Faith Center Missions Guide 2016

Faith Center Missions Guide

Mission
Trips

P R AY
Rosarito, Mexico Trip

• Dates: April 10-17

• Leaders:  Matt Messner (construction) &
Brandon Babcock (youth)

• Purpose:  Faith Center has been actively pouring
into the work in Mexico for years, partnering
with FMI missionaries, the Bainbridges. This
construction team is open to both adults and youth.
All are welcome.  Just bring a heart for service and

a desire to invest in God’s work in Mexico!  

Look out for a Young Adults mission trip in the summer! 

G Turkey Refugee Trip
I
V • Dates:  September
E • Leader:  Rachel McMurray-Branscombe
• Purpose:  This team will serve Foursquare Turkey

as they work alongside the refugees coming
from Syria.  This team will be focused on teaching
English to refugees as they attempt to build new
lives for themselves, along with leading a children’s
program for kids who have lost everything. 

St. Petersburg + Siberia Trip

• Dates: Early November

• Leader:  Leslie Lemmon

• Purpose:  Partnering with Foursquare Russia and

FMI missionary family, the Cecils, this team will

support the ministry there through a number of

activities, including prayer walks, building projects,

teaching leadership, etc.  Help bring a light to the

India GOheart of Russia! 
October 21-31
• Dates: Steve Darnall
• Leader:

• Purpose:  This team will

join with others in IMPACT to encourage church

planters in India.  As they face much persecution,

these pastors enjoy the company and teaching of

other Christians from around the world!

MEXICO Bainbridges.  I was amazed at the outpouring of love
and compassion from this amazing group.  After we
had settled in, we all met together for worship.  They
demonstrated a passion for worship that I had never
seen before.  I could feel the Holy Spirit resonating
through this Church body.  

rosarito I had the honor of baptizing our 2 daughters in the
waters off the coast of Rosarito while they accepted
By Lewis Caldwell Jesus Christ as their Savior. I saw our group of
children, from preschool age to teens, open up
In February of 2015, our family of five, along with and really do God’s work with the local families and
even help with construction.  Even with a language
three other families, traveled to Rosarito, Mexico, barrier, all of the children played like they had known
on a family-friendly mission trip.   We had all gone each other for years.  It was encouraging to see how
through the appropriate training together, so I people with so little could be so happy and full of joy
thought I had a good idea of what to expect.  What I when they have God.
experienced as we crossed the border and drove to
Rosarito was eye-opening.   It saddened me to see When we left the field, I knew this wouldn’t be our
extremely impoverished areas sandwiched between last mission trip. I believe that the seed of mission
beach-front condos, or to think that just miles away, work was planted in our youth that week, and I am
there were cruise ships loaded with tourists, oblivious thankful and blessed to have been a part of it.   I
about the poverty surrounding them.   encourage anyone led by the Spirit to get involved
in some aspect of mission work.  There are so many
When we arrived at Torre de Poder, we were met options!  You could travel the world, or just your own
by local families and long term missionaries, the neighborhood to do God’s work and spread His love.  

Whether you travel abroad to China, Russia or
Mexico, or stay here in the States and help out in
Detroit, New Orleans, San Francisco, or even just
your own neighborhood or the streets of Eureka,
there are opportunities everywhere to those willing
to take that leap and Go.   We are all part of God’s
Plan.

p e r u We spent the months prior to the trip preparing our
topic to share. We shared our message with a group
of teachers, with a missions school and even with
a church conference. The people were excited to
have us and eager to learn. At each place we spoke

I shared a different message, not because I wrote

iquitos something different but because I felt led to by the
Holy Spirit.

At each place, you could see our messages affect

PBy Amanda Payne the groups differently. While they left impacted, I

“God showed me that this was did too. This incredible time
spent with the people of Peru
eru wasn’t my first mission trip, something I had to do. What I left me with a new sense of
but it felt different than the times had to share was valuable. ” who I am. I learned that I do
have something to offer and
before. I was nervous. Maybe it
was because I was more than a few miles from the that, like the people of Peru, everything I do
U.S. or maybe it was because God had something should be done with excellence- at home or afar!

more planned.

You have to be an open book while heading into a
country for the first time; open to the culture, open
to the people and open to what it has to offer. While
I wasn’t sure what to expect upon arrival, what I
experienced was incredible. The people were so
welcoming. They did everything with excellence and
offered us their very best.

The purpose of our trip was to teach others about
our field of expertise. While I was hesitant at first and
questioning what I had to offer, through our missions
training God showed me that this was something I
had to do. What I had to share was valuable.

MISSIONARY

steve and kim cecil as full time missionaries. After a year of prayer
and a second year of training and fundraising, we
deployed in 2013 to Sochi, Russia.

What brings you joy about your service?

Our greatest joy is seeing new leaders being
developed and challenged to spread the gospel
to their own people. We especially love working
with younger leaders who are developing their
philosophy and style of ministry, and who are
teachable and excited to grow and learn. In addition
we love to develop relationships outside of the
church with people in the community.

How do you connect with the people you serve?

The number one way we connect is to spend lots
and lots of time with them. Walking through life with
them, inviting them over for tea, even having them
live with us if needed.

We are a family of 5 from Madison, WI (Steve, Kim, What challenges do you face that are unique to
your service/context?
Kaela, Connor, and Caeden). We planted a church in
Madison in 2004 and left in 2013 to answer the call of The future is unfolding every moment as Russia takes
God and request of Foursquare Missions to minister steps towards peace or away from peace. The people
in Russia. At that time there were about 8 Foursquare are deeply afraid of the future and there is very little
hope. In addition, all Protestant and
churches, spread across the “Our greatest joy is seeing new Evangelical believers are usually
vast nation of Russia, and they leaders being developed and considered to be a part of a sect.
had requested help in building
a stronger infrastructure and challenged to spread the gospel Sects are thought to brainwash and
developing a strategy to plant control people, and the people of
churches. The primary focus to their own people. ” Russia are extremely suspicious and

is to encourage, equip, train and disciple Russian hostile to any faith that is not Orthodox. So we have
pastors and leaders in order to multiply the gospel, enormous challenges of mindsets and beliefs to
overcome in order to plant the gospel. Thank God
churches, and leaders in Russia.
He is able!
How did you choose your area of ministry?
Do you have in-country allies/agencies with
Kim was called to minister to the people of Russia as whom you partner?
a 21 year old college student. After teaching in the

ex-Soviet Union, we got married and began youth We partner with any church or parachurch

ministry in the US, but the call to Russia never left organization that wants to spread the Kingdom in

our heart. In 2011, FMI area missionary for Europe, Russia. We host conferences and trainings together,

Jeff Roper, asked us to consider moving to Russia as well as pray together for the nation.

SPOTLIGHT

What do you do for fun? apostles to develop the work, we need teachers

oicWbnafeefatéthuhlsievteaiefncusiidltnoycur.iStenOites.dtsfPasteeiuntnraeatnhrwnsdetbeswu,sgdroiggorrhilndrttioks.gShoot vwneoe“rwwcT,aoohlmkneeaenlooufdttmaihsnecbdmoetauorkrseotangeematwonaedgynipvtterooispphrtaeocttsinhwcaooainllnwldr-keRnpmulooasanwssigitlnaoendrostsgphtaeeeos,nl.wiwwveeienldaln.noeWdweedmtdiehnovaisanttn’etgarklehlnoleioswrtwess
continually go to God and ask
coffee or tea and chat for a Him for His Perspective.” How may we pray for you?
long time with our friends.

We host youth events, play Pray for our safety of course, and pray

games together and cook together. that our family remains unified and strong living in

a foreign country. Pray for our language abilities to
What are the discouraging aspects of your work? increase and multiply miraculously! Pray for all the

People are not interested in God, or they are afraid Foursquare pastors and leaders to be spiritually
of our “good news.” They can even be hostile to the strong and follow the call of God. Pray for FRUIT!

gospel. Even more discouraging at times is the lack

of unity within the church, and how much people start your
struggle to love and forgive each other. There is a
huge, deeply rooted vein of judgment and lack journey
of grace in Russian culture that can also be very
discouraging.

How do you overcome discouragement? take the Faith Center
mission leader training
As many times as we have seen lack of unity, we have
seen some amazing examples of teamwork and This four week course (meeting once a week)
unity as well, so of course we try to focus on those! will give you the training you need to lead a
Also our strategy is to focus on developing leaders mission trip. 
that are willing to listen and change. And of course
the number one way to overcome discouragement As a cohort, you share experiences, passions
is to continually go to God and ask Him for His and visions for cross-cultural ministry, all the
perspective and wisdom! while getting the tools you need to make them a
reality! We cover subjects like “Where in the world
What would you like people to know about you/ am I supposed to go?” and “How in the world am I
the place where you serve? supposed to raise money for it?” 

Russia is a strategic nation that will continue to This course is coming this Fall. To register,
dominate world headlines well into the future. Satan please contact Rachel McMurray-Branscombe at
has plans for Russia, but so does our Lord. Hudson [email protected].
Taylor even is reported as prophesying that in the
last days the greatest world revival would begin in
Russia! We have no doubt God is at work here, but
we need resources and people willing to work and
serve here full time. We need church planters and

Greetings From faith center’s missions pastor

Faith Center is full of people devoted to “missional” living— or doing the
work of God, whenever and wherever.  For some, that means volunteering
around our local community; for others, it means getting involved in the
work God is already doing around the world. 

This Missions Guide is a resource for you if you are considering how God
may use you in a missional way on a global level. I firmly believe that God
is moving all over the planet, and we have the opportunity to join in.  How
exciting!  Working with other Christians (our family) from other cultures
gives us a unique perspective of the diversity and creativity of our God. 

Please take some time to pray about what you’ve read in the Guide, and
feel free to call or email me any time with thoughts or questions.  I’m always
open for a good cup of coffee and conversation!

Many blessings, Therefore go and make
disciples of all
Rachel McMurray-Branscombe
(707) 442-1784 nations, baptizing them
in the name of the
[email protected]
eurekafaithcenter.org/ministries/missions Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to
obey everything I have
commanded you. And

surely I am with you
always, to the very end

of the age.

Matthew 28: 19-20

Faith Center Foursquare Church | Eureka, California | eurekafaithcenter.org