Two camps - glamping v refugee

Summer Short Shots: Five Quick, Actionable Missions Ideas

If the powers that be just laid another lockdown on you, I’m sorry. Much grace to you. For many of us, though, COVID is loosening its grip. Plus the northern hemisphere is moving headlong into summer.

Since that may mean more time outside and less devoted to email, the next three Practical Mobilization columns will be brief and action-oriented. You’re going to find four to six ideas so good, you’ll be glad you’re reading this instead of fishing, floating in the pool, or playing Frisbee! 

1. Easy Recipe for Cognitive Whiplash

Read a book that details a South Sudanese mom’s experience in a refugee camp while camping, yourself. You just need 1-2 decent tents, a cooler full of yummy food and plenty of water, and a vehicle with sufficient fuel to take you home when you’re ready to stop “roughing it.” In case you’re wondering, the mom in the book was happy to sleep on the ground with her two surviving children, having reached the camp after walking for weeks, dodging militants, and barely staying alive due to a lack of food and water. 

The book is John Grisham’s Sooley and I loved it. A few caveats: It’s also a basketball book. If you hate basketball, you’ll likely want to skim some pages. But hey, we’ve been skimming since high school, right? John Grisham might also be below your literary tastes. And what, after all, does a fantastically rich white guy have to say about the despair and success of Sudanese refugees? 

But I’m thrilled to see Grisham uses his storytelling talent to draw the attention of his vast audience to a situation so gut-wrenching I usually just look away. Read and share this book with your friends who care about refugees and those you’re nudging that way.

2. Get Your Heroes on the Big Screen

Here’s a super simple idea that will help the people at your church know the people your church supports. Ask your missionaries to shoot and send in a 90-second video introducing themselves and their work. All you need is a sincere thank you and one cool story. If they close with an invitation to visit, well, that would rock, too. 

Remember three keywords to make the video better than most.

  • Loud: Make sure the voice is clear and legible.
  • Light: Shoot outside or with plenty of artificial light.
  • Lengthwise: Make sure the video is shot on a phone held sideways. Horizontal will look tons better than vertical on Sunday morning. 

Since video files can get huge, maybe ask them to post them to a Google drive or someplace similar and then share them with you. 

3. Friends for the Fourth

The exploding apex of summer in the U.S. is the Independence Day celebration this weekend. You American? Invite internationals to join your gathering of friends and/or family. Feel a little queasy wondering what to grill and what to say? Check out a recent edition of Muslim Connect for some cooking and conversation tips. 

4. Awaken from COVID Slumber

My boss at Healing Nations said the coolest thing recently: “Let’s help churches awaken from COVID slumber!” Maybe your church isn’t snoozing, but I bet many of your people are ready to ramp up and get going with the Holy Spirit to bring God’s kingdom to bear on the Earth. My church is dreaming about an Alpha Course in the fall and maybe a trip to connect with refugees in Italy next year. If you suspect I’m jazzed about this, you’re right! 

How about your church? Maybe you’ve stayed at full steam ahead or maybe you’re ready to kick it up a notch in the missions department. If you’re a part of a medium-sized church and could use some help in connecting with vetted missions partners for long-term connection, I’d love to chat with you. If your church might be up for giving it everything you’ve got to get boots on the ground among one of the ~450 currently unengaged Muslim people groups, I want to get on a plane, bus, or boat to meet you for coffee. In either case, shoot me a quick email and let’s get cooking! 

5. Ask for the Mic

If you’ve got a missions message burning in you, now may be the time to take a risk and ask if you can share it. I don’t know your church, of course! Maybe this idea is laughable for you! But summer might be the time when your pastor wouldn’t mind a Sunday in the seats. It’s like asking someone out in high school: you won’t know if you don’t ask! If you decide to give it a go, let me know and I’ll pray for you! 

More ideas to come next month.

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