The data is in! 

One of the joys in my job is working with our teams and helping connect people from different locations and cultures for collaboration.  Within our OC Global Alliance, we are genuinely sending missionaries from everywhere to everywhere.  We have Asians serving in the Middle East and Latin America.  We have Africans working in North America and Europe.  We have Latin Americans all over Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.    I am looking at the data from 2024, and I am encouraged to see that last year our global staff of 1210 people did ministry in 101 countries worldwide.  We mentored or trained 53,000 leaders and helped establish about 29,000 new churches or cell groups, where over 200,000 people decided to follow Jesus.  It was a fruitful year. 

Here in North America, we provide training for leaders, mobilization of new missionaries, creative evangelism and discipleship, and work with immigrants and refugees.  One of my good friends, Bob Rasmussen, recently shared that as government funding for Afghan refugees in his state has been suspended.  Many refugee families living in hotels, awaiting apartment openings, had to leave the hotels on short notice.  Churches stepped up to help.  Bob and his wife Amy have opened their home to an Afghan family that has moved in with them.  Bob and Amy are helping this family through yet another difficult transition and sharing the Love of Jesus with them all along the way.  Bright Lights in Times of Darkness

I recently heard highlights from a leader who participated in the gathering of our European team leaders.  They gathered to renew friendships and explore support, encouragement, and collaboration opportunities.  We have new people joining our teams and our ministry is expanding in Europe.  One leader commented, "Suddenly we are seeing God doing things I have never imagined.  The OC Global Alliance is proving to be a huge blessing to our Mobilization Center."

We are also getting excited for our May Alliance meetings in Antigua, Guatemala.  We have 65 of our leaders coming together from around the world to reflect on how God is leading and using our OCGA around the world.  We play a unique role in global missions and we want to make sure that we are all learning, growing, and moving together as God directs us.  Our world is facing turbulent times on every continent.  Our leaders will reflect on global challenges and our strategic ministry plan to identify where to focus our attention in the next few years.