33 Creative Ways to Support Missionaries

My list of 33 ways to support missionaries has been taken and slightly adapted from this post. From experience I can attest that if you do any of these things you will indeed be a blessing to a missionary!

33 Ways to Support Missionaries

Create mission awareness:

• Create interest in mission—invite missionaries, have a world map in the church hall, mission information, adopt an unreached people group (prayer, info).

• Place missionary books on the church bookstall and in the church library.

• Give missionary books as a gift to specific people.

 

Prayer Support:

• Form a missionary prayer group, prayer initiatives.

• Pray with the help of Operation World (Patrick Johnstone), “Pray through the 10/40 Windows” etc.

• Participate in prayer initiatives like “30 days of Prayer for the Islamic World.”

 

Keep in touch—keep informed:

• Write to the missionary regularly (letter, fax, email) or call him/her and encourage and inform, send a church newsletter, front page of local newspaper, video of church activities, photos, give out addressed aerogrammes in the church and encourage others to keep in touch, too.

• Children to keep in touch with the missionaries’ children.

• Be a link person between the missionary and his/her home church. Give out prayer requests in church services, read out excerpts from personal letters, newsletters, show videos, display small items etc. Create a missionary interest in the church.

• Send presents (small parcels: e.g. children’s books, videos, cassettes) esp. at Christmas, birthdays etc.

• Edit, format, print and mail the missionary’s prayer letter, keep the address list up to date.

• Arrange for the local newspaper or a Christian journal to include articles about the missionary and his/her work.

• Short-term ministry with missionaries (do house keeping for them, care for their children, help with computers, counsel, preach, teach the missionary and his/her colleagues or church members etc. on subjects you are expert in if those subjects are of interest to them).

 

Practical support:

• Help in financial and legal matters back home (bank accounts, financial transactions, investments, insurance policies, tax declarations, inheritance)

• Give advice on computers, electronic media, software, medical matters, schooling options.

• Get and send medicines, spare parts, books, children’s materials, local newspaper clips.

• Visit the missionary’s elderly relatives, especially on anniversaries and birthdays, provide care on behalf of the missionary, attend funerals of his/her relatives.

 

Financial support:

• Support the missionary personally.

• Be creative in fund raising, organize a bazaar, art or handicraft exhibition, Gift Day, sponsored walk.

• Suggest the missionary’s ministry as special Christmas project to the local newspaper.

 

Welcome back:

• Welcome him/her at the airport and arrange for transportation.

• Provide accommodation, furniture, household items, food.

• Provide a car for use during home assignment.

• Provide a holiday flat (or let the missionary ‘house-sit’ for you while you are away), arrange weekends away, lend a caravan, take the children on outings.

 

Deputation work:

• Get invitations from churches, schools, youth groups, students’ groups, house groups, church house parties, clubs, societies etc.).

• Introduce the missionary to interested friends.

• Plan evangelistic activities together with the missionary (open-air meetings, visits to refugee hostels, university campus, student hostel). Visit neighbors from other cultural backgrounds.

• Invite the missionary to your church retreat (as guest speaker).

• Make helpful suggestions for improving e.g. slide presentations, preaching (make aware of changes in culture in the home country—a missionary may not be aware when he comes across as a bit ‘odd’!).

• Set up an interview with a local newspaper, local radio/TV, Christian journals—wonderful opportunities to give a testimony.

• Plan the deputation work for/with the missionary.

 

Children’s education:

• Send school books & material, instructive and other books in the children’s native language.

• Take the missionaries’ children into your family if they need to stay on in the home country for higher education, vocational training etc.