OLATHE, KANSAS—When the timer started, the five teams of five people opened envelopes and dumped out their contents. On the table tops lay paper clips, colored construction paper, scissors, post-it notes, tape and other random office supplies. The teams were instructed to work together to build a church.
The catch? They weren’t allowed to talk or even make hand gestures to communicate.
As the clock ticked away silent seconds, the paper churches rapidly took shape.
“Time!” someone called, and the teams assessed their handiwork.
Cassie Eubanks, of St. Louis, Missouri, helped her team at the
Cross-Cultural Orientation build a paper church while not talking
verbally or using hand gestures.
The hands-on activity was one of several during the two-day Cross-Cultural Orientation (CCO) conducted July 24 and 25 at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Twenty-four people from across the United States attended to prepare for the experience of ministering in another culture.
The orientation, hosted by the Church of the Nazarene’s World Mission Mobilization personnel, takes place at Nazarene universities around the United States eight to nine times a year. The event is required for people intending to serve the denomination in a cross-cultural mission assignment for 90 days or more. It is also open to those interested in learning more about missions in the Church of the Nazarene and how they fit in.
“It’s hard to serve in an organization if you don’t understand it,” said David Cooper, Mobilization coordinator. “We want to give people, through an orientation, an idea of what it means to serve through the Church of the Nazarene, and how they can go about doing that and understanding the opportunities that are available for them.”
During the orientation, participants learn a variety of information, from raising financial support and acquiring proper travel documentation to the stages of culture shock and being aware of how they interact with people of another culture.
They also participate in role-playing and team-building activities that simulate the emotions and challenges people experience when adapting to and working in an unfamiliar culture.
“Games will drive home a point much more than just hearing someone say it,” Cooper said.
Aaron Crane (left) of Lake Orion, Michigan, Nate Eubanks (center) of
St. Louis, Missouri, and Clinton Hendershot (right) of Hutchinson,
Kansas, complete a paper church in their team-building activity at the
Cross-Cultural Orientation in Olathe, Kansas, July 24-25.
By watching and getting to know the participants, Mobilization personnel can see their skills, personality and interests in action, Cooper said.
“It helps us to place people on the field and to make sure when we talk to them about options for service that it is a good fit. It helps us tell fields, ‘Hey, this person is great in such and such an area, but may be weak in another,’” he said. “We have to be thinking about the fields—is it a good fit for them also?”
Some, like Katie Anderson, who attend the orientation already have an assignment and are in the midst of plans to move to their new home.
Anderson had been accepted as a church planting volunteer for two years with Extreme Peru when she attended the May 2009 orientation in Baltimore, Maryland.
“I think the most helpful thing was the culture shock information,” she wrote in an e-mail. “I will know what to expect when I am feeling like I am in the wrong place.”
Other attendees are sorting out God’s call on their lives to see if cross-cultural ministry is where He is leading them.
Cara Elliott, of Colombia, Missouri, and fiancé Joe Matheny wanted to learn more about preparing themselves for a future mission assignment. The personal interview with Cooper affirmed for Elliott and Matheny that they should take some seminary courses to broaden their biblical knowledge.
“That kind of gave us direction, because we weren’t really sure what we could be doing these next three years to prepare,” Elliott said.
Spending time with other people exploring God’s call to missions is meaningful for many of those who attend.
“When I am here at home, I feel like I am the only one,” wrote Anderson. “So by being with the others who are in similar situations, or going to be soon, it made you sort of feel like a family. I know we are all part of the family of God, but it gave us a special bond.”
Elliott was encouraged by the personal stories of others in attendance.
“It’s interesting to hear about other people … and how the Lord is paving the way for them,” she said. “It’s encouraging because that’s also what He’s doing for us, and what He’ll continue to do.”
Matt Price, former missionary to West Africa and now assistant professor of Christian education at Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) in Mount Vernon, Ohio, went through the CCO before his family took an assignment in Africa. He established relationships with other would-be missionaries at the CCO that have continued to support his family through their missionary assignments.
“We bonded during this short time together. When we look these folks in the eyes, we know where they’ve been because we’ve been there, too,” he said. “And, it all started during our cross-cultural orientation.”