Published October 21, 2021 by in
Lauren Shirley, Missions Pastor
Hi I’m Lauren, and one of my favorite hats to wear around here is serving as the Missions Pastor. When I first started coming to First Methodist Carrollton 12 years ago, one of the things that drew me was this church’s commitment to taking the gospel to places in the world where it’s not yet been proclaimed. At that point, we hadn’t yet landed on “filling every neighborhood (from Carrollton to Cambodia) with the good news of God’s love” as our vision, but that statement has been at the heart of this church for a very long time.
One of the coolest expressions of how God is moving in our midst is the number of different nations and ethnicities represented in our congregation. I love the multiethnic and multigenerational nature of our church – and nights like last night are a perfect demonstration of our vibrant community. We had an awesome turnout for our International Dinner – and I want to thank everyone who brought food to share.
The ladies of Carrollton Cambodia United Methodist Fellowship provided the main course (and egg rolls, of course!) Other dishes came from:
- Ryan and Zoe (China)
- Dustin Smith (Cuba)
- Suna Cho (Korea)
- Sarai Rodriquez (Venezuela)
- Charles and Becky Jackson (Paraguay)
- Pashi/Samuel family (Pakistan)
- Eva Ramos (Philippines)
- Dianne Miller (Lebanon)
- Ludger Grewe (Germany)
- Ada Pratt (Sierra Leone)
- Robert Percy and Luke & Kas Raju (India)
We also got to hear an update from Pastor Chiv and Dave Roelke about what God is doing in Cambodia. If you weren’t able to be there in person, take 30 minutes and watch it here!
Revelation 7:9 tells us that heaven will be filled with “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.” Jesus gave the Church the task to make disciples of all the nations – and we’re a long way off from accomplishing that goal. Over 40% of the world has yet to even hear the name of Jesus. But I’m so glad to be part of a local church that is actively engaged in taking the good news of God’s love to the ends of the earth!
P.S. If you haven’t heard the stories of how Chiv & Emara came to faith in Christ, find 15 minutes to watch their videos. You’ll be encouraged (or your money back!)