Each year, Colonial’s Outreach Ministries sets up short term missions opportunities for its members. According to Mike Malpass, Pastor of Outreach Ministries, those who serve and those who are served benefit from short-term missions.

“There are opportunities to assist missionaries as they seek to establish contact in the communities in which they serve,” said Pastor Malpass. “In addition, short-term missionaries receive encouragement from seeing God work in their lives and the lives of those they minister to.  Finally, such trips are very helpful in making vocational choices for people who may be considering full-time ministry or missions work as a life goal.”

Pastor Malpass and his wife Patti are veterans of many short term mission trips and know first-hand the impact that the trips can have. “God used short-term missions to build a passion for ministry in my life. I was in engineering and engineering management for 25 years,” said Pastor Malpass. “God caused my passion for engineering to fall and my passion for ministry to grow. Eventually, this passion led me to seminary and into a pastoral role at Colonial!”

There are seven short-term mission trips planned for 2010. Colonial teams will be heading to Moldova, Slovakia, Mexico, Jamaica, Philippines, and two locations in the U.S.
Moldova is a small country in southeastern Europe bordered by Romania and Ukraine. Twenty three percent of the nation is under the age of 14 and presents a tremendous opportunity to reach the next generation for Christ. Those joining this team will be combining worship, Bible teaching, and recreations via a martial arts training camp to reach over one hundred young men and a small contingent of female campers. 
In nearby Slovakia, participants will offer English lessons to high school students. The goal is to invite students to evening activities which will include a gospel outreach. They will also assist in Sunday church services led by Colonial Global Staff. 

Soccer and basketball camps will be offered through a Vacation Bible School (VBS) in Mexico.  The team is planning to make connections with local families who will participate in a newly formed Bible study. They hope that the Bible study will provide a foundation for future church planting.

Jamaica is a favorite spot for the musically inclined who will assist the Association of Independent Baptist Churches to lead music and worship ministries. The team going to Jamaica will also lead a community evangelism effort through local church crusades and concerts.

This summer, there is a special opportunity in the Philippines for those who minister to the deaf and hearing impaired community. The team will work with SIL International, a faith-based organization that studies, documents, and assists in developing the world’s lesser-known languages. They will also provide ministry for the “Deaf for Christ Church,” which will celebrate its fourth anniversary in July. 

Colonial’s handymen, working with Carpenters for Christ, will be swinging their hammers again this summer as part of a two-year commitment with CitiVision Ministries. The team plans to assist with renovations and repairs at the Transformation Life Center in West Park, N.Y., a Biblical Counseling Center for men who face life-controlling issues such as drug or alcohol abuse.  

In the Triangle, Colonial will be partnering with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), the world's largest ministry to children with more than 2,500 missionaries and thousands of volunteers. A CEF outreach event, planned for late August in Raleigh, will provide an opportunity to share Christ's love and the gospel message with local citizens and their children. 

The cost of mission trips varies, said Pastor Malpass.  Local projects, such as the one with CEF, are very inexpensive; international trips are much more expensive primarily due to the cost of transportation. However, Pastor Malpass encourages participants to first seek God’s direction for ministry and then to raise support by sending letters to family and friends, asking for both financial and prayer support. There are many who have been able to fund the entire trip this way, he said.

For more information on the 2010 short term missions opportunities or to complete an application to participate, visit the Outreach Ministries website: outreach.colonial.org.