In many cities and towns around the world, bridges have multiple functions. In a recent article https://internationalministries.org/building-bridges/, Rev. Glenn Chapman shared about a newly constructed foot-bridge over the Yasa river in Kikongo, which brings people together; a bridge for pedestrians, cyclists and also serving as a natural clothe line.

Since its inception, in the mid 1960’s, the Short-Term Mission Office (STM) has been in the bridge building ministry. STM has been intentional in facilitating connections between requests from missionaries and longings from volunteers to go and serve abroad. Thousands of them discovered or renewed their calls to ministry on short-term missions. Others found their purpose in life while serving cross-culturally.

During this COVID-19 season, where normalcy changed course abruptly, STM re-affirmed its call to bridging partnerships between volunteers and global servants and partners. STM will continue to honor IM’s strong missiology – we go where we are invited to come.

We call this old-new season Bridges for Mission: “B4M.” We offer three connectors: Experiential Bridges with our bi-monthly virtual short-term experiences, which started this past June and have led to digital short-term opportunities; Reading Bridges with our new team leader’s guide Short-Term Mission Team Essentials – Together On The Journey, which offers tools for team leaders to use as they prepare groups to serve. This guide is now available for purchase through BookBaby.com or Amazon.com; Auditory Bridges, with our newly launched monthly podcast series, featuring testimonies and information on global trends. B4M Podcasthttps://bridgesformission.buzzsprout.com/ can be located on Spotify (search Bridges for Mission), Apple (search B4M) and Buzzsprout (search Bridges for Mission).

In the gospel of Matthew 4:19 we read Jesus calling forth the disciples, “come and follow me and I will send you out to fish for people.” It has been referenced as the call to ministry for many Christ followers over the centuries. 2000 years ago, Jesus did not limit the disciples to using only one tool to fish. In 2020, the Holy Spirit does not restrict us to only be physically present, to be God’s ambassadors. In this old-new season of ministry, God is re tooling how we serve.                                                         Are we all ready for this new journey?

The STM office with its experienced staff and volunteer special assistants builds bridges for God’s mission. We prepare, discern and debrief with registered volunteers the transforming journeys of Kingdom building. The mission field may be accessible at first through a screen, but relationships are being built with God’s anointing.

Feel free to reach us at volunteers@internationalministries.org to be part of this beautiful ministry.