Mission Co-worker Relationships

Mission Co-worker Relationships

Mission Co-worker Visits

Host a virtual visit by a mission co-worker

Each Global Ministries mission co-worker serves with an international partner and then returns to serve in the US and Canada at the end of his/her term of service. Mission co-workers are scheduled for four months of interpretation during home assignments in specific UCC Conferences and Disciples Regions. Usually, these visits are scheduled 3-6 months in advance. Please be in touch about your congregation’s interest in hosting a mission co-worker. Should a congregation plan a special mission event, the Mission Personnel Office will try to provide a current or former Global Ministries mission co-worker or volunteer as a mission speaker. 

If you are a member of a congregation interested in a mission co-worker visit while a mission co-worker is in your UCC Conference/Disciples Region, please get in touch with Krista Johnson Weicksel at kmjohnson@dom.disciples.org.

Mission Co-worker Resources

There are always new resources to read on the Mission Stories page. You’ll find worship resources, photos, faith journey statements, and mission moments. Select a mission co-worker letter the next time you prepare for worship, bible study, or a prayer group.

Mission Co-worker Relationships

The Mission Co-worker Relationship Program provides an exciting opportunity for your congregation to gain a greater understanding of mission around the world. By developing a relationship with a mission co-worker, your congregation can put a face on mission and provide a wonderful church family for the missionary.

We have many exciting ways that you can deepen your relationship with our missionaries and we hope that your church’s Mission Committee can consider some or all as you enter into this relationship.

To Establish a Mission Co-worker Relationship

  • Read the guide on Developing a Mission Co-worker Relationship.
  • Choose your mission co-worker. You can find more details about each mission co-worker and their work if you click on their name on the mission co-worker pages. Check out the Mission Co-worker, Global Mission Intern, and Global Service Worker pages. All of our mission co-workers in the various categories are excited and ready to be connected to a local church.
  • Select a mission co-worker or request assistance from the Mission Personnel Office to select a person. Remember that you will be connecting both with the mission co-worker and the global partner that they work with, so consider relationships that your congregation may have with a geographic area or a particular local mission issue like education, health, poverty.
  • The Mission Personnel Office will confirm your request with the mission co-worker and formalize the relationship.
  • A confirmation letter will be sent to the congregation, the mission co-worker, the global partner, and your Conference or Regional office.
  • If at the end of a mission co-worker’s term of service, if you wish to learn about another area of mission the Mission Personnel Office will be happy to assist you in establishing another mission co-worker relationship.

How to Create a Strong Mission Co-worker Relationship:

A mission co-worker relationship can do so much to enhance your congregation’s awareness of mission.

Think about ways that you can bring the whole congregation into this connection.

  • Share your congregation and your hopes with your mission co-worker. Write something about who you are and hopes for your partnership and then share them with the mission co-worker so they can share their story and dreams as well.
  • Find the members in your congregation who wish to correspond with your mission co-worker and report back to the congregation. You could ask each church school class to take one month during which they are responsible for writing. Think of creative ways to share this correspondence.
  • Pray regularly for the mission co-worker and those they work with in your bulletin, during the service, or in a newsletter. Ask your mission co-worker to share prayer requests with the global partner that they work with and let them know your needs as well.
  • Consider creative ways for sharing news from your mission co-worker in a variety of church group settings including Church School, worship, newsletters, and group meetings. Add photos and even video! Send stories of your achievements to the mission co-workers so they can share your stories with the partners.
  • Set aside space in the fellowship hall or on a bulletin board to display letters and pictures from your mission co-worker. Add copies of the letters that you send so all can follow the correspondence. Ask your mission co-worker to send photos of the partner so that your congregation can get a sense of the real-life of partners.
  • Supplement the letters from your mission co-worker with area information available from Global Ministries or from the library or the Internet.
  • Think about adding food from the country where your mission co-worker serves to a church potluck. Ideas can be found in the Global Ministries Cookbook.
  • Ask your mission co-worker for an easy song to learn to sing from the region and sing it!
  • If you wish to take a mission trip or People-to-People Pilgrimage to the mission co-worker’s country of service, we can help! Contact Lorna Hernandez with the People to People Pilgrimage Office, 317-713-2579 and she can work with your congregation on a plan for the connection.
  • Share letters with the partner via the mission co-worker. If your mission co-worker is a teacher, ask to have the letters shared with students. If your mission co-worker works with women, ask them to share letters with the women. Write about your lives and your hopes for their church. They may write back!
  • If the mission co-worker has Skype or another video conference app, you could arrange for a time to share information in real-time with the congregation for a special church event. Please give the mission co-worker ample time to prepare and keep time differences in mind.
  • Host a mission fair/event at your church and invite other churches in your area. We can provide supplies from Global Ministries including a staff person to attend if it is going to be a big event.
  • A mission co-worker relationship carries no financial obligation. Use your mission co-worker relationship to help the congregation understand that mission co-worker support comes from DMF or OCWM giving, which provides the foundation for the work and mission of the entire church and support of mission co-workers.

Be creative, dream big, and have fun! This is a way for your congregation to feel how alive and growing God’s spirit is around the world! If you come up with a great new idea on how to connect with your mission co-worker, let us know and we will add it to our list.