose to pray, give, or both. We can’t do this without you. If you can’t give, please recommend us to your Christian brothers and sisters. Please give us a call if you know of other ways you can help us reach our goal. Thank you!

Water from a Rock

One Sunday a few weeks ago, we read Exodus 17 in worship. The Israelites are fairly fresh from leaving Egypt and have seen more spectacular miracles than the average person might expect to see in the span of a few months. Now they’re in the wilderness and have a real need for water. But despite seeing God provide for them in amazing ways, when it seemed that all was lost, they report their need to Moses in something along the lines of a class-action lawsuit.

Moses, worried that he’s about to be lynched, runs to God for help. He’s pretty agitated. Yet God gives him a calm, gracious answer: Go hit that rock with a stick. Moses obeys, and God provides water for all those people. From a rock.

So God met the need of His people, even though they brought it to Him as a complaint? Wow. That’s some God!

Later, Jesus said, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” (Matthew 6:31-32)  He also said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11) I don’t think I’m drawing a bad conclusion from the Bible when I write that God loves taking care of His people.

The Israelites experience in the desert made me think about our own move and our own needs.

In our April newsletter, I mentioned that we need an additional $2,000 in support each month to have an adequate living in Germany. We also have to sell the house. And we’d like for the boys to start school in Germany this August. That’s a lot of water. With the U.S. economy and housing market as they are, it seems that God is leading us to a big rock and saying, “Don’t worry! I’ve done this before.”

Yes, He has done it before. Katherine and I began serving Wycliffe at different times, and we each had to find all of our financial support before going to Africa. Lo and behold, God provided it! He did it then, and we fully expect Him to do it again now.

Here’s the fun part. You know how He does it? Through our brothers and sisters in Christ! After all, we missionaries would look pretty silly if we had to walk around with corporate logos all over us, like NASCAR drivers. So if you’re a child of God, it’s just possible that He’ll stir you to give to our ministry. Just like He stirred us to go in the first place.

One doesn’t have to be a “big giver” to make a difference. It would be pretty easy for 200 people to meet our present need, don’t you think? God just wants people who are eager to give. If you’re one of those people, or you know a fellow believer who is, then here’s the place to go: http://www.wycliffe.org/Partnership.aspx?mid=ECCA8C.

We’re all standing before an imposing rock as God calls us to reach this world with His message. Just read what Wycliffe USA’s leader, Bob Creson, recently said to Mission Network News about the size of the task. The rock’s big, but our God is ready to let loose streams of water if we’ll all obey Him!

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