One of the most heart-wrenching and yet encouraging privileges of serving with the Global Outreach Commission is hearing from our partners around the world. Month in and month out we receive reports which move us to prayer and thanksgiving. Even in a year of great change, these reports kept coming. As this global pandemic struck the far corners of the earth, including Philadelphia, it was a great encouragement to read testimonies to God’s unchanging faithfulness and love.

These stories are examples of how God’s Spirit is empowering people to follow Christ. While reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word are essential for the church, we also know that we must be “doers of the Word” (James 1:22). When it comes to global outreach, John Calvin powerfully frames both the hearing, and the doing of God’s Word. “…We must embrace the whole human race in our charitable feelings. There can be no distinction between Greek and barbarian, worth and unworthy, friend and foe, since they must all be seen, not in themselves, but in God. If we reject this idea, it is no wonder we get caught in error. If we want to get on the right track in loving, we must look first to God, not to man: that more often produces more hate than love! God demands that the love we bear to him should be spread abroad among all mankind. Our basic principle must always be that, whatever a person may be like, we must still love him, because we love God.” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.8.55)

One of the best ways to be compelled by God’s love is to hear stories of how others have labored to advance the name of Christ. Towards that end, we invite you to participate in our Global Outreach Conference the first week of November. Starting on Sunday November 1 our morning, afternoon, and evening sermons will introduce themes for outreach. Then throughout the week 15 different global partners will be joining Tenth small groups virtually. Next on Friday November 6 we will hear (in person and virtually) a powerful testimony to the power of the gospel from Dr. Daniel Shayesteh, a former Muslim who now follows Christ. Saturday we will participate in a service project at AlphaCare (please register), one of our local partners that assists families facing crisis pregnancies. Finally, on Sunday, we will hear again from Dr. Shayesteh in the morning services and then conclude the day with a sermon from Rev. John, our pastor of partner care and small groups. Those learning about or participating in Medical Outreach should tune in on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM as MCO hosts an event on Medical Outreach to Muslims (please register). The entire week should be a great testimony to God’s faithfulness, and also a great motivation to pray for the advance of the gospel locally and around the world.

Please register for the conference and pray that God would work mightily through these events to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ.