Mission trips are the Gospel in action

Among Christians, a mission trip is at the heart of being faithful followers of Christ. This is because a mission trip is a short-term opportunity for believers to go into the world such as another community within one’s neighborhood, city, or state, and even beyond to exhibit the Gospel of Jesus in not just words, but in action.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus told the Apostles that when the Holy Spirit gave them power, they would become his “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” with Jerusalem being their immediate environs, and Judea & Samaria being concentric regions to reach “the ends of the earth.” Mission trips give volunteers opportunities to live out their faith in service to others and in that process, grow as believers by getting closer to Christ and deepening their understanding of the Word.

In our desire to live as faithful servants of Christ, the Distant Members Fellowship (DMF) undertook mission trips to Delaware in 2022, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Virginia in 2023. These trips involved service to others through home repairs and feeding. As a result of our visits, the DMF volunteers demonstrated the love of Christ to the beneficiaries who praised God and expressed appreciation to the Fellowship.

The mission trips were organized in a way that allowed various regions to volunteer within their regions. The Central Region under the leadership of Eunice Davis and Albertine Austine, comprises Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin; the Central Region mission team drove to Indiana where they spent the day doing house repairs and yard cleaning of one of our members. On three different occasions, the Northeastern Region led by Annette Kpoto and Musu Kennedy and covering Connecticut, Delaware volunteered at centers catering to those unhoused and those experiencing food insecurity.

These mission trips manifested a desire of our Fellowship to be not just hearers of the Word but doers. In obedience to Christ, as we have received power from the Holy Spirit, we shall continue to be witnesses for Christ in our own “Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This is one way to express the Gospel in action.