Participants:
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000059B
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00:01 My guest is Wes Via who is from Allentown, Pennsylvania
00:06 where he is directing the Simplicity Ministry. 00:09 Wes, thanks so much for joining us. 00:10 Thanks for having me, Gary. 00:11 Simplicity, what is that stand for? 00:13 Well, Simplicity really kind of embodies 00:15 are approach to ministry 00:16 we're urban mission project 00:18 and so, we're working in the cities 00:21 and we really like to keep things very simple. 00:25 Our approache is really- 00:27 we cutout all the trimmings 00:28 and just try to connect to people 00:30 in whatever way we can 00:31 and that's kind of margined mind is us 00:33 just connect to the people as simply as possible. 00:35 Wonderful. 00:36 Now said you're from Allentown 00:37 but that's where you working as a missionary. 00:39 Yes. 00:40 Now you are working alone? 00:41 No, I actually have a team with me. 00:43 They are six young adults that have volunteered. 00:46 One is actually from Mexico, 00:47 the other from here in the States, 00:49 they spend their days 00:50 in the community volunteering with us, 00:53 connecting doing Bible studies, 00:55 planning programs for children and all kinds of things. 00:59 So you're operating out of a church building 01:02 or how are you connecting with the community? 01:04 We're actually working of a little model 01:06 using a center of influence 01:08 and so we've actually rented a space 01:10 in the center of city 01:11 that we use as kind of community center. 01:13 We use that as the way to, 01:15 to kind of make our presence known in kind of connect there. 01:18 We've programs then we help people look for jobs 01:22 and they need food they come by. 01:25 Just anything we can do in the community there. 01:28 So, you are like as social welfare agency? 01:31 No, not at all, 01:32 you know, one of the things we really strive very, 01:35 very hard to do is, 01:37 is make sure that in every interaction we have 01:39 we're looking for that opportunity to share Christ. 01:41 It's really about expressing the love of God 01:44 through action so that we can have an opportunity 01:46 to tell the love God to an open heart. 01:49 It's really using Christ method of ministry 01:52 in its purest form. 01:54 Okay, I'll come back to that 01:55 but why didn't you just come in and preach to the people? 01:59 You know, the honest truth is, 02:01 is now that we've been on the ground 02:02 for about two years, 02:04 what we've learned is, is that they wouldn't have listened. 02:07 That's a minor problem. 02:09 It's very difficult to, to connect in this- 02:12 in this urban setting. 02:13 There are so many cares of life 02:15 and so many things pulling their attention 02:18 that connecting and getting them to come to us 02:21 has been a challenge. 02:22 It's taking a long time for us to develop just the- 02:24 the interaction that we have in our center 02:26 its mostly been about going to people, 02:27 knocking on the doors, 02:28 letting them know we're here to be their friends 02:31 and gaining that trust so that we can share with them 02:35 and in building that relationship up 02:37 and that's so important in working in cities. 02:41 So, Wes, how did you discover 02:44 what the needs of the community were- 02:46 I mean, did you have list of things, 02:47 this is what we're going to do? 02:48 How did you arise, 02:49 how did you arrive at your ministries? 02:52 The foundation work for every ministry 02:54 as it says in the Spirit of Prophecy 02:55 is the door to door work. 02:57 And so we started out simply just going door to door, 03:00 we covered the whole city. 03:01 We didn't know exactly where our center was gonna be, 03:03 so we just knocked on every door. 03:04 And what did they say? 03:06 We told them a little bit about Simplicity 03:07 that we're here we're looking for ways 03:09 so that we can serve the needs of the community 03:10 and ask for their feedback 03:12 and we had some open any questions 03:13 where they could tell us about the safety of the neighborhood, 03:16 some of the challenges they face in their daily life. 03:18 I think we had a list of different programs 03:21 or things that we would- 03:22 we thought we could offer to the community 03:24 and let them tell us what they'd be interested in. 03:26 From that then we went back and we developed the, 03:28 you know, the programs we do often 03:30 which is a some children's programs with after school 03:32 and a Sabbath morning program that we do for children, 03:35 job search assistance, cooking classes. 03:38 We now have the option for people to have in home 03:41 lifestyle coaching and a number of other things. 03:44 So, how do you make those contacts 03:49 that will last longer than I'm handing you some food 03:53 or something along- I mean, how do you build 03:54 those bridges to make a long-term contract? 03:57 Yeah, well there's one so 03:58 I tell you that really illustrate how it works. 04:02 One day we randomly got several boxes of bread 04:05 from the local grocery store. 04:07 We weren't expecting, we didn't know what to do 04:08 so said okay, we will put a table out on the sidewalk 04:10 and let's put a sign up their free bread 04:12 will sitting out there will talk to people as they come by. 04:15 And as we were out there that afternoon a lady came by 04:18 and she just looked distressed 04:20 and so the missionary said, 04:21 you know, what's going on? 04:22 You know, is there anything that I- 04:24 that I can pray with you about? 04:26 And that really made an impact on that lady 04:28 and she said you know what, yeah and so she- 04:30 let her pray for the came she offered to, 04:32 you know invited, her into the center 04:34 she came in they talked for a little bit 04:36 and then started a relationship 04:38 that's been going on for about four months. 04:40 And- and they pray together they visit together, 04:43 this lady now has come and she volunteers, 04:45 she always has a folder 04:46 with Simplicity materials to pass out. 04:49 And- and the thing is she's actually Muslim. 04:53 But that, that offer of prayer 04:55 that concerned has allowed us 04:57 to connect with her in a very deep way. 05:00 She's even accepted some literature 05:03 and his reading our ministry feeling 05:04 'cause she wants to volunteer 05:05 that so said you need to read this book 05:06 if you're gonna volunteer with us. 05:08 And so that personal concern 05:11 looking for the opportunity to minister in spiritual way 05:14 to what someone's going through in that moment 05:17 opens up many doors in their life. 05:20 Just in 30 seconds, how is it changed their lives 05:24 of the young people working with you? 05:26 Well, you know, we came in our missionaries 05:28 were supposed to come for one year and, 05:31 and you know it's a sacrifice for them to be there. 05:34 What we find is most of them don't want to leave. 05:35 In fact, we have some of that stay without, 05:37 without any income 05:38 they just want to stay and be part of it 05:41 and it's revolutionizing their perspective 05:43 on what ministry can be and the impact 05:46 that they can have in someone's life. 05:48 Wes, that's fantastic. 05:49 How can people find out more about Simplicity? 05:51 We have a blog that's up its simplicitymissions.org 05:54 where we're giving resources and stories 05:56 and all kinds of information they can find over there. 05:58 Fantastic, thanks so much for joining us. 06:00 Thank you. 06:01 Our viewers at home, 06:02 please pray for Simplicity Ministries, 06:05 pray for Wes and his team 06:07 and pray for urban mission around the world. 06:10 And just to reminder, 06:11 if you want to learn more about mission 06:13 you can go to adventistmission.org 06:17 and you can look up Mission 360 magazine 06:21 or you can even just go to mission360mag.org. 06:24 Here you'll find missions stories around the world 06:26 including urban mission stories. 06:30 Please remember that God is interested in people, 06:34 He loves people. 06:35 And now we go back to Gerson Santos 06:38 as we continue meeting in the cities. 06:41 In addition to being the capital of Russia, 06:43 Moscow is also a showcase for Russian culture 06:46 known for its museums and theaters. 06:49 One of the most recognizable buildings in the world, 06:51 St. Basil's Basilica dominates the view over Red Square, 06:55 which is itself a UNESCO world heritage site. 06:59 Moscow has a population of more than 16 million people. 07:03 Adventists number less than 3,000 07:06 about 0.02 percent of the population 07:09 worshiping in 15 churches. 07:14 Not far from here we have another city. 07:19 The capital and largest city in Ukraine, 07:22 Kiev was named after its founder. 07:24 A bustling city, Kiev is home to world-class art 07:29 and architecture. 07:30 There are some 3.2 million people living in Kiev 07:35 and just over 4,000 are Adventists. 07:41 The capital of Angola, Luanda was founded 07:44 in the late 1500s by the Portuguese. 07:47 Located on the Atlantic coast of Angola, 07:49 Luanda has been rebuilding after years of civil war. 07:53 Today, Luanda has a population of some 6 million people 07:58 with about 74,000 Adventists and more than 270 churches 08:04 about one and one quarter percent 08:06 of the city's population. 08:11 We have a great challenge in the large city of Luanda, 08:14 which is the capital of Angola. 08:17 Because this is the city that is growing each day 08:21 it's growing in material things as well as a number of people. 08:25 It's a city coming from the ruins of war 08:28 and everything is rapidly expanding 08:31 as everything grows our challenge to reach people 08:34 who don't know God also grows. 08:39 Sydney, Australia is said to be one of the most 08:42 visited cities in the world, 08:44 attracting visitors from around the world. 08:46 One of the deepest harbors in the world, 08:49 it's known for the Sydney Harbor Bridge 08:51 and iconic "sails" of the opera house. 08:54 Sydney has a population of 4.7 million people 08:58 with about 9,000 Adventists worshiping 09:01 in 85 churches and companies. 09:07 Let's jump to the other side of the world. 09:11 Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, 09:14 is said to be the second largest metropolitan area 09:17 in South America. 09:19 For settled in the 1,500s today greater Buenos Aires 09:23 has a population of some 14.5 million people. 09:27 The Seventh-day Adventist Church 09:29 has been growing here 09:30 with more than 160 churches and more than 22,000 members. 09:36 Yet that's still less than 0.2 percent of the population. 09:43 The main objective is to church plant 09:45 in the place where the people are not receptive. 09:48 I believe that we would not have reached the people here 09:51 if you were not in this manner 09:52 through the center of influence showing sympathy, 09:55 meeting needs and winning confidence. 09:58 The objective for the future is at the center of influence 10:01 will be self-sustained 10:03 and that it will make other churches. 10:07 London is well known for its familiar sights and charm. 10:11 This city is made up of 13.3 million people, 10:15 making it one of the largest cities in Europe. 10:18 The growing challenge of secularism 10:20 makes reaching the people difficult. 10:23 Among the millions of people who walk the streets, 10:26 only about 15,000 Adventists live in this European city. 10:33 Home to some of the world's most populated cities, 10:36 India is familiar with the urban landscape. 10:39 The Mumbai metro region, formerly known as Bombay, 10:43 is the one of largest metropolitan areas in India 10:46 with a population of about 21.2 million people. 10:51 In this area there are about 10:52 Seventh-day Adventist members. 10:56 This only scratches the surface of the total population. 11:00 The challenges of prominent world religions 11:02 are apparent in this region of the world. 11:08 It is amazing to see all those challenging 11:11 urban areas all over the world 11:13 and I ask you to pray for those cities. 11:17 What a beautiful thing will be to see the gospel 11:19 reaching out to all those urban areas. 11:22 Pray for the Lord so He can send workers, 11:25 we can find ways to reach out to those urban areas. 11:30 If you want to learn more about this initiative, 11:33 just go to the website missiontothecities.org 11:37 and pray for the large cities of the world. 11:47 Thank you, Justin, for sharing the challenges 11:50 and the opportunities 11:51 in some of the largest cities in the world. 11:54 You know, for many years 11:55 Christian mission tended to focus on remote areas 11:59 focusing on islands and villages 12:01 but the world's population is shifted 12:03 from agricultural to industrial and technological to digital 12:08 and the population is also shifted from rural to urban. 12:13 Today's major cities are growing at a rapid rate. 12:16 They represent millions of people 12:18 in thousands neighborhoods and each neighborhood 12:21 has its own unique character and people. 12:24 In some you'll find luxury condos 12:26 in others immigrants struggling to make a living. 12:29 Some have family neighborhoods 12:31 others have more single people. 12:33 Mission to the Cities calls on us 12:35 to find creative ways to touch all these lives 12:39 with the good news of Jesus Christ. 12:42 If you live in a city, 12:43 please find a way to be involved 12:45 in positively impacting someone's life for Jesus. 12:49 Pray that God will show you how you can help. 12:53 If you'd like to learn more about Mission to the Cities 12:55 please visit missiontothecities.org 12:59 that's missiontothecities.org. 13:02 And if you'd like to learn more about 13:03 Adventist Mission around the world 13:05 visit our website at adventistmission.org. 13:09 I'm Gary Krause, and thanks for joining us today. 13:11 And I hope you'll join us next time right here 13:14 on Global Mission Snapshots. |
Revised 2014-12-17