A Special Update from Hank Paulson
Before I share a secret, let me thank you so very much for being a tremendous inspiration and help as together we partner in HIS Kingdom. Especially this past year!
Earlier last month we had “Giving Tuesday”. I am glad God does not have “Giving Tuesday”, but that His generosity and love are everlasting. And, His greatest gift was His Son, which we celebrate this Christmas season. Where would we be without Him?
Now you may wonder, “What is your secret?”
I often get that question when we share about the thousands of kids in camp each year. The answer to the secret: 4D does not ask local churches in Eastern Europe to help us reach kids for Christ. The opposite is true! Churches are asking 4D to help them to be missional, especially through their outreach to kids and their families. That is looking at things the other way around!
You may ask, “Why do they ask 4D?”
It all started and grew from the first church-based camp. Soon after that, we were asked, “Can you help with more camps? Can you help our church, too?”
The interesting thing is that we budget for training, leadership development, programs, follow-up, and much more. One thing we don’t have in our camp budget is advertising and recruiting. You may wonder, “How do people hear about it? Surely they hear about many good programs, why 4D?”
As I mentioned before, the key (secret) is the local churches have to take ownership! It is not a nice comparison, but we all know that “we can lead a horse to the water, but we cannot make it drink!”
And a critical issue that is needed is “models” that are cultural, relevant, tested, and proven effective. After a few years, it is youth that grows up who is involved in volunteer ministry and asks their church to do a camp and have a church-based team. So, while we have a missional camp (over 30% unchurched), we also have an opportunity to cultivate future leadership. It is a harvest that keeps repeating itself!
Cultures are so different in small out of the way towns, compared to the growing university cities. They’re also different between countries, age groups, ethnic groups, and languages. (In Moldova, even a camp for the deaf took place.).
So, at the end of a fruitful year, here are the numbers God gave in response to your and our service:
Interesting to see the festivals (3 or 4 days long) for 18–24-year-olds a bit lower in attendance this year, but the camp attendance being 50% higher than last year. I wrote that we anticipated a total of over 15,000 in my previous letter. Now, with more information in, it ended up being 16,875 kids! More than any of us expected!
What about the needed volunteers? It went up from 1,396 to an amazing 1,821 total this year!
Rei, a partner for about 40 years, was led to start a church (Via) in Cluj, Romania about eight years ago. Today, it has two services each Sunday with about 800 adults in attendance, about 40 small groups, and serves as an example – a model – for many churches throughout Romania and beyond. It was also the birthplace for what we now know as the “Ambassadors Together” program.
Asking Rei how his partnership with 4D Ministries has helped this past year, he was quick to respond: “The Ambassadors Together is a huge help. I am amazed to see how just a small amount of financial help is mobilizing churches in their outreach projects. Out of the 60 partner churches, 22 were first timers…. who started their first mission project….
“I think at this moment, Ambassadors Together and Revitalize Network have the greatest momentum. I think we should do more in those. The reasons (evangelism and discipleship) have never changed, and the impact is at the highest level,” Rei said. (The Revitalize Network is a network of about 60 churches that Rei was one of the initiators of, developed over the last two years. It’s churches starting new churches and especially also helping other churches become missional through conferences, sharing programs, internships, and mentoring. One of the leaders said, “We don't want to compete, but compliment and encourage each other in being outward looking and missional..." The majority of the churches in Romania participating in Ambassadors Together are also part of the Revitalize Network.)
I am both blessed and amazed as I read how God worked!
From a medium sized camp (70 kids) we heard:
“For me, this week was a quiet time and I decided to follow Jesus,” said an 11-year-old girl.
“During this camp I decided to trust the Lord and believe in His goodness,” said a 7-year-old boy.
“For me, the camp means joy! I have learned to give,” said a 9-year-old boy.
The festival in Cluj, Romania brought 4,500 together (ages 16-36), including 140 volunteers. Rei explains:
“For four days, youth from all over Romania gathered for a music festival. During the day they could attend workshops, and, in the evening, there were concerts, and the Gospel was preached. Many young people devoted their lives to Christ.”
Romania was where about half of the camps and all of the festivals were, but camps took place all over. In addition, there was internet ministry with tools and evangelistic courses with a large network of church-based volunteers. There was generosity and stewardship ministry and much more. All with the aim to empower and mobilize churches to “bloom where they are planted” and beyond!
At the end of such a fruitful and amazing year, let’s thank God for His work, and for allowing us to be a part of His work!