Hello everyone! As many of you know, we have formed a missions committee which has put work into clarifying how we would like approach the ministry of missions. Missions has always been a part of Christ’s Church throughout Her history, and we believe that every congregation has a local and foreign responsibility to share in this task. We have formed a rubric for discerning where and how our efforts and partnerships should take place. Here is what we have so far:

1. Foreign Gospel Missions: missions who are doing gospel work outside Montana or U.S.

2. Local Gospel Missions: missions who are doing gospel work in or around Whitefish

3. Foreign Compassion Missions: organizations who are doing compassion work around the world

4. Local Compassion Missions: organizations who are showing compassion on our local community in Whitefish

A few examples:

Section 1: Daryl and Martha Jones (Campus Crusade for Christ), Joe and Kelly Swenson (Mission to the World)

Section 2: Young Life Whitefish, Intervarsity Flathead Community College

Section 3: Fresh Water International

Section 4: North Valley Food Bank, Abby Shelter

We are looking to “tithe/10%” our 2027 church budget to partner in building the Kingdom world wide. The following is a recent update from our missions partners, Joe and Kelly, sharing the gospel with the Muslim population in Austria.

Dear FPC Whitefish,

We came through the sliding doors at the Vienna airport with ten large suitcases, two luggage carts, and about twenty hours without real sleep. Before I had even looked up, a voice behind me asked in German if we needed help. I said yes, please, and the man took one of the carts and started walking beside us. When I finally saw his face, we knew he was from where we lived for almost 7 years, and thanked him in his native tongue. He smiled, replied, and shook my hand to say welcome. “Herzlich willkommen”, indeed. We had been in Austria for about four minutes.

For the last 21 months we have been seemingly on the go, living out of suitcases. Since our arrival, we have seen God act in small, albeit amazing, ways. We picked up our residence permits in a quick fifteen-minute appointment. We registered our address with the authorities and opened a bank account all in the same day. And after 8 days here, a landlord handed us the keys to an apartment centrally located right next to the main train station and a metro stop. We hope it will be a place of refuge where people can learn about Jesus. We have keys!

But we received the best news yesterday morning. One of Joe’s dear friends from our last country, whom we will call Kemal*, told us he is now a believer. We have prayed for him for 4 years, and we are praising God! A door we could not open was opened, and we know exactly Who did it: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20). Kemal* will need your prayers as much as anyone we know. Following Jesus can be costly, and we ask you to hold his name and faith in prayer.

Next week, Joe will head out of the city to meet with a group of pastors and give a talk about sharing the gospel with Muslims. Whatever we know about sharing Christ, we know because He loved us first. When we were enemies and outsiders to God, He made peace with us on the cross. Thank you for your prayers. We’re spending our days here adjusting to the move: jet lag, colds, paperwork, and working with customs and the moving company to see when things will arrive. How can we pray for you today?

Warmly in Christ,
Joe and Kelly