NEW MINISTRY

[Jon Estes]

Nope - I'm not relocating...

Read the below and let me know your thoughts.

A PASTORS HEART EXPOSED



EBCI has... is... and plans to continue to be "ON MISSION". I am bringing to you some information -- maybe it is better thought of as a challenge to consider.



The challenge is for EBCI to undertake and implement an additional mission endeavor. For the time being, I will call it "The Barnabas Initiative". Taking the name Barnabas from scripture meaning "son of encouragement". to do this we would need to becoming a church which would open our lives to Pastors from other parts of the world who are discouraged and in need of someone to reach out in a tangible way and let them know they are loved... appreciated... and have a prayer partner with the EBCI family.



Here are some of my specific thoughts for this mission opportunity...

No less than twice a year we bring a Pastor and his wife to spend 2 weeks with us.

Our goal is to love this minister and wife and give them a time of rest and rejuvenation.

We will cover their roundtrip airfare and house them (Hotel apartment or in church members home)

We will give them a stipend of a specific amount, to be determined, so they can get out and enjoy the city on their own (meals and transportation)

The EBCI family will intentionally invest our lives into this family and have different members find ways to connect their lives together (a meal - a time sightseeing - an ear to listen to their pain/burden, if they choose to share)

Have a specific person with the gift of administration who can oversee this and work with me to see this come to fruition.

Have some sort of application process.

Why this? Why now?

Several things have brought this to the forefront of my heart.

I spend time online chatting with my peers (99% of them I have never met) and many of them are hurting and in need of someone to reach out and encourage and love them.

Too many Pastors are walking away from ministry because of the burden placed upon them and their families.

EBCI is in a unique position to offer these wonderful couples into our lives where Dubai is easy to get to (direct flights for those in the USA) and far enough away from their church to be able to relax.

I have been where these hurting Pastors are and needed someone to be a Barnabas to me.

I will be presenting this concept in more detail to the Deacons. We will pray over this and seek God's direction. I need you to pray also.

No permanent decision will be made until the church as a whole agrees that this is a mission project we must be involved with.

[Dave Roberts]

Jon, I like the spirit of this because it says that the church that we call "missions" is ready to do missions in reverse. The needs of pastors are very real and very difficult in our day. We need more encouragers for ministry. Thanks for sharing a bold dream.

[Jon Estes]

[Dave Roberts]

[Tim Bonney]

Jon, it is a cool idea! Burnout in ministry is a very real thing. We all lose pastors to the burdens of ministry every year.

[Sandy]

[Jon Estes]