Missionary Support

I. Deputation/Pre-Field Ministry

A. Help “your own missionaries”
B. Listen, pray and advise them
C. Be faithful in giving

II. Practical Support

A. Invite them over to your home
B. Help them put together their presentation
C. Service their car for free
D. Pray for and with them
E. Distribute updates of their ministry
F. Ask them questions (have a group in while they speak)

III. Prayer Support

A. Pray for their personal relationship with God
B. Pray for their moral purity
C. Pray for the priorities they need in their ministry
D. Pray for family relationships
E. Pray for cultural adjustments
F. Pray for co-worker relationships
G. Pray for specific things they share in letters, emails, etc.

IV. Communication

A. Send them letters, cards, emails
B. Call them
C. Send them video tapes, music tapes, etc.
D. Go and visit them
E. Send them gifts
F. Adopt them as your families’ missionary
G. Send them preaching tapes from your church

V. Furlough encouragement

A. Be aware of the stresses that they are under
B. What can churches do?

1) Provide housing and/or vehicle
2) Allow them different times to share their ministry with various groups
3) Help the church get to really know them
4) Provide a retreat/seminar that they can attend to encourage them
5) Take them shopping for things they need
6) Help them with their medical needs
7) Open the missionary cupboard for them (see below for ideas)
8) Fill their vehicle’s fuel tank
9) Make up a basket of goodies

VI. Missionary Conferences

A. Have good communication and be friendly
B. Don’t over schedule the missionaries
C. Have each missionary be a keynote speaker at different meetings
D. Have many times for informal gatherings
E. Provide a children’s conference where the missionaries share with the children
F. Be sensitive to their health needs; special food diets; and don’t over feed them!
G. “Also, its great to be invited to someone’s house…but make sure it does not interfere with what the pastor has planned. Its hard to say ‘yes’ when you don’t know what the pastor wants you to do. So get the o.k. from him and then tell your missionary that you already asked the pastor for permission.”

VII. Missionary kids

A. Include them with other children in the conference
B. Provide them with new clothing, toys, etc. that will help them feel at home
C. Remember their birthdays and special holidays
D. Send letters, cards, packages to the college age Missionary kids also
E. “My kids get birthday cards from some of our churches and they love it. Sometimes they have Wal-Mart gift cards or just a pack of stickers…but they love them.”
F. Craft/Coloring/Travel Box – “Another great thing I have seen done recently: Take a metal cake pan (9×13) with a metal lid and depending on the age of the child, fill it with washable markers, tablets, color books, little cars, etc. for teens you could put a book, a journal, words puzzle games, etc. that way there is a place to store the goodies and a hard surface for playing or writing. You could even put a cover-up so the markers don’t get on the children’s clothing. I recommend markers because crayons melt in the car.
G. “We were given a computerized hand held math tutor that had math games in it that we all played while we were driving. Even Dad played with us. ”
H. Be careful about offering for babysitting services. If you yourself are very careful about who cares for your children, how much more so a missionary family who may not really “know” anyone at your church.

The above article have been modified but originally taken from

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND THE MISSIONARY

http://www.ifca.org/Womens_Ministries/Women’s_Seminar_on_Missions.htm

Link included to give credit, but we do not endorse all content on their website.