What Now??

After we got our fourth letter in the letter campaign sent out and added to the blog, I found myself asking "What now?"  If you are wondering the same thing, here are a few things to think about...

-If you were not on our list to receive the four letters explaining our calling to church planting in France and how you can be a part of what God is doing there, and you would like to receive them via mail/email, please let me know.  We have a second group of them going out soon.

-If you would like to meet with Brandon and me indivually or with a small group so that we can share with you in person more about our calling, we would love to arrange a time to do so. 

-If you would like to be added to our list of prayer supporters, so that you will receive our updates in the form of newsletters while we are on the field, please send us your contact information to chelle374@aol.com

-Finally, if you are intested in supporting us financially, you can do that by going to the worldteam website, www.worldteam.org or simply click on the Worldteam logo on the left of the blog.  There you will see a "Giving" page where you can pledge to give monthly or give a one time gift.  If you put our names (Brandon and Michelle Burch) in the Missionary/Project section, the money will go into an account set up for us.  You can pledge to start giving as we get closer to going to the field, but we do need to be aware of people who plan to give later, so that we know where we stand as far as our progress of raising support.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

-If you did not get a chance to look at the 2010 Recap video for World Team and you want to know more about who they are and what they are doing around the world, I have added it to the bottom of the blog.  Feel free to check it out as well as other changes that have been made to the page. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

Michelle =)

 I had to add a few pictures just for fun! ;)

Final Letter...How you can partner with us!

Our family, this time including our new addition!

Dear Reader,
At this point we have given you an overview of what is happening both in France and in our lives. In our previous three letters we’ve discussed... our story, the spiritual need in France, and what World Team is striving to do. Many of you have already asked us how you can get involved. We’d like to take this chance to describe the different opportunities you have to partner with us in what God is doing in France.


Confirming the Calling:

We believe that God is calling us to participate in His work by starting new churches in France with World Team.  He has faithfully led us step-by-step, carefully preparing us for our future ministry. From Michelle’s experience as a French teacher to Brandon’s studies at Rhodes College amidst a spiritual climate very similar to that of France, every aspect of our lives has built a foundation of experiences on which we can draw.

The people around us have affirmed our skills and gifts; mentors and close friends have communicated their appreciation for our teaching, service, and wisdom. Our churches—Bartlett Hills Baptist Church and First Baptist Church Millington—have supported us in our spiritual journey and have prepared us by means of valuable hands-on experience. From teaching Sunday school classes and leading Bible studies to leading worship and serving as youth minister, we are thankful for our time serving in our home churches.

Additionally, I have completed my Masters of Missiology at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in what I think has to be one of the top missions programs available. I will never forget my time under the teaching of those professors, each of whom served or were serving as missionaries, as well as pastors.Each of these steps in our faith journey has led us to this point of complete confidence in our calling.

The Planned Work:
It is our hope to arrive in France by the summer of 2012.
In our first year there, we will go to language school and immerse ourselves in the culture. Shortly after, we will take part in an "internship" with an established French church before being placed in a strategic location for a new church plant.

Will You Join Us?: We know we cannot do this alone.
We desire your partnership to make God’s calling on our lives a reality. First, we need your ongoing prayer support. We are completely reliant on God and His wisdom, guidance, and grace as we pursue this challenging ministry. Moving ahead is only possible by joining together in prayer to call on God for His constant help. We will be sending out regular email prayer updates to our committed prayer partners.


Secondly, we are seeking partners to support us financially. We must raise about $8,000 in ongoing monthly support which includes our living, insurance, ministry costs and World Team operating costs. One-time donations and ongoing monthly gifts given before our departure will go towards our outgoing expenses and set-up costs. By contributing one-time or monthly, in any amount, you truly are participating in the work God is doing around the world.

*All gifts are given to World Team and will be used to support the expenses of World Team and for our assigned ministry. Gifts are tax-deductible and will be receipted for your records.

*Giving options are explained on the enclosed response cards.
If you plan to support us monthly, giving may begin immediately or you can indicate on the response card when you plan to start. It is recommended that monthly gifts begin at least 3 months prior to our departure to ensure full support by the summer of 2012.

Finally, we need you to help spread the word. It’s not about us! It’s about God making Himself known among the French. We encourage you to keep up to date with us and what is happening in France through our blog or World Team’s website. If you have any questions, we would love to talk with you more. Additionally, we would love to share at your church or with a small group of people in your home. The body of Christ is seen fully at work in partnerships such as these. We ask you to consider using your gifts and resources to take part in the work of starting churches in France. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank You!
Brandon & Michelle Burch

What's happening in France?...God is working!!

This is one of the recent newsletters that we received from our friends, David and Kathryn, who are serving as missionaries in France.  It is very encouraging to see how God is working there.  We can't wait to be a part of what He is doing!...


                        
                                   My friend, Lambert in Ault, France 2004

"Thank you for praying these past 9 years for Lambert.  He passed away last Friday morning.  He just celebrated his 89th birthday in May.  I miss him already.  I went to see Lambert almost once a week since we arrived in Méru so many years ago now.  And all those years I preached the Gospel to this man, and you, along with many hundreds more from around the world, prayed for his salvation.  On my Outlook calendar, at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday the 30th of March, and marked in bright purple to emphasize a very extra/ordinary event, are these words: “Lambert, reconciled to God!”  I didn’t really feel like visiting Lambert in his assisted living facility that day, but there I was, once again, leaning in close, pleading with my dying friend to open his heart to the love of God and to receive His free gift of life in Christ before it was too late.
Why that day? Why not in 2004? I don’t know, and I guess it doesn’t really matter.  What matters most is that on that eventful day, 2 months before his death, Lambert understood something that he had never understood before.  His lifelong efforts to be moral, kind and good would not impress God nor would it earn him the right to eternal life with the Father in heaven.  I offered to pray a prayer to God on his behalf and suggested, if he was sincere, that he repeat the prayer after me, out loud, to God.  He said he would, and he did! It was a simple prayer of faith, an invitation for Christ to come into his life and to save him from sin’s awful salary: eternal death and separation from God.  He stared at me intently as we prayed together.  He had tears in his eyes; I had tears of gratitude
running down my face.  Three different times he said to me, as I guided his wheel chair to his table in the dining room, “maintenant je suis heureux, je suis heureux maintenant”. “Now I’m happy, I’m
happy now.”  I call it an extra/ordinary event because it involves God’s “extra” and my “ordinary”.  You and I are just the messengers, faithfully doing what God has commissioned us and enabled us to do – ordinary!  Only the Word of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, can break down the barriers in a man’s heart,
save him and restore him to fellowship with the Father – extra!
Do you ever wonder if it’s really worth persevering in prayer? Is it worth the astronomical expense of sending missionaries to another part of the globe to tell people that through Christ they can be
reconciled to God?  Do you ever wonder if you’re making any difference for the Kingdom of God on this planet, or how you “measure” success when it comes to planting churches in a foreign land?  I have, and I do!  But… it’s on days like this, when my friend Lambert dies and steps into the joy of his salvation, that I sense the power of Christ on me, that my faith in God and in the saving power of the Gospel is renewed, that I’m grateful for each one of you who has sacrificed financially to keep us here in such
trying times as these, that I encounter, first hand, the victory of persevering prayer!  A very heart-felt thanks for your partnership in bringing Lambert to faith in Christ!  I’m sure he’ll want to thank you personally one day! 

Changing the landscape of eternity one person at a time,
David (4Kathryn2)"

Letter # 3

Waiting for the service to begin at our church in Beauvais, Église Protestante Évangélique

David and Kathryn Lohnes, serving in France with World Team  for over 25 years

Dear Reader,
In our previous letter, we explained the dire spiritual need that exists among the French. You remember that currently there are not enough active, Bible-teaching churches to reach the population in France. So what is being done about it? World Team’s vision is to plant 50 churches in France over 20 years! When you consider the average French church takes around fifteen years to be firmly established, this is a God-sized dream. And that is exactly the type of vision that we want to be a part of! We’d like to take a moment to introduce you to World Team and how we fit into this plan to reach the French.
Defining Characteristics: World Team is an interdenominational organization with a long history and over 350 members serving in 28 different countries. The organization emphasizes teamwork (within World Team as well as with other organizations and national leaders) and the humility it requires, believing that God produces greater results when we combine our efforts, gifts, and talents with one another. They emphasize discipleship, going beyond conversions and intentionally pursuing and cultivating growing relationships with God resulting in the development of national leaders. And the goal is always reproduction and multiplication of believers and churches, so that the work of reconciling the lost to God continues gaining momentum and influence for the glory of God. This is the only way that a goal of 50 churches in 20 years can be reached!
“World Team exists to glorify God by working together to establish reproducing churches focusing on the unreached peoples of the world.” The goal of this agency is to glorify the Lord, specifically by preaching the Gospel to the lost of all cultures so that people of every tribe, tongue, and nation will one day be found worshipping Jesus Christ. We appreciate World Team’s specific focus on church planting because we know that in God’s wisdom, He chose the church, the community of believers, to further His kingdom to the ends of the earth. Paul talks about Christ loving the church by “giving himself up for her to make her holy,” and he calls the church the “pillar and foundation of the truth” in our world today (Eph 5:25-26; 1 Tim 3:15). It becomes obvious that starting new churches should be a focus in our mission, especially in places where so few exist.
A Great Fit: We first encountered the work of World Team while living in France in 2004-05. It was during this time that we witnessed firsthand what “church planting” and being a “career missionary” would look like and we hungered to know more. We were given the chance to walk alongside our new World Team missionary friends, David and Kathryn Lohnes, who in turn introduced us to the rest of the France team and they definitely made an impression on us. It was obvious that God had gifted the France team, but what impressed us the most was their passion for the Lord, for reaching the French people, as well as their fondness for World Team. Additionally, we deeply appreciated the Biblical philosophies and beliefs that were driving their ministry and mission. 
As you may know, our situation is a little unique being that we are members of a Southern Baptist Church and are eligible to apply to go as missionaries with the International Mission Board, the Southern Baptist missionary sending agency.  Nonetheless, through our relationship with the Lohnes family, our interaction with the France team as well as World Team as a whole, God has affirmed to us again and again what we already felt from the beginning... World Team was the best fit for our family.
A Proper Perspective: But beyond being a great fit for us, we appreciate that World Team is centered on the Gospel and having a dependency on God through prayer. World Team recognizes that no amount of strategy and effort can change the hearts of men and women apart from the hand of God. This fact is emphasized among the various teams as well as in the lives of the individual missionaries that represent Jesus to the people around them everyday. For example, the France team demonstrates their dependency on God by holding their annual prayer conference. Each year they invite people to travel to France for the main purpose of prayer, both during the week and beyond. We simply cannot underestimate the promises of God which declare that when we humbly seek Him, He will respond! We are honored, humbled, and excited to be a part of World Team. We are eager to join in the church planting work taking place in France.
Until Next Time!
Brandon and Michelle Burch