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Missions at State College Assembly of God
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”, Mark 16:15 (The Great Commission) lies at the heart of SCA’s foundational commitment to Missions. From our church’s inception as a home missions project back in 1952, our Missionary focus has not changed; yet it continues to evolve.
We here at SCA believe that everyone has a part to play in the Great Commission. For some it may be intense intercessory prayer or perhaps encouragement through letters, hospitality or sacrificial giving and for a few who are called by God, to “go” to the Mission Field full-time.
State College Assembly supports missionaries and mission’s agencies both at home and around the world. Sharing the gospel, the message of Christ’s redemption, is one of the core foundations of SCA.
The newsletters and stories from missionaries supported by SCA give a sense of the adventure they encounter as they share the love of Christ and meet scores of needs here in the U.S. and around the world.
SCA supports local ministries -
including the Pregnancy Resource Clinic and Chi Alpha (supports and hosts a PSU
student ministry) - as well as missionaries and mission’s agencies worldwide.
Raising mission awareness is a tool that SCA uses to promote mission participation. To that end, we host:
1) An annual March three week Missions Conference with several missionaries as keynote speakers and a specific ministry or missionary funding projects.
2) Mission bible studies and gatherings as needed.
3) Partnering with other local churches to provide training through Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, a 13- week course that delves into the Biblical basics of missions, unreached people groups and other missiological subjects.
What is YOUR role as a Christian in Missions? A few questions:
1 What is the Great Commission and where can it be found in the Bible?
Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 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.”
2 What is a UPG (Unreached People Group)?
Usually, a large group of individuals who have a common affinity for one another because of their shared language, history, religious affiliation, ethnicity, residence, class or caste, geographical location, other specific situations, etc. or combinations of these. According to the Joshua Project there are 17,423 People Groups in the world, with 7,410 Groups that are Unreached, meaning less than 2% of the population of 3.19 billion people in Unreached Groups are believers in Jesus Christ and the other 98% of the people have never heard the Gospel. Other organization’s statistics indicate that as many as 4 + billion people have never been reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ out of a total population of 8 billion people worldwide!
3 What is the 10/40
Window?
The 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. The 10/40 Window is called “The Resistant Belt” and includes the majority of the world’s Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Today the 10/40 Window includes some countries that are close to 10- or 40-degrees north latitude and have high concentration of unreached peoples. It is estimated that 5.11 billion people reside in the 10/40 Window and 69.5% of these people are considered unreached with a population of 3.09 billion.
4 What is the Great Commandment and where can it be found in the Bible?
Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” And who is your neighbor, anyone you may ever meet in this world!
Then, do you as a Christian, have a role in Missions?
The answer is a resounding “Yes”! From the above questions and words of Jesus, missions are NOT just for missions’ pastors, missionaries and missions team members. This is a call for all Christians to be directly involved in missions, by either learning, welcoming, praying, mobilizing, sending (supporting) or going (can be local, regional or worldwide while fewer are typically called to go worldwide).
How You Can Reach the Unreached
Reaching the Unreached: Praying
Prayer is vital as missionaries press in to reach the unreached like never before. Here are some links to help formulate effective prayer:
- Joshua Project Unreached of the Day
- Global Prayer Digest
- Assemblies of God World Missions Prayer Resources
Reaching the Unreached: Resources
Here is a list of excellent Missions/Unreached Peoples Groups resources:
- Joshua Project
- Missions Frontiers
- Assemblies of God World Missions
Take time to explore these sites and use your search engine to find other sites.
Reaching the Unreached: Getting Involved
Getting involved may mean finding a place here, or short term or long term Missions work, or something else. Here are some links to ways to get involved:
- Six Ways to Get Involved
- Penn State International Ministry
- Joshua Project, Get Involved
