by Sarah Stillion

Are you ever amazed how much things change in just a couple of weeks or months when you’re away from home? A few things stay the same, but you always notice the differences when you come back. What if you had no way to communicate with the people back home while you were in another country—how would you feel once you returned?

These are important questions for missionaries, many of whom have felt the sting of finding themselves practically anonymous upon returning from the field. Often the old adage “out of sight, out of mind” is the truth of human nature.

Several Bethany members are serving God as our ministry partners around the United States and overseas, and Bethany PACT (Prayer, Advocate, Communication, and Travel) teams work to support those partners by keeping them on the minds and in the hearts of the congregation.

A PACT team prays for an individual or family ministering in another country or city. We advocate for their needs with other groups and the congregation by praying for them in corporate worship. We communicate by putting up a bulletin board in the lobby once a year, sending care packages to our partners, or calling and emailing them on a regular basis. The best part is that we get to travel to see them in the field and give them lots of love in person. This keeps them plugged into the congregation as vital members, even though they aren’t here but a couple of Sundays every four years or so.

I am part of the PACT team. Our monthly meetings have really brought us together, not only for our missionary but for each other. As one of our members put it, the missionary we care for looks forward to those “sweet times together and being involved in each other’s lives.” It’s as though we’ve made a pact among ourselves as well as with our missionary, to be there in prayer, hugs, meals, or whatever is needed. Sending and being the church is what it is all about.

Over the past five years, we’ve met monthly, studying the countries where our missionary has served, discussing the news, and praying. Three people thus far have traveled to see this missionary. We send recordings of our weekly worship services, along with hard-to-get personal care items and a few treats. We’ve raised money for special projects and monthly support through auctions and special meals. A favorite yearly gift is the PACT team/Bethany friends photo calendar we send. Our small actions and interactions here keep this missionary ever on our minds, since this is the reason we began meeting as a group.