As a result of the one week trip to Spain I took with Jim Leach, May 22-29, 2000, I am very enthusiastic about holding high before the congregation of St. Paul's a call to short-term mission.

I think an achievable, yet lofty, goal is to call all members to spend at least one week per year in short-term mission, particularly crossing a barrier [cultural, ethnic, racial, language, national, etc.]

As a result of immersion in this endeavor, our faith will be strengthened and we will become better disciples. We will come to know our need for God and His willingness to provide by leaving our zones of comfort and taking risks for Jesus.

We leave the familiar: our surroundings, our habits, our sense of being in control of our situation, in order to have to depend on others, to follow their lead, and to realize how much we have to learn.

It is my hope that MEC and others in leadership at St. Paul's [the staff, the vestry] will take the initiative and begin to coordinate visits to the mission field. Obviously the first place to look is overseas and to the ministries supported by St. Paul's. We must also look locally and beyond, to ministries in the US that would qualify as "cross-cultural" and be prepared to serve here, too.

I urge every member of St. Paul's to:

1. Pray in order to make yourself available;
2. Take out your calendar and look at the next twelve months, and block out 1-3 weeks for mission. When can you possibly do such a thing?
3. Contact Father Dan or myself or Father Tom Hendrickson from MEC for more specifics.