Ten Year Goals - Part 2 (and half as long)

In Part 1 of this series we spoke about the first four goals in our ten year plan. In this segment we will discuss two more goals that relate to our missionary staffing.  Thanks to your feedback we will keep these videos under three minutes long - although this one goes a little longer - and we will also post a written version for those of you who find your attention drifting or simply prefer to read.




Trivia question: Where was this video recorded in Costa Rica?
Hint: Some great trout fishing is just steps away

2010 Educational Survey Results

An update from Area Leader Omar Rodriguez:

I wanted to share the results of the recent survey that was sent out in an attempt to quantify our region’s educational ministry efforts. Although brief and incomplete, I think that it gives some encouraging insights into the educational ministries that ReachGlobal missionaries are carrying out in Latin America and the Caribbean.

First, let me thank all of those who responded. Of the 60 survey requests, 28 individuals responded (a 47% response rate). From those 28 responders, we were able to gather the following data:

• 226 individuals were taught in a formal education setting (formal = Seminary, Bible school or any other kind of institutional setting).
• 2,985 individuals were taught in a non-formal learning setting (non-formal = SS, CBT, church planter training program, workshop, conferences).
• 339 individuals were taught in an informal setting (informal = one-on-one or small group discipleship, mentoring or coaching relationship).
• 6 formal courses were taught.
• 67 non-formal courses were taught.

While numbers do not tell the entire story, they do tell part of the story. In fact, each number represents the story of a fellow brother or sister that God has, to a certain extent, entrusted to us. I think that we know each other well enough to know that these numbers do not represent notches in our belts. Rather, these are individuals who are working to equip themselves to better serve our Lord and Savior, and we have the joy and responsibility of being a part of that process. That’s a blessing and a privilege!

 

We know that you put your hearts and souls into your teaching, and we are very grateful for that. As we hear of events or occasions where teaching is being conducted, we do pray for you and for those who are studying. We know that it is not just an academic exercise but a powerful time that God uses to transform lives and to equip His children for ministry. As you engage in teaching throughout this year, know that your ministry is appreciated and valued!

Blessings,
Omar Rodriguez, Latin America Area Leader

RG LAC Ten Year Goals - Part 1

In our last video we introduced the vision for our division for 2020.  In this segment we will discuss the first half of our ten year goals that will help us achieve what God has set before us.



Your RG leadership team appreciate your feedback.  Feel free to contact any of us with questions, recommendations or concerns.

You may read this post instead.

Personal Prayer Teams: An Introduction

Arthur, Director of PrayGlobal, introduces you to the idea of Personal Prayer Teams and the role they will play in Latin America going forward. You can expect to hear more from Arthur and PrayGlobal in the near future!

Last month the Latin America Division Leadership Team met in Costa Rica to continue our work on our 10- and 3-year goals and our 6-month tactical plans.

One of the 3-year goals we established is for all of our staff to develop a small personal prayer team in addition to the broader prayer support we receive from those who are on our donor/supporters list. As a first step, each of the LA division leaders committed to developing our own small personal team in the next six months.

This personal prayer team goal aligns with the rest of ReachGlobal -- with the Africa and Asia Divisions already adopting this same 3-year goal for their area staff. As the Director of PrayGlobal, this is one of my first initiatives to strengthen and grow a culture of prayer in ReachGlobal.

A smaller, personal prayer team will be new to some of us, while others of us have had one for years (for ourselves or for our family). A personal prayer team is a formally recruited group of 3 to 9 individuals we personally know who are committed/called to pray for us regularly -- usually daily. It is this group that forms our core prayer support. They pray for our most personal, ministry and daily life needs, challenges and opportunities. They are the kind of people we go to first when effective prayer is critical or when we are in crisis.

In 2002 -- two years after Tim Addington became the senior leader at ReachGlobal -- I began to establish a small personal prayer team for him. This team has become a core lifeline for him and his wife, Mary Ann, for almost a decade now.

My wife, Karen, and I have a small personal prayer team, as well, who has prayed for our ministry, for us, and for the salvation and sanctification of our three children for 4 years now. We know from experience both the increased fruitfulness and the protection that comes from having a personal prayer team on our side.

I look forward to talking with you all more about how you can develop a team for yourself. And in the near future, we will provide coaching and teaching to better equip you in this area.

I know our God will do extraordinary things in and through us as we grow a culture of prayer and dependency on Him.

Area leadership update - March 2011

Have you ever wondered what the Latin America area leadership team does?  Do you know who is on the team? Do you ever wonder if there is an overall strategy for the area?  Watch this video to learn more...

Announcing... The NEW Latin America News & Stories Website

I (Melissa) am excited to share with you our new ReachGlobal Latin America website -- completely dedicated to news and stories from the field.

Why am I so excited to tell YOU? Because this site reflects the lifeblood of RG LA -- personal accounts, testimonies, stories and lots of God-moments from the field. Basically, it's a site focused on what you do through the grace and empowerment of the Lord.

While the RG website is more conducive to static info about our ministry, this new page will feature dynamic content. We will regularly share stories and photos from the field, and eventually we hope to share videos, too. Each story includes a variety of "Calls to Action" (Serve, Pray, Give, Connect, Share) and offers the option for comments and dialogue for anyone who would like to participate.

It's easy to search the archives, view stories by country, and share the latest news with a friend.

There are a few things we'd like you to do to make this new site a success:

• Share the link (http://www.rglatinamerica.org/) on your Facebook, blog, website, next newsletter, etc. We need to get the word out and word-of-mouth is the best way to do it!
• Continue to repost new articles on your Facebook, blog, website, newsletter, etc. Look out for the emails requesting your help.
• Consider stories from your ministry that we could publish on the site. The site can't function without an ongoing flow of new information. I am here to help with this process.
• Write a story or article for the site. Not everyone likes to do this, but there are some writers out there amongst our staff. Now that there's somewhere great to put an article, there's no excuse not to write what's on your heart!
• Take photos!
• Send me your feedback. I would love to know your thoughts on the site, so please contact me with any comments, questions, or ideas.

Leadership: Latin America and RG Directional team

Our Latin America / Caribbean area leadership team includes:

• Keith Anderson
• Miguel De Marco
• Michael Gunderson
• Omar Rodriguez

Bob Werntz serves as an ad hoc advisor, Arthur Ellison serves as the PrayGlobal representative, and Melissa Putney is our communications observer. 

This group meets twice a month via conference call and twice a year in person (our next face-to-face meeting takes place mid-February in Costa Rica) to review current work in Latin America and strategize for future endeavors. Each of these leaders brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the table. They are available to you, so do not hesitate to contact them.

                                                                                                                                                        

The ReachGlobal Directional Team is the senior leadership of the mission. This team meets in person three times a year, and is comprised of the International Leaders from each of our five divisions; the associate executive directors for TouchGlobal, Personnel and Finance; and, of course, Tim Addington and Gary Hunter. 

The Directional Team met most recently in mid-November, and I would like to share a few highlights from that time:

• The ReachGlobal Sandbox states that we measure for effectiveness. In previous years, RG has focused on individual and team health, multiplication and holistic ministries – all important parts of the Sandbox. This year you will see more focus on measurement. While it is true that God is free to change our course in ministry and that spiritual advances are not easily measured, there are a number of indicators that can be tracked.
  
  Over the course of 2011, we will be implementing a new measurement process, beginning with the leadership. You will be hearing more about how it impacts your specific areas of ministry in the weeks and months to come.  Meanwhile, be sure to complete the little three question survey that Ken Warwick sends out at the end of each month.   

• One of our own staff, Linda Gunderson, presented a proposal to the Directional Team for improved care for missionary spouses who may not have regular check-ins with supervisors, KRAs or PRDs. We will pilot this program in Latin America this year, and we are praying for great participation on the part of our folks.

• ReachGlobal recognized that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to staffing can exclude valuable potential staff. In an effort to expand our impact in the world through non-North American and other “non-traditional” workers, RG will be implementing a five-level definition of RG staff relationship. This leveled approach will provide more flexible means of partnering with international and other non-traditional staff.  

If you have questions about our area leadership or mission leadership, please don't hesitate to ask.

Greetings, Saludos, Bendições and Bonjou

Greetings, Saludos, Bendições and Bonjou from Costa Rica. I trust that our loving God will bless you, your families and your ministries in this upcoming year. 

2010 was a fascinating year of changes for many of us. As you can see from the greeting above, although we live in a primarily Spanish-speaking world, we work in four languages in our area alone.

January 12, 2011, marks a year since the devastating earthquake in Haiti that resulted in a new field for our area. In 2010, we witnessed God’s hand and followed His leading in the immediate aftermath of the crisis. In 2011, we expect to see an international team of missionaries come together, committed to seeing healthy churches multiplied in Haiti – a country that has been without hope for so long.

Two veteran missionary families (the Hillis and Oates families) retired from ReachGlobal after many years of service. We rejoice in the testimony they are to God’s faithfulness.

At the same time, we welcomed a few new missionaries to RG LA – the Jenkins family, Melissa Putney, the De Marcos and the Wilsons. Others entered the on-boarding and support team building pipeline – the Ziels and Ashlee Nuest. God has been gracious in planting a vision for LA missions in people’s hearts. 

Roles changed in 2010 as well. A number of our staff have seen their focus move to new arenas and now serve from different places. Through these moves, we’ve extended several relationships with other organizations that share our heart for church multiplication. For example, as the Porters worked with a new partner ministry in the Dominican Republic, their relationship proved fortuitous as we launched into Haiti.

Communications became a new focus for the area. As Melissa Putney stepped into the role of Communications Coordinator for Latin America, she spoke with most of you as well as many supporting churches in the United States in an effort to better understand our communications needs. It was quickly apparent that we need to communicate RG work in LA better with you, our “on the ground” staff. Melissa and I have been strategizing about the best way to accomplish that, and we hope you’ve already seen some improvement. 

This year we plan to communicate with you more frequently, sharing area news and God-sightings. We will use this RGLA Staff Broadcast blog as the primary means of communication. It is important that you follow the updates. [Please visit the blog to set up an RSS feed. For more information on RSS feed and instructions on setting it up, go here.]