How does a local body of believers develop an awareness of and even a passion to be involved in cross-cultural missions? For starters, they talk about it. They talk about it often. They teach a Biblical theology of mission. They highlight and pray for missionaries. In short, they make it a priority—not just a once-in-a-while mention.

Grace Church of Orange in California is one such church. They recently hosted a one-day conference called “Mobilizing for Mission: Here, There, and Everywhere.” They invited other Charis Fellowship churches in the Orange County area to join, as well as some local non-Charis churches, including a delegation from a church just across the border in Mexico. All in all, there were about 180 people in attendance, ranging from teenagers to seniors. They even provided childcare and taught the kids about missions on a level appropriate for them.

Pastors James Holt and Randy Clark (a recent Encompass appointee to Japan along with his wife Susan) were the main architects of the conference. There were three main sessions throughout the day along with two times for breakout sessions each offering seven unique topics. Some speakers were from local churches, including Charis pastors Oscar Chavez, Eric Durso, and Michael Sciarra. They also invited Charis national ministries to lead breakouts, including Momentum Ministry Partners (Tim Lansing) and Encompass World Partners (Cecil O’Dell and Dave Pacheco). They served a delicious international lunch, including homemade pasole provided by a ladies group from the church in Mexico. 

In various ways, attendees were challenged to seek out where they fit in with God’s plan to use the church to take the gospel to the world. At a minimum, nearly 200 people were exposed to the need for cross-cultural outreach—some, perhaps, for the first time. 

Could your church and larger community benefit from a one-day conference like this? We think the answer is “Yes!”