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An Infectious Spirit and a Culture of Prayer
Hannah Foster, member of New Hope OPC (Frederick, MD), was, in one sense, nervous leading up to her trip to the Boardwalk Chapel. She shared, “To be very honest, having never been to the Chapel before, first of all I thought, ‘I’ve never done cold-turkey evangelism. That’s really intimidating.’ Second, I thought, ‘I’ve heard of this place, they have this thing called the Heaven and Hell machine that they set out for people. What is that about? What kind of methodology is this? What is their theology like?’”
Cross-Cultural Missions Training 2024
Are you wondering if missions’ service might be for you? Cross-Cultural Missions Training (CCMT) may just be the best way to test the water. This May, a month-long training program is being offered through a sister denomination, the United Reformed Church (URCNA).
Update from Missionary Associate Jed Homan
As the new year begins, I find it fitting to provide you with an update on my endeavors here in Uganda. Having returned at the beginning of November, I commenced a 1-year term as a missionary associate with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. My focus remains on continuing the maintenance projects initiated during my previous visit.
Short Term Missions is Buzzing!
We’ve already received fourteen inquiries about short-term missions’ opportunities this summer. It may really sound strange to think about summer plans in January. But for mission fields, this is the time they begin to gear up with plans and preparations. This is also a great time for you, their potential summer helpers, to be thinking about your seasonal plans.
“I’ll Be Taking It Back Home”: A Boardwalk Chapel Testimonial
“I’ll be taking this training back home to unbelieving family members, friends, or coworkers. It’s not just applicable here on the boardwalk.” Landri Shope of Shiloh OPC in Raleigh, NC, left the Boardwalk Chapel not only feeling more equipped to share the gospel with strangers, but with all unbelievers in her life. She continues, “Where I live, most of the people know the Gospel. They’ve heard it before, they’re just more apathetic towards it. It is really important that they genuinely believe it. The self-examination questions we learned here are exactly what I need to get a conversation started.”
STM Spotlight: Puerto Rico 2024
This opportunity is new for OPC Short-Term Missions but is sure to be a fun one! Iglesia Presbiteriana Sola Escritura (OPC) in Guayama, Puerto Rico (part of the Presbytery of New Jersey) is eager to welcome individuals or a group of 8-10 people to help with the church’s Vacation Bible School, engage in opportunities for community evangelism, and possibly help complete tasks around the church property. The Vacation Bible School will take place June 24-28, 2024. Prayerfully consider joining this team this summer in this beautiful environment. Some have already inquired about this opportunity, so be sure to let us know soon if you may be interested by going to: Puerto Rico Short Term Missions Opportunity.
STM Spotlight: English Camp in Hungary 2024
“The past 10 years have been a labor of sowing and watering seed. Shoots have sprouted up here and there. God in His grace has been pleased to give an increase. It is now time for nurturing the tender shoots through teaching, preaching, and encouraging the congregations and fellowships,” according to the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe’s (RPCEE) website. The church in Hungary is located in Miskolc, a town that sits at the base of the beautiful Bükk Mountains. The fourth-largest city in Hungary, its historic beauty can be found in its ancient castles, churches and cathedrals, cave baths, and museums. If you are looking for an opportunity to serve and see some extraordinary sights, this may just be the trip for you!
New Staff Housing for Akisyon A Yesu in Uganda
For many years the Committee on Diaconal Ministries (CDM) has supported Akisyon A Yesu (The Compassion of Jesus) Presbyterian Clinic (AYPC), a small, outpatient-only clinic located in rural Uganda, opened in 2002. AYPC provides many medical and laboratory services in the context of a Christian environment to those who previously had little to no medical care.
Thankfulness in Plenty and Want
Most often when we consider thankfulness it’s for those things we enjoy; at least that’s how my mind works. And so I was convicted in reading Rev. Al Tricarico’s helpful article in the November 2023 issue of New Horizons on the circumstances under which the author of one of my favorite Thanksgiving hymns, “Now thank we all our God” wrote that hymn. I’ll try not to divulge too much, but I will at least say that the author of the hymn had very little to be thankful for, humanly speaking. And yet he had learned what it is to be thankful and content in times of plenty and times of want.
Reflections from Summer Missions Trips
“I don’t know, Lord, what you want me to do with my life,” Anneliese Ferguson prayed. Thirty minutes later, she got a text from the evangelist at her church wondering if she might be interested in filling a position as a staff member at the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey. She wasn’t looking for a summer commitment, but God obviously had other plans for her.
The Boardwalk Chapel: "Etched in Our Hearts"
Beyond the breaking of the waves, over the old planks of the boardwalk, amidst the loud noises of a carnival and the smells of a fair lies a small chapel, preaching Christ to anyone who would listen. This herald of the gospel is the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey. It was established less than a decade after the founding of the OPC and has continued ever since. Its building is neither flashy nor new, but its message is timeless. My wife and I experienced this firsthand when we visited the chapel this Summer.
Never Alone
Seth Van Noord, member at New Hope OPC, Green Bay, WI, was greatly encouraged by his time at the Boardwalk Chapel. Though he was challenged by the proposition of evangelizing in a public space, he was comforted by and thankful for the community of believers by his side all along the way. Read his testimony below.
Nowhere Quite Like It
What can I say about the Boardwalk Chapel, except that we love it? Even though our church has to travel quite a long distance to get to Wildwood from Matthews, NC, we keep making the trip happily because there’s nowhere quite like the Boardwalk Chapel. Sure, we can practice evangelizing anywhere, but evangelism is best “caught” in addition to being “taught,” and the Chapel is a veritable beehive of spiritual zeal and equipping. Every two years I bring a fresh batch of new faces to discover the warmth of the Chapel’s missional Christian fellowship, and to begin their first forays out into the intimidating world of cold call evangelism. In all of this, God has never left us disappointed, as each year we return with stories of God’s power and a desire to apply what we’ve learned back home.
A Local Mission Trip
As the Youth Group coordinator at Grace Presbyterian Church outside of Washington DC, I greatly desired our youth group to go on a mission trip. But I wanted it to take place somewhere different than our homes and home church. I wanted to see the group serving or evangelizing—focused outwards on others and their needs. I was also excited to see relationships flourish as we spent time together through service, as a mission trip uniquely encourages. However, it was already late spring 2023, folks had their summer calendars decisively parsed, and honestly, I didn’t really feel like I had the bandwidth to lead a group of youth for an entire week as we were all out of our comfort zones. Mission trips are not something I myself have been a part of very much and I was intimidated by the planning required and the energy necessary for a far-away week-long trip.
STM 2023 Wrap-Up: Short-Term Missions, Long-Term Blessings
Summer 2023 is gone just as quickly as it came. However, for the first time in multiple years, OPC Short-Term Missions is thankful to be able to look back on a summer full of teams traveling around the globe to assist missionaries, engage in evangelism, and to reach the lost with the gospel. This year, over 200 short-term missionaries went out to six locations: Quebec, Canada; two Czech Republic locations; Western Ukraine; Lanham, MD; and Wildwood, NJ.
A Glimpse of Real-Life Mission Work
“I really appreciated the opportunity to catch a glimpse of real-life mission work. I learned the importance of developing and investing in relationships and saw it carried out by the Farniks. It was through relationships and connections that they were able to invite people to the activities they hosted and connect with them on a personal level.”
Pastors Serve Too!
Jim Hoekstra, pastor of Immanuel OPC in Anoka, MN, joined a team headed to the Czech Republic this past summer. While there, he helped host and teach English Camp for local children. In addition to standard vocabulary themes which are taught throughout the week, reading and conversation lessons are drawn from Bible stories. Pastor Jim speaks of the trip in this way:
Great Students, Big Themes: English Camp in Ukraine
Thank you for praying! Your prayers were instrumental in having one of the best camps yet! Students actively participated in all events, Ukrainian volunteers grew as leaders and American short-term team members were excellent teachers, roommates and examples of true Christian faith. We are especially thankful for our U.S. short-term team—primarily from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Antonio—who braved war conditions to serve students with Christ's love!
English for Kids 2023: My View from the Kitchen
6:00AM. “Time to make the donuts!” Mornings started early at English for Kids Bible Camp at the Eglise Reformee de Beauce (Reformed Church of Beauce).
This was my family’s second year serving with the OPC’s short-term mission to Quebec. Whereas I was a teacher last year, this year I had the unique perspective of working in the kitchen, providing meals for the U.S. team. Three things stood out to me.