Our God is a great God! He is worthy of our attention, in fact, he is worthy of our life. That is why we go on mission each year. The correct response to what God has done for us is complete surrender of who we are and what we do. Following the Lord’s command to spread his Gospel is something anyone, regardless of age or background can do! Throughout the Bible God was always calling and sending his followers. I am glad you are not just hearing the call, but actually responding in obedience!
This year we are staying close to home, to a city in our backyard, Atlanta. I am sure most of our students and adults have been to Atlanta numerous times in their life, but how many times have we stopped to pay attention to the less fortunate people in that city? How many times did we think about the lost when we took a weekend trip to the World of Coke, or went shopping at IKEA, or took in a Braves game? Atlanta is one of the North American Mission Board’s target cities for this year. It’s been said that if you reach the cities, then you’ll reach the nations. Atlanta, with its 5.7 million people, is a very lost city.
Many of the ministry opportunities we have this year focus on homeless shelters. My prayer is that the message of Christ will resonate with all who find themselves in the position of being homeless and without hope. Our students will be exposed to the realities of a fallen world: kids that have been neglected, people who are hungry, and people who have no one that loves and cares for them on this earth. It will be difficult. It won’t always be pretty. But that’s reality. The experiences that students often have on these kinds of mission trips can impact them for a lifetime. It can break down the walls of selfishness and expose the compassion that Christ-followers are to display.
Just a quick word about our adult sponsors. The adult sponsors accompanying the students on this mission are all gifted, trusted individuals who have a heart for students and evangelism. They each pay financially to be servant leaders on this mission trip. Please be in prayer for them as they teach and exhibit the attributes of Christ during our time in Atlanta.
In closing, please know that I will do my best to provide the leadership you expect on this mission trip to Atlanta. This is my 13th choir mission trip at WBC and I have learned that there are always unpredictable situations and difficult decisions that have to be made. Please pray that I will have divine wisdom in making those decisions. If you have any questions, feel free to call me or email me anytime: matthew.sloma@wbccares.org
Love,
Rev. Matthew D. Sloma
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