The Concept of Pathfinder Mission
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina
devastated the Mississippi Gulf coast. It displaced thousands of
families, destroyed businesses, and in some cases physically changed
the landscape. Gateway Baptist Church of Montgomery responded by sending a support team
to the Gulf which has been serving “on the ground” since the September
2, 2005, the Friday after the storm. During the past months, we
have witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of aid from the churches
all across the United States in the form of food, clothing,
construction materials, money and volunteers. This outpouring of
support and sacrifice has made a great impression on the Katrina
victims. Christians and non-Christians, alike, tell us that if it
were not for the churches they don’t know how they could possibly
have gotten by.
We believe that God has used this storm to
bring an awareness in the people of this region of the “God-shaped
void” in their lives. In his book “The Present Future”, Reggie
McNeal said, “A culture desperate for God comes to church after
every single major crisis … they are in search of sacred space and
sacred connections.” He goes on to say that in the absence of the
church responding to their need they will create their own solution. God
has called Martie and me to go beyond the borders of this camp to
reach the un-churched and to connect the un-discipled.
Pathfinder is the third volunteer camp we
have served at since we arrived on the Gulf Coast on September 2nd,
2005.
The ministry in each has been awesome. So many times we have seen
God's mighty hand move to provide for our needs. So many times
we have seen the people of this area blessed by the work and words
of the many volunteers who have come to their aid. At the same
time, God has been cultivating our hearts with a passion for
the people and fueling a desire in us to share the Gospel not
only with the un-churched residents but with the volunteers and contractors who
have come to the Gulf.
The ministry provided through this mission
is in the form of both practical assistance to the local
residents, helping them to recover and re-establish their homes
(Matthew 25) and spiritual activities focusing on outreach to
evangelize the lost and connect un-churched believers (Matthew 28).
