An Untapped Missions Field

What is the first thing that you think of when someone says the term “missionary?” If you are like me and so many others you think of people like Suellen Black going off to foreign lands and dedicating their lives to serving that local population through spreading the Gospel, teaching, and selfless hard labors? You think of people uprooting their lives and going to where the Lord has led them. You think of people putting themselves in harm’s way to do the work God has called them to. But, do you think of people from our church playing basketball with local youths to be missionaries? Do you think of the teachers and staff at CCA to be missionaries? Do you think of the ladies that so selflessly give of their time and talents to organize and feed not only church members but visitors, also, as missionaries? Do you think of yourself as a missionary?

From the moment you step outside of the doors and head into the parking lot you are a missionary for Christ. All of us, as Christians, are called to not only show God’s love in our lives (that’s the easy part!) but to communicate and share His love and His gift of salvation with the people we come into contact with.

The opportunities are endless in our local community alone. The Dunkirk/Fredonia area has been challenged by many factors for many years. This area is a hotbed for spiritualists and cultists, rampant drug use, an alarming rate of suicides, a teen pregnancy rate that is one of the highest in the nation, and a declining involvement of local churches in the area.

That is where we must all step up to the plate and answer the call that God has given us. We have to get out of our comfort zones and outside the walls of our church. We have to be active in a community that desperately needs to hear the message of God’s salvation. We have to invest ourselves in the lives of the people God has called us to reach. It is time for our church wake up, get up and to “go forth and make disciples” in the Dunkirk/Fredonia community.