A Century of Mission Experience
Jon and Dawn Barnes are currently Disciples and UCC sponsored missionaries in South Africa. They have many examples of the wonderful things that God is doing in South Africa, and their part in that ministry. Recently they have shared this story with a number of Disciples congregations on their recent stay in Virginia.
Jon and Dawn Barnes are currently Disciples and UCC sponsored missionaries in South Africa. They have many examples of the wonderful things that God is doing in South Africa, and their part in that ministry. Recently they have shared this story with a number of Disciples congregations on their recent stay in Virginia.
As Elaine Miller heard Jon’s pesentation at her home church, Philippi Christian in Deltaville, VA recently she reflected on the way things have changed since she was introduced to Disciple work as a little girl.
Elaine’s father, Rev. Bert Wilson, was the mission secretary for the Disciples’ Overseas Ministries, then called the Foreign Christian Mission Society. That was in 1919 when travel and communication were much slower. Memories of her father’s nine month trip around the world in 1919 and 1920 are recorded in a book “Dad’s Letters on a World Journey*”. These were weekly letters written to Elaine and her six sisters who were at home in Cincinnati with their mother. The journey included a three month stay in India with the missionaries on the field at that time. Elaine’s father reflects on this mission history of his day as he visits churches and schools started by early missionaries William Cary and Adoniram Judson of a century before his time.
Today Jon and his wife can travel to their mission field in hours. Area executives can travel to Africa and any part of the world in a few days. Perhaps to the relief of the Barnes’ and other missionaries on the field, area executives no longer are tempted to stay for three months at a time!
{mosimage}The Barnes’ enjoy instant communication with Global Ministries, family and church friends by email. They share the joys of church growth, and the sorrows of ever present AIDS from their Kie Region. We in turn can identify even closer to them as our mission representatives, and in turn remember them often in our prayers
Jon Barnes and Elaine Miller’s Disciples mission experiences span almost a century of Disciples history. Many things have changed. Our world is smaller. But the Love of Christ and the Disciples desire to share the Gospel is as great as ever.
Written by: Lyle Predmore
*Powell & White Publishers Cincinnati 1921