The following is a letter from John Bowers, one of the original founders of the organization we serve with, Proclaim International.

September 1, 2005
From John Bowers

Proclaim! International was “born” on September 1st 2000. There were just three couples then -- the Jenkins, Shillings and Bowers. With our children and board members counted into our community we weighed in at about sixteen souls.

We had a strong sense that God was leading us to follow Him into a new venture… but what did that mean? I for one did not have a clear vision of where that would lead, but we did want to operate by the Word of God as our sole guide for life and ministry and to live lives of obedience and audacious faith. There was a stirring of the Spirit in us to build closer working relationships with our friends in the countries where we were working.

And to go beyond the confines of Europe.

That really is audacity if not lunacy. Three couples feeling confined by the mere 750 million people in Europe? It was not delusions of grandeur that motivated us, but understanding that our little group ought to be ready to go anywhere the Lord would be pleased to send us.

And God has chosen to grow our little community and to send us in new directions.

This month we will see the official beginnings of Proclaim Peru and Proclaim Canada, both of which plan to join in our fellowship with Proclame France, Proclaim Germany, Ima Nade and Proclaim U.S.

We now have over 40 full time missionaries and staff. If you add all our children and board members our community now numbers over one hundred. Yet who are we? We are still a small band of missionaries in a very big world of need, but God will measure us by our faithfulness not by our size. Do we follow our Lord’s leading? God delights to glorify Himself through people and things that are weak or insignificant of themselves. Our community is faithful only to the extent that each of us is individually faithful.

Here are three timely examples:

Greg and Becky Davis are a case in point of long obedience. They have been on deputation for SIX years, longer than Proclaim has been a mission! They were appointed when we were still with GEM. With our change to Proclaim International and numerous changes in their home church’s structure and mission philosophy, they sometimes went one step forward and two steps back. But they stuck with it and last week finally moved to Germany! Praise the Lord and thank you Davises for your testimony.

In 1992 on one of Proclaim’s [GEM] early outreaches to the Olympics in Spain we had a short term worker named Henry Purcell who helped run sound. Henry began a long period of service in mission work with various groups, often checking in with us and expressing the desire to some day perhaps return to work with us. Thirteen years later he and his wife Kelley have been appointed as full time workers with Proclaim! Welcome Purcells – what took you and us so long?

And our most recent appointment is of Stuart and Ellsye Rowell from Northern Ireland. Stuart has been faithfully serving with EMC for 14 years, working in member care and spending much of his time and energy in Eastern Europe. (His first ministry there was smuggling Bibles in 1968!) Over the past two years Stuart has carefully, prayerfully and patiently sought God’s leading about joining us in Proclaim! We have spent a good deal of time getting to know him and his heart and are so pleased that God has led him to join us!

Each of these people’s lives is underscored with patience, perseverance and steadfastness based on a focus on the Lord. God takes the long view and so should we. Things that grow quickly wither quickly, but those things which grow long, grow strong.

[As for the blessed man] his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. Psa 1:2 & 3

Let us all covenant to grow: deep, strong, fruitful, tenacious, and purposeful…..

In Christ,

John