A Day in Spring Arbor

 

 

Pastor Mark makes a point.

The Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church is one of our major partner churches, and we try to make connections there as often as possible. We spent this past Sunday there, taking part in the two morning services and spending time talking with many friends and supporters. February is always their global outreach emphasis month, and the morning services began with Colossians 1:27 (their theme verse) being read out in 10 languages (Finnish, Japanese, Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch, Cantonese, Spanish, French, Aramaic, and English).

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

During the evening service we were able to share about recent events in the Budapest church, including a report on the Runyons' seminar, the Madrid Church Leaders Conference, the recent baptisms, as well as giving an update on the new church law.

Pastor Mark Van Valin has been a strong advocate and good friend over the years. His thoughts about missional living have influenced a lot of what we have done in Budapest and what we have shared with other partners. On Sunday morning he presented some of his current thinking about missional living, which resonated greatly with us. He envisions growing in Christ the end result of three complementary processes taking place -- worship, connection, and service.  These three things address three deep-seated needs that everyone longs for -- transcendence, community, and purpose.