Brief History
Forty years ago, our founder, Maurice Stevens, went overseas to Haiti and was forever changed. His burning passion was to get people "from the breakfast table to the ends of the earth and back again.” This idea of "short-term" missions was a completely cutting-edge, innovative idea at the time. Now 40 years later, we're still having an impact - not only in the people and places we go to, but also in the lives of the people that go. Foundational to having an impact is the fact that we work with indigenous partners. In 12 countries we have over 15 indigenous leaders who have their own vision for their own community. We have the great opportunity and amazing privilege to enter into this vision, come alongside these leaders, and work side-by-side to make a difference. At times, this is through giving to projects - anything from providing goats for families in India to helping build feeding centers for street children in Lima, Peru. At other times, this means raising up a group of Americans to go on a short-term trip. Our trips use your gifts and talents to make a difference - from building churches in Nicaragua to teaching English in Brazil. But it's more than just doing, our trips are about learning, being stretched, and coming back changed. Let us be your guide - we'll connect you to a world that's looking for people who are willing to make a difference.
What We Believe
We affirm the Lausanne Covenant that was formulated at the International Congress on World Evangelization in 1974 by members of over 150 nations.
In summary:
We affirm our belief in the one-eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of his will.
We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
We affirm that there is only one Savior and only one gospel and that there is no other name by which we must be saved.
We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all men. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression.
We affirm that Christ sends his redeemed people into the world as the Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly penetration of the world.
We affirm that God’s call to evangelism also summons the Church to unity, because our oneness strengthens our witness, just as our disunity undermines our gospel of reconciliation.
We affirm a growing partnership of churches around the world.
We affirm that our goal should be, by all available means and at the earliest possible time, that every person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and to receive the good news.
We affirm that the gospel does not presuppose the superiority of any culture to another, but evaluates all cultures according to its own criteria of truth and righteousness, and insists on moral absolutes in every culture.
We affirm our commitment to equip and encourage national leaders.
We affirm our belief in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Spirit to bear witness to his Son; without his witness ours is futile.
We acknowledge that we are engaged in spiritual warfare and affirm our need to equip ourselves with God's armour and to fight this battle with the spiritual weapons of truth and prayer.
We affirm our belief that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate his salvation and his judgment.
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