You Are Called to the Global Mission of God
July is usually one of the busier months for CIM Canada in terms of sending STM teams but because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, we made the decision in March, to postpone all of our STM trips for the rest of 2020. Even if we had wanted to send teams, because of travel restrictions, ongoing lockdowns in various jurisdictions, and continued quarantine requirements, we could not have.
In my lifetime, there has been nothing like COVID-19. It has affected every area of life and even though some regions are slowly opening up the economy, cases continue to surge worldwide. At time of writing, there are over 12 million confirmed positive cases worldwide and over 500,000 deaths. In USA alone, there are over 3 million confirmed cases and 130,000 deaths. In some states, numbers continue to grow rapidly.
Since news of the virus came to light at the end of 2019, we still do not know much about it. Long thought to have originated at a wet market in Wuhan, China through bats in December, 2019, Spanish virologists have now announced that they found traces of the virus in waste water collected in March, 2019. Italian scientists have found evidence of the virus in sewage samples in early December, 2019 and experts have found traces in Brazil in November.
What we know of the virus changes constantly, even hour by hour. From the time I write this to the time that you read it, many things that we know about the virus may have changed. That is why it is classified as a novel coronavirus; it is new by definition. Our world has changed forever, from the way we interact with each other, our eating habits, going to church, and yes even missions.
So, we need to ask the question.
How will missions look like in a COVID and post-COVID world?
Things probably will not go back to any type of what we called “normal” until after a working vaccine is produced. This may happen within half a year, but most experts think that it will take over a year. And the answer to what missions will look like is simply, “we don’t know”. I have been talking to many pastors and researching various mission organizations and because none of us in this generation has seen anything like this before, we just don’t know. What we do know is that people need the Lord and the gospel message still needs to be preached.
For now, we wait upon the Lord and we trust in Him. At CIM Canada, since our “normal” ministries have been put on hold, we have been working on a new webpage platform as well as producing new promotional videos. Our international worker, Janice Wong, is nearing the end of her language study lessons in Ghana and waiting on the Lord for new instructions. Many of the churches in Ghana, are not meeting, and travel is still not recommended. We are aware of a number of missionaries in Ghana from other organizations who were supposed to go back to their home country for assignment, but had to stay in Ghana because the borders are closed. In Ukraine, Pastor Vlad, the House of Mercy worker that serves the Romas and whom we support have been trying to meet the Roma pastors online and in person when possible to strengthen their walk with the Lord. The COVID-19 pandemic is very active in Ukraine as well as in Ghana and Togo, but accurate number of cases are hard to confirm because of lack of testing.
Though there are still many uncertainties, there are a few things that we know concerning what is needed for a vibrant post COVID global mission. Michael Oh, writes in an article in the Lausanne Global Analysis, the need for necessity of collaboration and the necessity of keeping a global perspective.
The necessity of collaboration simply means that we need to work with and alongside other mission organizations and local churches. No one organization or one local church can do it alone. He writes,
“In the midst of all of the headaches and heartaches of the COVID-19 pandemic, one blessing is that the reality of our need for each other is becoming more real to us. The fact that we can’t fulfill the Great Commission by ourselves is more intensely felt now than ever, when we are in lockdown, when we can’t leave our homes, when churches can’t meet, when outreach events can’t be held, when missionaries can’t be sent, when we can’t even have a cup of coffee with someone with whom we want to share the hope of Jesus!”
This is something that CIM Canada has been doing for years. Our mandate has always been to work in partnership with local organizations to spread the gospel. As we currently can not send teams, we rely even more on local organizations as we support them through prayers and finances.
The necessity of keeping a global perspective means exactly that. We need remember the big picture. God is the god of all nations and Jesus died for the sins of everyone. Michael Oh writes,
“I want to make a plea—a plea for you to not neglect the global body in this pandemic. This is not just a national crisis or a regional crisis. This is global. And you are not just an individual Christian in a single location. Every Christian has a shared identity as a part of the global body of Christ. And every Christian has a shared calling—to be a part of the local and global mission of God.
No doubt you are paying attention to the flattening of the curve in your country or prefecture or community. And you are hoping for a slowdown in the rate of infections and the easing of restrictions in your community. But this is a global pandemic. And you are a part of the global body of Christ and called to the global mission of God! And even when the most difficult days in this pandemic in your area are over (at least temporarily), there are thousands of other communities around the world that will continue to suffer.”
Once again, this is something that CIM Canada has consistently been doing. Our focus has always been on cross-cultural missions. This will not change. We will share the gospel to all, but the reason we exist is the global mission of God, which at this point and time for CIM Canada, are to the rural villages in Ghana and Togo, and to the Roma people group.
People have also asked me what can we do right now to help CIM Canada. There are a few things that come to the top of my head.
Pray for God’s guidance and direction as we navigate the uncharted waters of this pandemic. Pray for healing and protection for those who have been affected by COVID-19. Pray that the gospel message continues to be preached to the villages and people groups that we would be ministering to cross culturally. We would also like to pray for you. If you have prayer requests, please do not hesitate to email it to us at contact@cimcanada.org
Consider donating financially to the ministries of CIM Canada. As you can tell from our financial numbers below, our Roma Ministry Fund as well as our Village School Fund are now negative. These funds are used primarily to support Roma church pastors and village school teachers in Ghana. This is a tough time financially for people world wide but especially so in the areas we minister to where teachers and church planters are having trouble feeding their families and paying rent for accommodations.
If you would like more information about our organization, please do not hesitate to email us.
God bless and stay safe.
Rev. Isaac Quan
Executive Director of CIM Canada
Financial Highlights
July 2020
1. General Fund - for general and administrative, such as staff salaries
2. Designated Fund - for specific ministries in different field locations as designated (cannot be transferred between funds)
*All financial figures are in Canadian dollars and rounded to the nearest dollar