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Armenia churches empower communities through compassionate ministry by Melissa Dalton
A sheep and poultry ministry that has been operating in Armenia for the last three years is making great strides to improve the lives of families and the surrounding communities of Maralik and Akhuryan. These four-year projects, which were created in response to a growing need that stemmed from a major earthquake in Armenia in 1988, have helped over sixty families since their implementation and have also helped to grow the church through this process.
“[After the earthquake] most lost everything they had and were left homeless,” program director Anna Jara said. “This has created a huge rate of unemployment, and the result of which finds that people have [had] to leave their homes and country.”
Local churches and the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries committee then decided to create these outreach programs to help people in these areas who were simply trying to make ends meet. Families involved in these programs were selected by local church and community leaders with the help of the NCM committee. Non-church families and individuals were paired with people already involved in the churches, and they raised the sheep and chickens together.
Some areas noticed immediate changes and improvements as a result of these programs.
“The families were more empowered and encouraged to look to the future and to make their projects successful,” Jara said.
These ministries have also had long-term effects on the communities. As the projects grow, people are able to gain more income, and produce and sell eggs, wool, cheese, and milk. They have even begun using manure as a source for heating and cooking. Although the areas where these programs are active are very sensitive and discourage any types of direct evangelism, the families who are involved with these ministries are being drawn to the church. About 70 percent of the program beneficiaries have been non-churched families, and local congregations are growing as a result.
“The projects themselves are showing the love and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ; that is making people come to church,” Jara explained.
“[After the earthquake] most lost everything they had and were left homeless,” program director Anna Jara said. “This has created a huge rate of unemployment, and the result of which finds that people have [had] to leave their homes and country.”
Local churches and the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries committee then decided to create these outreach programs to help people in these areas who were simply trying to make ends meet. Families involved in these programs were selected by local church and community leaders with the help of the NCM committee. Non-church families and individuals were paired with people already involved in the churches, and they raised the sheep and chickens together.
Some areas noticed immediate changes and improvements as a result of these programs.
“The families were more empowered and encouraged to look to the future and to make their projects successful,” Jara said.
These ministries have also had long-term effects on the communities. As the projects grow, people are able to gain more income, and produce and sell eggs, wool, cheese, and milk. They have even begun using manure as a source for heating and cooking. Although the areas where these programs are active are very sensitive and discourage any types of direct evangelism, the families who are involved with these ministries are being drawn to the church. About 70 percent of the program beneficiaries have been non-churched families, and local congregations are growing as a result.
“The projects themselves are showing the love and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ; that is making people come to church,” Jara explained.
Anna Hakobyan is one of the sheep project beneficiaries. There are seven people in her family, including three children. Her family is unemployed, and her husband often travels to Russia for seasonal work. The family has been given eight sheep through this ministry and have also received wool and manure. They have already seen six lambs born from their sheep and are hoping to start getting milk from the sheep for family consumption soon. They are very happy with and grateful for these projects.
Anna’s youngest child, her only son, is five years old. During her pregnancy, Anna had health problems and was required to have surgery with full anesthesia. It was a miracle that her boy was born healthy. This incident helped her come to believe in God and that He can work all kinds of miracles. Anna’s family is planning to increase the number of the sheep they have and improve their living conditions for the future.
Anna’s youngest child, her only son, is five years old. During her pregnancy, Anna had health problems and was required to have surgery with full anesthesia. It was a miracle that her boy was born healthy. This incident helped her come to believe in God and that He can work all kinds of miracles. Anna’s family is planning to increase the number of the sheep they have and improve their living conditions for the future.
Gevorg Serobyan is another beneficiary of the sheep project. He is a war veteran, and there are nine people in his family—three of them children. One of Gevorg’s children is only three months old. Gevorg’s mother, Lusine, has recently undergone surgery to resolve some problems with her back. The members of this family are also unemployed, so they don’t have a stable source of income to satisfy their daily needs or receive governmental support. The family has a small plot of land in front of their house, and they grow potatoes, greens, and beans. They also have experience in raising cattle and pigs. They take credit from the bank against their land that they are cultivating.
Gevorg’s family has been given eight sheep through this ministry and have already seen four lambs born. They are very grateful for the project and are planning to continue it. They also have plans to develop their own small business to improve their living conditions by increasing the number of the sheep they raise. The project is a hope for a better future. Their only concern is their lack of grass and the price to buy more: it is expensive and hard to find in Maralik. They have also received wool and manure.
Anna Jara and her team are now working to design the second phase of this project, which will involve different components of planting churches. The new churches will select and begin projects in two new communities to help support local families in need.
“One positive aspect is that some of the families in actual churches have relatives in those possible communities that can be contacts for us,” Jara said. She also encouraged anyone interested in becoming involved with or supporting these ministries to contact Nazarene Compassionate Ministries International and ask them about supporting the economic development projects in Armenia.
Gevorg’s family has been given eight sheep through this ministry and have already seen four lambs born. They are very grateful for the project and are planning to continue it. They also have plans to develop their own small business to improve their living conditions by increasing the number of the sheep they raise. The project is a hope for a better future. Their only concern is their lack of grass and the price to buy more: it is expensive and hard to find in Maralik. They have also received wool and manure.
Anna Jara and her team are now working to design the second phase of this project, which will involve different components of planting churches. The new churches will select and begin projects in two new communities to help support local families in need.
“One positive aspect is that some of the families in actual churches have relatives in those possible communities that can be contacts for us,” Jara said. She also encouraged anyone interested in becoming involved with or supporting these ministries to contact Nazarene Compassionate Ministries International and ask them about supporting the economic development projects in Armenia.
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Slogans that awakened the Church: Getting there in timeBy Howard Culbertson
"The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time"[Carl F. H. Henry, theologian]
The Good News. That’s what we believers often call the gospel. Indeed, the gospel story is extraordinarily good news. However, what Carl Henry, founding editor ofChristianity Today, questioned is whether the gospel can genuinely be called “good news” for those who pass into eternity without hearing it.
Slogans that awakened the Church: Getting there in timeBy Howard Culbertson"The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time"[Carl F. H. Henry, theologian]
The Good News. That’s what we believers often call the gospel. Indeed, the gospel story is extraordinarily good news. However, what Carl Henry, founding editor ofChristianity Today, questioned is whether the gospel can genuinely be called “good news” for those who pass into eternity without hearing it.
More than seven billion people live on earth today. Joshua Project researchers say that almost three billion of them have never heard anything about the gospel of Jesus Christ and, at the moment, have virtually no way of hearing the gospel. Phil Bogosian calculated how many people in unreached people groups die each day not having heard about Jesus Christ. Then Bogosian asked: "What would we do about it if the 66,000 who die every day in unreached people groups were individuals trapped in a well?"
The answer to that question is obvious. When a child is missing or someone has fallen into a well, every resource that can be found is immediately mobilized. Time is of the essence. People stay glued to news media for updates. Isn’t there some relevance in that scenario to how the Church should be mobilizing for world evangelism? Shouldn’t there be the same anxiousness and urgent insistence among Christians about getting out the Good News?
Researchers say there are about 5,000 unreached people groups on earth. It has been said that the Church today possesses the resources and manpower necessary to start church planting movements within every one of those unreached people groups. Why don’t we mobilize those resources and do it? Let’s get the Good News to everyone on time!
The answer to that question is obvious. When a child is missing or someone has fallen into a well, every resource that can be found is immediately mobilized. Time is of the essence. People stay glued to news media for updates. Isn’t there some relevance in that scenario to how the Church should be mobilizing for world evangelism? Shouldn’t there be the same anxiousness and urgent insistence among Christians about getting out the Good News?
Researchers say there are about 5,000 unreached people groups on earth. It has been said that the Church today possesses the resources and manpower necessary to start church planting movements within every one of those unreached people groups. Why don’t we mobilize those resources and do it? Let’s get the Good News to everyone on time!
[Howard Culbertson was professor of missions and world evangelism at Southern Nazarene University, in Bethany, Oklahoma, U.S for 25 years. Culbertson, who formerly served as a missionary in Italy and Haiti, has published numerous articles, books, and chapters in books on missions.]
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Video: Philippines school in a boxBy Nazarene Stories
In 2013, Typhoon Hiayan devastated Tacloban City in the Philippines. When young adults from the Rowenas community learned that families living in transitory sites could not afford school supplies, they remembered their own difficulties and created School in a Box.
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Tongchai's storyBy Kent Pelton on July 8, 2015
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Video: Philippines school in a boxBy Nazarene Stories
In 2013, Typhoon Hiayan devastated Tacloban City in the Philippines. When young adults from the Rowenas community learned that families living in transitory sites could not afford school supplies, they remembered their own difficulties and created School in a Box.
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Tongchai's storyBy Kent Pelton on July 8, 2015Printer-friendly version
It wasn’t a serendipitous event, although it was a pleasant surprise reminder. Our heavenly Father wants us to remember that while He includes us in His kingdom business, we are not the only cog in the works. He will work in us, through us and in spite of us.
Tongchai was the local drunk in his village in Thailand. When I first met him, Tongchai was wanting to practice his English skills with me. Quite often in a drunken stupor, this particular evening he was only mildly inebriated. His speech was a bit slurred but still understandable. I asked him why he drank alcohol all the time. He responded that he couldn’t help it, it was who he was. I asked him, if he could quit, would he? He avoided the question and simply responded that he couldn’t quit. But I pressed the question, If he could quit, would he? He said that he would.
I told him about Jesus, the healer. Jesus could help him, if Tongchai would ask Jesus to help him. That evening we prayed and asked Jesus to help Tongchai to quit alcohol and to make him sick if he did drink again, to take away the desire for alcohol. Our Lord is faithful and answered Tongchai’s prayer.
While Tongchai did not return to meet with us, he did stop drinking liquor and there was a remarkable change in his life. That meeting took place about six years ago. Regrettably, Tongchai’s sobriety was short lived. He would be okay for a while and then drunk for a while.
In May 2014, Tongchai was found almost dead with alcohol poisoning. He was taken to the hospital. I met him in the hospital and prayed with him. I reminded him of God’s desire to help him.
Over the years I occasionally wondered about Tongchai and at those times I would pray for him. But my visits to Pabujom were usually brief and with the exclusive purpose of meeting with the few who wanted to meet with me. In our meetings we prayed for the folks in the village. But church growth is very slow there. I don’t hold the keys or any magic formulas to help people know Christ. Thank the Lord that he is the one who does know how to touch people’s hearts.
A couple of weeks ago, on one afternoon I was simply walking around the village and praying. In one part of the village where I seldom visit, a lady and I greeted each other as we passed. Soon after, an older woman followed and greeted me. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember who she was. She told me her husband was not well, an indication that she would like me to follow her to her home and see her husband. I turned around and followed her home. There I found Tongchai. Surprise! He was not well. I had never seen him look so unhealthy, even when drunk. I proceeded to listen to him and then pray for him.
Last week I returned to his home. He had mentioned that he talked to God daily. I wanted to know more. He told me that he had not had anything to drink since I saw him in the hospital last year. When asked how that was possible, he informed me that God helped him. When probed about what was different now and before when he had his good days and his bad days, he said, “When I thought I could handle it, then I didn’t pray and I would end up drunk again. But now I pray everyday for God to help me.”
Thank you, Lord, for the reminder that you are working in places and in ways that I do not know. You are the one that calls to repentance. You are the one who calls us to follow. You are the one who saves. Thank you for working in Tongchai’s life and in the life of his family. Continue to work your wonders in Pabujom so that you will receive glory for your work there.
Tongchai was the local drunk in his village in Thailand. When I first met him, Tongchai was wanting to practice his English skills with me. Quite often in a drunken stupor, this particular evening he was only mildly inebriated. His speech was a bit slurred but still understandable. I asked him why he drank alcohol all the time. He responded that he couldn’t help it, it was who he was. I asked him, if he could quit, would he? He avoided the question and simply responded that he couldn’t quit. But I pressed the question, If he could quit, would he? He said that he would.
I told him about Jesus, the healer. Jesus could help him, if Tongchai would ask Jesus to help him. That evening we prayed and asked Jesus to help Tongchai to quit alcohol and to make him sick if he did drink again, to take away the desire for alcohol. Our Lord is faithful and answered Tongchai’s prayer.
While Tongchai did not return to meet with us, he did stop drinking liquor and there was a remarkable change in his life. That meeting took place about six years ago. Regrettably, Tongchai’s sobriety was short lived. He would be okay for a while and then drunk for a while.
In May 2014, Tongchai was found almost dead with alcohol poisoning. He was taken to the hospital. I met him in the hospital and prayed with him. I reminded him of God’s desire to help him.
Over the years I occasionally wondered about Tongchai and at those times I would pray for him. But my visits to Pabujom were usually brief and with the exclusive purpose of meeting with the few who wanted to meet with me. In our meetings we prayed for the folks in the village. But church growth is very slow there. I don’t hold the keys or any magic formulas to help people know Christ. Thank the Lord that he is the one who does know how to touch people’s hearts.
A couple of weeks ago, on one afternoon I was simply walking around the village and praying. In one part of the village where I seldom visit, a lady and I greeted each other as we passed. Soon after, an older woman followed and greeted me. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember who she was. She told me her husband was not well, an indication that she would like me to follow her to her home and see her husband. I turned around and followed her home. There I found Tongchai. Surprise! He was not well. I had never seen him look so unhealthy, even when drunk. I proceeded to listen to him and then pray for him.
Last week I returned to his home. He had mentioned that he talked to God daily. I wanted to know more. He told me that he had not had anything to drink since I saw him in the hospital last year. When asked how that was possible, he informed me that God helped him. When probed about what was different now and before when he had his good days and his bad days, he said, “When I thought I could handle it, then I didn’t pray and I would end up drunk again. But now I pray everyday for God to help me.”
Thank you, Lord, for the reminder that you are working in places and in ways that I do not know. You are the one that calls to repentance. You are the one who calls us to follow. You are the one who saves. Thank you for working in Tongchai’s life and in the life of his family. Continue to work your wonders in Pabujom so that you will receive glory for your work there.
[Kent and Kathleen Pelton have been serving the Church of the Nazarene as missionaries since 1994. Since 2000 they have served in Thailand. Kent is serving in church planting and is chairman of The Golden Path, a Nazarene foundation in Thailand established for the development of children and youth through education and literature. Kathleen serves an administrative role for the Southeast Asia Field.
Read more about their ministry in their Engage missionary profile.]
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Video: Balraj's story by Eurasia Region
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Needed: Mavericks by Dorli Gschwandtner
"We don't need you."
That's one thing you will definitely not hear when you apply for a Maverick team.
Because the Mavericks know: You've got potential. You have unique skills that are needed on this team and that will be used for God's glory.
Believing in people's potential, encouraging them in their skills, empowering them in ministry: That's what the "Maverick" version of short-term mission work is all about.
And hundreds of people have discovered this firsthand.
Like Wes Eby, who participated in Maverick trip No. 24 to Paraguay in October 2009.
"What piqued my interest was the fact that anyone was accepted, and their gifts and, even 'ungifts,' were welcomed," Eby remembers. "On this particular trip, another Maverick was interested in teaching ESL (English as a second language), and since I have a master’s degree in that field, I knew where my ministry would be."
Or like the elderly participant who seemed close to heart failure in a race through the airport, but on the worksite he spent hours holding an abandoned baby and offering love in such a tangible way that the whole neighborhood was stunned.
Read more about their ministry in their Engage missionary profile.]
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Video: Balraj's story by Eurasia Region
Balraj spent his life in India chasing drugs and alcohol, but was dissatisfied and tried to commit suicide. After his wife fasted for 40 days and nights, Balraj watched the JESUSfilm and started on a new path toward ordination.
The Resurrections video series tells the stories of lives turned around through the power of Christ.
The Resurrections video series tells the stories of lives turned around through the power of Christ.
Needed: Mavericks by Dorli Gschwandtner"We don't need you."
That's one thing you will definitely not hear when you apply for a Maverick team.
Because the Mavericks know: You've got potential. You have unique skills that are needed on this team and that will be used for God's glory.
Believing in people's potential, encouraging them in their skills, empowering them in ministry: That's what the "Maverick" version of short-term mission work is all about.
And hundreds of people have discovered this firsthand.
Like Wes Eby, who participated in Maverick trip No. 24 to Paraguay in October 2009.
"What piqued my interest was the fact that anyone was accepted, and their gifts and, even 'ungifts,' were welcomed," Eby remembers. "On this particular trip, another Maverick was interested in teaching ESL (English as a second language), and since I have a master’s degree in that field, I knew where my ministry would be."
Or like the elderly participant who seemed close to heart failure in a race through the airport, but on the worksite he spent hours holding an abandoned baby and offering love in such a tangible way that the whole neighborhood was stunned.
Or like the youngest "Maverick," a 3-year old who, with nothing but a soccer ball and a smile, gathered a full VBS (Vacation Bible School) within minutes.
In the cattle country of the American Southwest, mavericks are "very valuable creatures." In the Maverick version of short-term mission work, every participant is a very valuable individual. It doesn't matter if you're three years old or 84, if you can build a house with your own hands or prefer holding a baby in your arms – in a Maverick team, you have a place and you have a ministry.
In the cattle country of the American Southwest, mavericks are "very valuable creatures." In the Maverick version of short-term mission work, every participant is a very valuable individual. It doesn't matter if you're three years old or 84, if you can build a house with your own hands or prefer holding a baby in your arms – in a Maverick team, you have a place and you have a ministry.
"We are persuaded that everyone has a ministry and we seek to facilitate it," Rev. Larry Webb, founder of the Mavericks, emphasizes. Larry, (photo left with wife Judy) himself is now 81 years old and just as active in missionary service as he has been his whole life. He's also just as passionate about people: When he sends out emails about the Mavericks, he speaks a short prayer for each of the over 700 people on the mailing list. And his vision is catching.
"Our participation in Maverick Team #21 to Paraguay in March 2008 not only opened our eyes to another culture but inspired us to action when we saw what one man with vision, conviction, energy and sacrifice can accomplish for the kingdom," Jan Northington remembers. "How Larry can incorporate a team from nine to 90 years old to serve with one heart, mind and purpose is something to witness."
Webb and his wife Judy recently moved from California to Idaho – because the reduction in rent allows them to continue leading Maverick teams and inspiring people to engage in ministry. "My challenge is to involve them in meaningful ministry so that they go home with a passion for missions," Webb explains.
It's a challenge the elderly couple are living day by day.
After a combined 56 years of serving as Nazarene missionaries in South Africa, Barbados, and Bolivia, Larry and Judy Webb were not quite ready to retire from ministry. So, after their formal retirement in 1999, they founded the "Mavericks" – a special type of short-term mission trips that has done and are still doing an incredible ministry.
"Our participation in Maverick Team #21 to Paraguay in March 2008 not only opened our eyes to another culture but inspired us to action when we saw what one man with vision, conviction, energy and sacrifice can accomplish for the kingdom," Jan Northington remembers. "How Larry can incorporate a team from nine to 90 years old to serve with one heart, mind and purpose is something to witness."
Webb and his wife Judy recently moved from California to Idaho – because the reduction in rent allows them to continue leading Maverick teams and inspiring people to engage in ministry. "My challenge is to involve them in meaningful ministry so that they go home with a passion for missions," Webb explains.
It's a challenge the elderly couple are living day by day.
After a combined 56 years of serving as Nazarene missionaries in South Africa, Barbados, and Bolivia, Larry and Judy Webb were not quite ready to retire from ministry. So, after their formal retirement in 1999, they founded the "Mavericks" – a special type of short-term mission trips that has done and are still doing an incredible ministry.
In the 15 years since the birth of the Maverick idea, a total of 31 "Maverick" short-term mission trips with more than 400 participants have traveled abroad, with the majority of teams serving in or around Cochabamba, Bolivia, and a few teams in Paraguay. The team size ranges between 5 and 26 participants.
The 32nd Maverick Team will head to Bolivia in July this year, serving in a project called "Casa Nazarena" in the city of Trinidad.
But it's a ministry that doesn't only serve – it empowers. It is based on the firm conviction that each team participant has skills and potentials and "can do it", and that, equally, local people in a missions setting have great potential and "can do it", too – without dependency on outside funding.
So what does that mean in a practical way?
"Through many years of missionary service, I noticed that ... both missionaries and national pastors tended to believe they could not do anything without an allocation from [the Nazarene Global Ministry Center in the U.S.]," Webb explains. "A second unintended consequence was that once they got an allocation, they experienced the bondage of budgets ... the project was limited in scope to the allocated dollars."
In order to overcome these challenges – limited budgets, dependence on outside funding – the Webbs started the Mavericks: teams that travel to "missions settings" to support local churches in responding to their challenges and turning their dreams into reality.
"We don't promise to build anyone a building. We do go with the specific purpose of building the congregation."
In fact, they do not come to do something "for" the people they want to serve. They come and work with the people, witnessing and empowering and allowing local structures to develop.
The project supported by the Mavericks is chosen in consultation with the missionary coordinator and national church leadership. The national church is required to give leadership to the project as well as provide volunteers to work on the construction and outreach ministries. The Maverick team, on the other hand, does not necessarily include participants who are skilled in construction. Rather, it is made up of people who "have a heart for ministry," according to Webb.
So while the "locals" work on their building, with the occasional Maverick "permitted" to work alongside them, the Maverick team members engage in the ministries in which they are skilled, for instance doing Vacation Bible Schools and evangelistic services, conducting JESUS Film showings or facilitating medical, dental and eye clinics.
These ministries often serve to make hundreds of contacts for the local church.
In a number of teams, the Mavericks have offered a free clinic on site, hiring local medical personnel. As people walk by, they are invited to attend the free clinic – and hundreds of people come in who would not usually enter the property, allowing the local church people to meet them and build relationships.
In a similar way, ESL classes can serve to "build the congregation," as Wes Eby recalls: "We conducted English classes with small groups of children and youth/adults throughout the day (total 38 individuals). We reached out to them with our smiles and hospitality and their desire to learn English or improve their ability to communicate. God used this tool to bring people to the church who may never have entered the building."
Nonetheless, while the Mavericks do not promise to build a building for the people they serve, they do promise to contribute 500 US dollars per participant (no matter the age) towards materials for a project that is selected and executed by the local church. Over 15 years, more than half a million dollars in unsolicited donations have been forwarded through the General Treasurer's office for Maverick projects. In this way, a good number of buildings have indeed been finished, such as the three-building Cliza Retreat Center, Villa Mexico, and Cala Cala near Cochabamba, Bolivia.
"Our goal has been to impact their communities for Christ ... while at the same time helping a local church to develop significant ministry facilities," Webb explains. "More than one place is now capable of hosting a district assembly."
In some of these places, the mother churches started additional projects, reaching out to new areas and multiplying the ministry.
And that is another term that can be used to characterize the Maverick teams: multiplication.
Recognizing that there are many people who want to support this type of ministry but for a variety of reasons cannot join a team themselves, Larry created the "Mavericks-Proxy teams", teams of nationals whose travel and accommodation costs and 500 US dollar donation towards the project are covered by a sponsor in the States.
In July 2014 a Mavericks-Proxy team of Bolivian young people served alongside two small churches in Trinidad, Bolivia. As a result of their clinics, VBS and JESUS Film ministry, 184 people accepted Christ, 34 are in discipleship training and the local churches were able to reach more than 320 new contacts. "What a tremendous 'Return-on-Investment' for the inaugural thrust in that pioneer work," Webb concluded. "How fascinating the dynamic of casting a vision ... and seeing what God wants to do."
And that, in the end, is what summarizes the Webbs' strategy and key to the success of the Maverick teams: a vision that allows God to work for His people.
It's a principle Larry likes to emphasize again and again:
"A Mexican pastor had modeled for me real faith ... that one could experience the miracles without an allocation from Kansas City. The critical ingredients are: (1) a God-given vision ... because vision attracts resources; (2) a willingness to sacrifice ... because sacrifice inspires others to participate; (3) perseverance ... because perseverance gives God time to work in your behalf."
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The 32nd Maverick Team will head to Bolivia in July this year, serving in a project called "Casa Nazarena" in the city of Trinidad.
But it's a ministry that doesn't only serve – it empowers. It is based on the firm conviction that each team participant has skills and potentials and "can do it", and that, equally, local people in a missions setting have great potential and "can do it", too – without dependency on outside funding.
So what does that mean in a practical way?
"Through many years of missionary service, I noticed that ... both missionaries and national pastors tended to believe they could not do anything without an allocation from [the Nazarene Global Ministry Center in the U.S.]," Webb explains. "A second unintended consequence was that once they got an allocation, they experienced the bondage of budgets ... the project was limited in scope to the allocated dollars."
In order to overcome these challenges – limited budgets, dependence on outside funding – the Webbs started the Mavericks: teams that travel to "missions settings" to support local churches in responding to their challenges and turning their dreams into reality.
"We don't promise to build anyone a building. We do go with the specific purpose of building the congregation."
In fact, they do not come to do something "for" the people they want to serve. They come and work with the people, witnessing and empowering and allowing local structures to develop.
The project supported by the Mavericks is chosen in consultation with the missionary coordinator and national church leadership. The national church is required to give leadership to the project as well as provide volunteers to work on the construction and outreach ministries. The Maverick team, on the other hand, does not necessarily include participants who are skilled in construction. Rather, it is made up of people who "have a heart for ministry," according to Webb.
So while the "locals" work on their building, with the occasional Maverick "permitted" to work alongside them, the Maverick team members engage in the ministries in which they are skilled, for instance doing Vacation Bible Schools and evangelistic services, conducting JESUS Film showings or facilitating medical, dental and eye clinics.
These ministries often serve to make hundreds of contacts for the local church.
In a number of teams, the Mavericks have offered a free clinic on site, hiring local medical personnel. As people walk by, they are invited to attend the free clinic – and hundreds of people come in who would not usually enter the property, allowing the local church people to meet them and build relationships.
In a similar way, ESL classes can serve to "build the congregation," as Wes Eby recalls: "We conducted English classes with small groups of children and youth/adults throughout the day (total 38 individuals). We reached out to them with our smiles and hospitality and their desire to learn English or improve their ability to communicate. God used this tool to bring people to the church who may never have entered the building."
Nonetheless, while the Mavericks do not promise to build a building for the people they serve, they do promise to contribute 500 US dollars per participant (no matter the age) towards materials for a project that is selected and executed by the local church. Over 15 years, more than half a million dollars in unsolicited donations have been forwarded through the General Treasurer's office for Maverick projects. In this way, a good number of buildings have indeed been finished, such as the three-building Cliza Retreat Center, Villa Mexico, and Cala Cala near Cochabamba, Bolivia.
"Our goal has been to impact their communities for Christ ... while at the same time helping a local church to develop significant ministry facilities," Webb explains. "More than one place is now capable of hosting a district assembly."
In some of these places, the mother churches started additional projects, reaching out to new areas and multiplying the ministry.
And that is another term that can be used to characterize the Maverick teams: multiplication.
Recognizing that there are many people who want to support this type of ministry but for a variety of reasons cannot join a team themselves, Larry created the "Mavericks-Proxy teams", teams of nationals whose travel and accommodation costs and 500 US dollar donation towards the project are covered by a sponsor in the States.
In July 2014 a Mavericks-Proxy team of Bolivian young people served alongside two small churches in Trinidad, Bolivia. As a result of their clinics, VBS and JESUS Film ministry, 184 people accepted Christ, 34 are in discipleship training and the local churches were able to reach more than 320 new contacts. "What a tremendous 'Return-on-Investment' for the inaugural thrust in that pioneer work," Webb concluded. "How fascinating the dynamic of casting a vision ... and seeing what God wants to do."
And that, in the end, is what summarizes the Webbs' strategy and key to the success of the Maverick teams: a vision that allows God to work for His people.
It's a principle Larry likes to emphasize again and again:
"A Mexican pastor had modeled for me real faith ... that one could experience the miracles without an allocation from Kansas City. The critical ingredients are: (1) a God-given vision ... because vision attracts resources; (2) a willingness to sacrifice ... because sacrifice inspires others to participate; (3) perseverance ... because perseverance gives God time to work in your behalf."
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