MISSIONS

Worship is a core value of our church, and it radiates through all that we do.


Little wonder that when we think “missions,” we’re not thinking first about strategies, techniques, language-learning, or cultural sensitivities.  We’re thinking first about the knowledge of His glory filling the earth as the waters cover the seas (Habakkuk 2:14)!


We see missions as the natural overflow of our life together in God.  What we experience as a worshipping community, we delight to be part of extending in culturally appropriate ways to people and places everywhere.  We love to think about this.  We love to do it.


So we hope you’ll enjoy meeting some of our global team here and getting a feel for what He has placed upon our hearts.  


And if you do connect with us, then together let's anticipate continuing to draw near to Him and then from Him, creatively and powerfully, to a world still seeking what we enjoy in Christ.

A BIBLICAL BASIS

Take a closer look at the biblical basis for missions and why "mission" is important to the culture of Wonderful Mercy Church. We feel these are universal values God's eternal work to help shine His life and do his work to reach all peoples are the world.


Read Biblical Basis

MISSIONS UPDATES

Stay up-to-date with global workers supported by Wonderful Mercy Church

  • For many years, Renee served cross-cultural workers by debriefing, mentoring, and deep healing and prayer facilitation. From her base in Pittsburgh, PA, today she has the privilege of supporting not only cross-cultural workers but also all who seek spiritual direction in their walks with Christ. In this role, she wonders with them at the work of God’s Spirit in and around them and supports them as they explore, grapple, celebrate, and question. 


    She lives and ministers as a founding member of Hineni House—a Christian community devoted to worship and prayer, serving those serving God in cross-cultural and local settings. Hineni House welcomes cross-cultural workers and others in encountering the Lord through worship in community (morning and evening prayer), solitude with God, creative prayer, and access to nature. Spiritual direction, prayer mentoring, deep healing prayer, spiritual formation training, and retreats are also available for those who seek them. 


    If you’d like to connect with Renee, please contact Pastor Graeme at g.sellers@wonderfulmercy.org. 

  • Andrew and Heidi have spent the past 30 years leading and supporting Christian prayer movements inside the Muslim world. From their home in North Africa, their focus is on developing prayer leadership that leads to prayer movements that shape communities and nations. They have been married for 27 years and have 3 adult children and one small fluffy white dog. 


    You can reach them at andrew@andrewdempsey.com. 

  • Mike and Sally Latsko serve with Frontiers at their US Sending Base in Phoenix, AZ, where Mike heads up the Strategic Partnerships department and represents them on the steering team of the global Vision 5:9 network. 


    Central to Mike’s and Sally’s vision is a longing to help the global church and missions community place first workers among unengaged people groups—those our church calls the “Forgotten Ones”—by the end of 2025. This audacious goal is their north star and drives their speaking, writing, travelling, and various leadership roles. 

     

    You can reach them at toknohim@gmail.com (Mike) and 31sense@gmail.com (Sally). 

  • One of our workers has a ministry among overseas people living in particularly unstable areas. Please note that we cannot publish her true name, face, or contact information on this public arena. To do so would seriously jeopardize her and the people she serves. 


    Our church loves her! 


    And we very much appreciate her provision of soul care, life coaching, and prayer ministry to overseas workers. 


    If you’d like to contact or receive updates from her, please contact Pastor Graeme at g.sellers@wonderfulmercy.org, and let’s see if something can be arranged. 

MISSIONS FOCUS FOR CHILDREN

A Quarter Can Change the World


Our Mercy Kids Sunday School program has been collecting weekly offerings since January 2014 and is collaborating with World Vision to provide goats and chickens for needy families in other parts of the world (www.worldvisiongifts.org). The boys and girls also enjoy supporting Feed My Starving Children and providing hygiene products for a local low income school. 


Make It Real


Kids, looking for ways to boost your global awareness and be part of expanding God’s kingdom to all parts of the earth? Here are some ideas to help you! 

  • Look at the labels of your clothes every day—and the toys you play with each day—find where they were made and pray for that country. 

  • Spin a globe, and put your finger on any spot while it’s spinning. Pray for the country where your finger landed. If you land on an ocean/body of water, pray for people sailing across that ocean. 

  • Look up the name of a country that begins with the same letter as your first name. Find out where it is on a map. Pray for that country. 

  • It’s hard to imagine living in a place where no one knows about Jesus, but places like that still exist on our planet. Ask Jesus to show Himself to the Forgotten Ones living in places where no one has heard about Him. Then pray and ask God to send to them someone who knows Jesus and that the group would accept the person God sends. 

  • Did you know it is illegal to believe in Jesus Christ in some countries? Pray for those who love Jesus in those countries and for those who hear about Him there, that they will all know His strength. 

  • Ask your friends about their own religious beliefs, and pray for each one that they come to know Jesus as their Best Friend. 

  • Pick a foreign language. Learn a few key phrases in it. Then try to speak those phrases at dinner. Was it hard to communicate? 

WMC MISSIONS' DISTINCTIVES

One of our greatest privileges is to step into and live out of who God has called us to be. Accordingly, we’ve linked our calling as a House of Prayer to our heart for the world and have determined to prioritize the “Forgotten Ones.” These are people groups who have yet to hear the gospel in their own language and within the context of their own culture. The technical term is “unengaged unreached”—the global Church has not yet engaged them with the Good News. There is no first worker or witness to tell them about Jesus. And so we pray for them that God will be glorified and worshipped from the hearts of all peoples. 


We began this prayer journey with the Muslim Forgotten Ones who at the time had the world’s largest number of unengaged peoples. For over two years, we prayed by name for every Forgotten Muslim people group over 10,000 population. We also prayed for 31 Frontier Peoples—people groups of such large populations that they merit our focus even though they are somewhat engaged, for we feel it is as if they are still unengaged and forgotten. 


When new lists indicating the Forgotten Ones from among Hindu, Buddhist, Tribal, and NonReligious peoples are confirmed, we look forward to crying out to the Lord on their behalf also. We will not only pray for them but also invest practically and specifically as needs and opportunities come to our attention. For example, we’ve already funded the outfitting of a Language Training Center in NE Africa as well as helped to facilitate basketball training camps— both with strategic focus toward sharing Christ and multiplying churches among the Forgotten Ones. 


There are many ways to become Jesus to a lost and hurting way, and we enjoy leveraging our individual burdens, giftings, opportunities, and availability toward them all. Still, we find delight and unity when we pray together for the Forgotten Ones, and this we intend to do until they are remembered. Join us in this joy and privilege!