August 01, 1986 by Paul Borthwick

Since Grace Chapel was formed 30 years ago, missionary outreach has been one of its top priorities. In the earliest days, seminary students from Gordon Divinity School (now Gordon¬Cornwell Theological Seminary) were involved in leadership arid brought with them a vision for missions. The founding laity were also very mission minded.

Now, several pastors. new buildings, and staff members later, Grace Chapel's mission mind set continues unabated. The church has over 800 members, a mission budget in excess of $600,000 (about one third of the church's total) and a missionary family that includes over 100 people in thirty countries.

Paul Borthwick, former youth director and recently appointed minister of missions, assesses the situation.

People ask me what has helped to maintain the church's ongoing mission emphasis. I'd say, first and foremost, our lay people have 'owned' missions.

It has not been a matter of a few "mission minded" staff members or the senior pastor only. It has been a vision that grew out of people's concern and convictions. Giving and participating in missions has come much easier as a result.

Secondly, we are seeking to "grow our own' missionaries. Other churches like Bnarwood Presbyterian (see Mission Frontiers, January 1986, p. IS) and Los Gains Christian have convinced us that we need to be more aggressive in sending our own people.

Since 1978, over 400 young people and adults have gown lust hand exposure to cross cultural ministry through one  to three week work teams. Mother 20 or more have gone out on short¬term assignments, and live people from our congregation have been sent out to Europe, Asia, and Africa. With 22 people responding to the missionary call at a recent conference and another dozen or more who are presently preparing to

serve, we are excited about this "homegrown" emphasis,

A third item that has greatly benefited our missions program is integration, Mission involvement is not reverted for those few who are thinking about people "over there," but for everyone.

Our Christian Education director,

Steve Macchia, for example, has pushed us to provide better and better programs for mission education. The result is a

mission aware Sunday school, from children to adults.

Mary Ann Mitchener, who directs our urban ministries, has given people great experience in the mission work at our doorstep. Involvement there has

helped people grow in their cross cultural awareness as well as personal patticipation.

Finally, we have always been aware of Jesus' statement "from him to whom much has been given will much be required," We realize that God has entrusted us with great resources especially in

comparison to our brothers and sisters in other urban areas around the world. As result, we see it as our job to utilize these resources people, possessions, and finances to the maximum benefit of others as well as ourselves.

Thus, we devote monies and people to encourage churches and ministries in New England, in the urban setting of Boston, and around the world.

Since 1983, the Summer Teams that we coordinate have included adults and youth. This summer, over 100 people will go out one junior high team, five high school teams, a college team, and three adult groups. A highlight this summer was a special partnership team planned with a predominantly black church with which we have a growing "sister" relationship. Eight young penpie from Twelfth Baptist Church in Boston, plus five from Grace went to Ilaiti to build two schoolhouses for a ministry there.

Our mission ministry is far from perfect. There are many areas where we are really falling short, with the greatest being the dissemination of information to our people. The bigger the church becomes and the bigger the missions program is, the more difficult it is to get the information to parishioners on how they can give, pray, and be involved.

We also need to work on our financial and pastoral support of our mission¬

my family. Our home grown missionaries are dependent on us for a large percentage of their support, and we are always trying to increase this. In addition, pastoral support for our missions family letters, gifts hospitality when they are home has pockets of success stories, but it is much too sporadic. Our missionaries need church support that they can count on for encouragement and prayer.

The international community of Boston, with over 30,000 resettled Haitians, 14,000 international students, and a host of other ethnic groups, is another great concern. I'm thrilled at our people's desire to reach out, but we must work harder to give them the training they need to be effective cross cultural missionaries in their own communities, based out of their own homes.