New Job, Old Truths
This summer, I started a new job at a hospital in a small midwestern town.
My role mainly oversees marketing, communications, and fundraising, but another big component of my job is community engagement. This part involves finding creative ways to build relationships and rapport with the local community.
For example, I recently participated in my town’s Fourth of July parade (my first community engagement event in my new role!).
As I walked down the classically American main street with my coworkers, wearing my new company t-shirt and smiling at the crowd, I couldn’t help but think of Village Missions.
Missionary Pastors in the Community
As the VM website aptly puts it:
“Like a traditional pastor, a Village Missionary pastor shepherds the church through preaching, teaching and mentoring. Yet, like a missionary, he shows the love of Christ to the unchurched community through visitation, volunteering in local activities and serving alongside townsfolk in their trades.”
Village Missionaries spend half their time building up their congregation while spending the other half reaching out to the folks outside of the church.
In a sense, “community engagement” is also a big part of a Village Missionary’s job.
Whether they coach little league, drive the local school bus, or help a rancher with his cattle, Village Missionaries find ways to become part of their communities, too. Some even participate in their own town’s parades and festivals!
Engaging the Community for Christ
In just a few weeks, I will participate in another fun community event on behalf of my organization. I will meet more folks, shake more hands, and learn more interesting facts about my new home. And as I do, I will remember the more than 200 Village Missionaries across the U.S. and Canada who are also doing “community engagement.”
When I go to work at the hospital, I think about the Village Missionaries who drive folks to doctor’s appointments or visit those who are hospitalized.
When I see a tractor cultivating crops, I wonder how many Village Missionaries will assist farmers with the harvest this fall.
When I visit the local café, I envision a Village Missionary sitting at a table with a local resident, listening to their struggles and offering the hope of the gospel.
And as I grow to become a part of my community, I will pray that “community engagement” would be a powerful way for Village Missionaries to display the love of Christ in their own small, out-of-the-way places.
Would you join me? Whether you live in a large city, a town or in the country, please look for reminders to pray for missionary families in rural areas.
Makenzie McNeill served as Village Missions staff writer from 2018 to 2021. She remains invested in rural ministry. To read more articles written by Makenzie, check out her “Struggles in Small Town Canada” series.
