It is a humbling experience for us to send you our final ministry update as “standard appointment” global servants through International Ministries.

IM’s global servants in Indonesia, Valerie and Aaron Osterbrock and their children, are safe and unharmed in the wake of the tsunami that hit Indonesia on December 22. They are in Singapore now for Christmas.

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami on September 28, followed days later by a volcanic eruption. International Ministries has responded by sending $15,000 in One Great Hour of Sharing emergency relief grants to partners in Indonesia, and additional aid is urgently needed.

Have you ever wondered what it means to be “the church”? While it’s common to say we “go to church” on Sundays, theologians remind us we “go to be with the church” since “church” is the fellowship of God’s people – the community of faith – and not a building. We recently explored different dimensions of “being church” with the Union of Indonesian Baptist Churches.