On any given Sunday, missionaries stand before hundreds of local churches to unveil how God is transforming lives in the countries where they serve. Increasingly, these missionaries are speaking to churches in their home countries without even leaving the field.
Recently, Mission Corps missionaries Dave and Betsy Scott spoke to a church in Ohio while sitting in the sanctuary of the Church of the Nazarene in Montpelier, France, where they serve. Districts such as North Florida are meeting face to face with missionary families still on the field to pray for them and provide emotional and spiritual support. Churches sponsoring mission projects talk live with those who are putting their funds to good use.
Video conferencing is bringing the world home.
Without leaving home
With new, inexpensive or even free computer software programs, such as Skype, missionaries and national leaders are expanding their reach, not only in their work, but in reaching more churches with the challenge to get involved in God’s mission to the world.
For the Scotts, appearing live in their home church via video conference offered benefits beyond what they saved in travel costs.
“It was such a great experience for them and for us,” Betsy said. “The pastor thought it was important to do because it connected them -- a congregation in a small town in Ohio -- to us in France. It creates a sense of being close even though we were far away. It also intimately connects them to us and our ministry, and this church and many people in it are actively praying and financially supporting our ministry.”
The North Florida District spoke with a missionary family through a Skype conference call during a previous district Nazarene Missions International (NMI) convention, said Susan Lynne Day, NMI district president. The district had been assigned to provide ongoing spiritual and emotional support to the family for two years through the NMI LINKS program.
“One of the really neat things is that you get to pray with them during your convention and hear their feedback, as well as their chance to give live greetings to their LINKS district,” Day said.
Joshua Williams, a missionary working with the South America Region remotely from Idaho, U.S., led a mission service in May at the Nazarene church in Star, Idaho, in which the church used Skype to talk with Felix Vargas, a Colombian pastor. Vargas, a former member of the Colombian drug cartel, was featured in the short film, From the Dark. The church watched the film about God’s miraculous transformation in Vargas’ life, then held a live question and answer time with Vargas through the video conference technology.
Several years ago, Williams’ church in Eagle, Idaho, pledged to help build a church in Sourdeaux, Argentina. Following a mission rally centered on the project, the congregation, led by pastor Tim Bunn, met with the Sourdeaux church pastor through Skype. He personally thanked the congregation for their investment and sang a song for them.
Around the world in 80 minutes
When each of the six Nazarene regional administrative areas span dozens of countries and sometimes several time zones, traveling for meetings can be costly and time consuming. That’s why mission personnel and local leaders are turning to Skype for face-to-face meetings, even regional conferences and higher level education.
For the annual Nazarene Youth International (NYI) council meeting in the Eurasia Region, several members of the council who couldn’t make it from their distant home countries participated in the three days of meetings on their computers with a special video conference system. The frozen screens and interrupted connections were a reminder that video conference is still evolving as a technology.
“We had to be very disciplined, both around the table here in how we spoke, but also they had a hard time over there trying to stay involved and not ‘switch off,’” said Sabine Wielk, NYI coordinator for the Eurasia Region. “It was really hard work, but … better than not having them participate at all.”
Teanna Sunberg, missionary to Bulgaria, recently held meetings over Skype to plan a theology class and create an itinerary for a faculty meeting.
“Important conversations, face-to-face communication with 14 different people,” she wrote later on her ministry blog. “Quite amazing, wouldn’t you say?”
Missionaries also use Skype to feel closer to family and friends at home. Being able to not only hear loved ones, but to see them live on their computer screen, creates a sense of nearness in spite of the distance.
Amy Crofford, missionary in Kenya, said her family celebrated her husband, Greg’s, birthday by talking with their two sons in the United States over Skype.
“We coordinated a time and it worked well. It was a means for all four of us to interact.”
Earlier this spring, Jason Veach, a Mission Corps missionary with European Nazarene College (EuNC), taught a course at the school’s education center in Spain. Seven of the 12 class members could not get away from responsibilities at home or raise the costs for traveling, lodging and food in Spain. So they attended the two-week-long class in Barcelona through video conference technology.
Veach was surprised at how easily the remote students could engage with the class. The online students listened to the lectures and presentations then submitted questions to a moderator who conveyed them to the class in Barcelona for discussion. The distance students also discussed with each other through an online chat room.
“It took a bit of patience on the part of all the students because there is a bit of a delay. However, everyone seemed to adapt well,” Veach said. “I think it's also important to remember that this way of engaging in education is still in the process of being refined. I believe the benefits outweigh any drawbacks. But, it is not the way of the future. Like it or not, it is now. ”