This past Monday, I was in a meeting in the Fellowship Hall. Toward the end of the meeting, I was approached by one of those who had gathered. The gentleman asked me about the flags hanging in the Fellowship Hall. He wanted to know if they were just decorations or if they had some meaning. I was happy to share with him that each of the flags represented a country that our church had visited to do mission work. The gentleman was taken aback for a moment, looking at each of the flags, and responded by saying, “What a beautiful reminder of where you have been and what God is doing in the world.”

David Bosch, the author of Transforming Mission, states that “Christianity is missionary by its very nature, or it denies its very raison d’etre.” That is, our faith in God and God’s redeeming work through Jesus Christ should always compel us to share the Gospel and work for the good of others. I’m humbled to serve here at Pittman Park because you understand that we are not simply called to store up the Good News of the Kingdom of God but are called to share that news with our neighbors and lend a hand to those in need.

Tomorrow afternoon, our Dominican Republic Medical Mission Team will depart to serve God and the people of Barahona, D.R. I am excited to be a part of this team and to be able to report back to you the ways that God is moving as we join in with God’s work among Haitian Refugees. This group is among the poorest and most marginalized groups in the Dominican Republic. The work that God will do through us in the coming week will serve to bring health and healing to those who are in need.

I’m thankful for this opportunity and for Dr. Randy Smith, who has a heart to see healing and health come to people of every nation, and John and Donna Bearden, who are our long-term missionary contacts on the ground in the D.R. I know that their leadership will guide us well as we seek to serve God on this trip. The team has prepared well and is in prayer for God’s hand and provision for us as we travel and work.

Would you join us in praying for the Dominican Republic? For refugees there and around the world? For those who need not only medical care but true healing that comes from knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord?

Thank you for being a church engaged in mission! Thank you for being a church engaged in prayer! Thank you for helping make this work possible!

God bless,

Jonathan Smith
For Jesus. For People. For Community.