Jodi Nichols cries when she talks about it. Her husband
Kevin says he would rather be hit with a baseball bat.
The couple from Wheeler, Miss., committed their lives to
missions nearly two years ago. They planned to move to Russia with their four
children in January. But in the midst of a rocky economy and shortfalls in
missions giving, they won’t be going anytime soon.
“It hurt,” says Kevin of the day he, his wife and about 200
others also called to missions learned that Southern Baptists’ International
Mission Board (IMB) did not have the funds to send them.
“Today it still doesn’t feel real … I know what God has
called us to … (but) it takes money,” he says.
For now, the Nicholses are uncertain when — or if — they
will be able to go to the mission field. By the time the economy rebounds,
their oldest child may be 15 or 16, and IMB discourages the appointment of
families with children that old.
BP photo Kevin and Jodi Nichols of Wheeler, Miss., had planned to be in Russia this year sharing the gospel as IMB missionaries. But reduced missions giving put their plan on hold indefinitely. They and their four children moved into a mobile home to ride out the transition. |
The Nichols family’s situation is a snapshot of how a
struggling economy impacts lives — both here and around the globe. Because the
Nicholses can’t go, someone in Russia may not hear the gospel.
A global problem
In Asian countries such as South Korea, a sluggish U.S.
economy means fewer sales and less money for local goods. It also means that in
one of the largest missionary-sending countries in the world, fewer South
Korean missionaries will have enough funds.
“The South Korean market kind of mirrors the U.S. market,
but double the effects,” says John*, a missionary who handled finances in South
Korea for four years before recently moving with his family to Thailand.
“As the U.S. market kind of tanked, (South Korea) lost about
half of (its) buying power,” he adds. “They are extremely dependent upon the
U.S. imports of their Asian goods.”
South Koreans also are heavily involved in missions — with
more than 17,000 Korean Protestant missionaries currently serving worldwide.
“They’re probably our biggest (missions) ally worldwide,”
John notes. “The weakening of the Korean won (currency) has impacted their
ability to function outside Korea. As a missionary-sending country, they are
really feeling it.”
Other countries around the globe are “feeling it” as well.
The U.S. unemployment rate stands at more than 10 percent
and is continuing to climb. As staggering as that seems, unemployment in
Zimbabwe hovers around 90 percent.
Statistics from the International Labor Organization show
the number of unemployed could jump to 239 million internationally by the end
of 2009.
There also is the issue of the dollar.
Last year, it took $1.62 to equal 1 euro.
This month, the value is around $1.49 after improving
briefly to $1.25 earlier this year.
“The dollar has gained some strength,” IMB treasurer David
Steverson says. “But while we are better off than we were a year ago, we are
not nearly as good as we were (as recently as several months ago).”
‘Difficult to live’
IMB missionaries Mike and Jan Bennett have worked in
Venezuela for more than 10 years. Even doing simple things, they say, can be a
major expense. When inflation rose to 26 percent, two combo meals at McDonald’s
cost $35.
“The economic crisis is affecting every country in the
world,” Bennett says. “It makes it very difficult to live on the field when the
prices continue to go up.”
In past years, Bennett says, missionaries have been unhappy
about the lack of funds to buy Bibles or other ministry materials.
“But the truth of the matter is that this is a far more
serious problem,” he says. “The critical need is just having (missionaries)
here to do the work.”
The lack of workers also is jeopardizing the future of a
significant ministry in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims who live and
work in Europe board ferries every summer to return home to North Africa to
visit family.
However, an effort that puts Bibles and ministry materials
into the immigrants’ hands as their cars pass through a European city’s port
gates may fall by the wayside.
Approximately 200 Southern Baptists help with the ministry
each summer. Because of last year’s shortfall in Southern Baptists’ Lottie Moon
Christmas Offering for International Missions, many short-term missionaries who
coordinate the efforts will not be able to extend their terms.
One missionary says the program won’t be able to continue
without them — or replacements.
“The project is in danger if we are not able to replace
personnel,” says Dave Webber*, who leads the effort in the European country,
where there are believed to be more than 5 million Muslims.
Last year, teams distributed 26,000 gospel packets at the
port gates.
“That means 26,000 families received the gospel,” he says.
“What if we’re not there at the gates? You can’t print this stuff in many parts
in Algeria” where distributing Bibles is illegal.
“I think about this (economic) slowdown and the tough things
that are going on around the world financially and in the United States … but
what if we’re not there at the opportunities the Lord has given us?”
‘Hard times’ back home
Parkridge Baptist Church in Coral Springs, Fla., has sent
teams in the past to help with the outreach in the European country. But like
many churches and ministries worldwide, they also are experiencing their share
of financial challenges.
“It’s a hard time,” says pastor Eddie Bevill, who started
the church 17 years ago.
“Our offerings haven’t grown much in the last year,” he
says. “We raised our mission challenge but reduced our general operating
budget. No one got raises — but we didn’t have to let anybody go.”
As the housing market continues to struggle and people are
laid off from jobs, many turn to their church for help.
“It used to always be people outside of our church,” Bevill says. “Now more and
more, it’s (church members) who need financial assistance.
“People call me now saying, ‘I’ve never asked for help in my
life. I can’t believe I’m calling.’”
To avoid staff layoffs, the church reduced its Cooperative
Program (CP) giving to a month-by-month basis. Nearly half the funding for
missions comes through CP, which supports state efforts as well as
international and national missions.
“If it comes we’ll give it,” Bevill says. “If it doesn’t
come we can’t … and that’s a terrible way to support the Cooperative Program.
“Older pastors around the country would kick me, I’m sure,
for doing that.”
This year the church began what it calls the “Great
Connection Offering.” It’s a year-round offering that collects funds for
Southern Baptists’ state, national and international mission entities.
“We have challenged people to give on a weekly basis to
missions,” Bevill says. The church set a goal of $60,000.
“Right now we’re ahead of (schedule), but if we hit that
goal, we will be giving more to those entities than we’ve given in the last
three years.”
Bevill, whose church received CP dollars when it formed,
knows the importance of giving to other ministries.
“But I can read a spreadsheet, too,” he says. “I can see
what’s coming in the offering plate. These are tough decisions for everybody.”
*Names changed.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Hendricks is a writer for the
International Mission Board.)
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