September 8, 2009
Retired missionaries reconnecting? The idea first came to Sarah Liu when a missionary friend suggested a get-together of retired missionaries. “It seemed overwhelming to me,” says Sarah, who is the volunteer coordinator for Caleb & Co., a ministry to connect missionaries with 25+ years on the mission field with each other and with current mission initiatives. “Where would we have it? Who will speak? Will retired missionaries be able to afford it?”
Not too old for ministry
Retirement from missionary service can be an emotional and spiritual struggle for workers as they learn to accept the fact that they are no longer involved in full-time ministry.
“Coming back home to a church where one is surrounded by a younger generation that may consider us too old to be useful is a bitter pill to swallow,” says John Schultz, who served in Irian Jaya with his wife, Janine, for 40 years. “Whereas on the mission field, national pastors would ask us to preach whenever we showed our face, people now show us benign neglect.”
Trailblazer
Desiring to reunite the disenfranchised missionaries in an effort to include them in ministry, Sarah eagerly took on the administration of the new ministry. “I started as the volunteer coordinator for retired missionaries in 2007,” she says. “Nobody else had filled that position, so I basically was writing my own job description and trusting God for direction.”
Sarah is no stranger to ministry or to the principle of relying on God alone for provision. Growing up in Calcutta, India, with her missionary parents, David and Mary Lamb, Sarah learned early in life that God keeps His promise to provide for those whom He has called to serve. Also, her husband, Kenneth, pastored Centerville (Ohio) Community Church (C&MA) for 30 years. Her early childhood experience and adult years as a pastor’s wife prepared her well for this new ministry in which she would be a participant as well as administrator.
Sarah began with the ministry’s first newsletter, defining ministry objectives as well as explaining its name. “Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 13:30) were the two who came back with a good report after spying out the Promised Land. In the same way through the many years of service these missionaries have rendered, they have claimed the “Promised Land” that God gave them. And like Caleb of old, they are back-giving exhilarating reports of what God has done. They are in good company with Caleb.”
A Step in Faith
Plans were made for the first get-together to be held at General Council 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky. But the dilemma of including missionaries who could not afford travel to such a large event weighed heavily on Sarah’s heart, and she sought God’s direction. When her daughter, Sharene offered financial help for one missionary couple to attend, Sarah was encouraged. “It was like God was telling me, ‘Okay, go for it.'”
In the next issue of Caleb & Co. newsletter, Sarah told the story of her daughter’s offer to help. Readers responded enthusiastically, and soon every retired missionary who indicated a need for financial assistance to attend the event was covered.
The Caleb Connection
“The first Caleb & Co. event was a wonderful time of fellowship, and of course, a delicious meal,” says Linda Sauve, who attended the event with her husband, Ted. The Sauves served on the Latin America field for 40 years. “It was a unique time for us to be, once again, united with fellow missionaries.”
Nancy Pierce also attended the reunion. Having served in Mali, West Africa, for more than 40 years, she said, “It was a delight to connect with our Alliance leaders and hear the burden of their hearts. Now we need to take up the active work of prayer!”
Until their next get-together, planned for Council 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri, Alliance retirees will stay connected via Internet, phone calls, and U.S. mail. “I call each one of them on their birthdays or send them cards of encouragement,” Sarah says. “In the meantime we pray for each other and Alliance work.”
The need for these seasoned veterans of prayer in The Alliance is great. Retired missionaries know well the spiritual battles on the field that must be overcome through the power of prayer. Current international workers can advance their mission to push back the darkness with confidence, knowing their spiritual backs are covered by the prayers of those who have gone before them.