Be Strong and Courageous...

Johanna Veenstra

Johanna Veenstra and fellow female missionaries serving in Nigeria

Veenstra Seminary where Zach and Sharon taught in 2003-04

This fall, Resonate Global Mission is recognizing Johanna Veenstra, the CRC’s first female missionary and first overseas missionary. One hundred years ago in October, she began her long voyage to Nigeria from New Jersey. She faced incredible physical and emotional challenges, including the fact that the CRC did not recognize her as a missionary or the importance of mission work in Africa. Nevertheless, Johanna remained faithful to her call, sharing her faith and showing mercy to the Nigerian people she met. She continually called CRC members to support the mission work in Nigeria through magazine articles, letters and visits to churches. Veenstra died of appendicitis only 13 years after she first arrived in Nigeria. But her work, as human and flawed as it was, contributed to the growth of Nigerian churches whose membership far outnumber the CRC today. Veenstra took the message of Deut. 31:7-8 to heart, “Be strong and courageous…the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you, he will never leave you or forsake you.” Johanna Veenstra was strong and courageous in her mission to share Christ with the Nigerian people because she knew God was with her.

Family Update

After a very busy summer with many camps, sports, work trips and vacation (see above), big changes happened this fall. Sharon began a six-month-long internship in pastoral care at Metro Health Hospital south of Grand Rapids. This three day a week assignment will give her an opportunity to provide spiritual support for individuals and families experiencing illnesses and accidents. While we are excited about this opportunity, we expect that there will be a lot of juggling with all of our schedules and Zach’s travel. Please pray that God will grant Sharon wisdom as she will have many opportunities to share her hope in Christ. Our children have successfully begun their new school year. Hannah is a junior and all three of our other children are in middle school this year (Isaiah and Vivian are in eighth grade and Esther is in fifth). Two of our children are playing sports (Esther and Isaiah) and three are taking music lessons (Isaiah, Esther and Vivian). Hannah will soon be driving on her own.  We give thanks for our continuing opportunity to serve in mission.

Networking for Transformation

MLK's ministry principles were deeply biblical and transformational.

MLK and Coretta's final resting place in Atlanta.

Ebenezer Baptist Church is a hub for the civil rights movement.

A key strategy Resonate uses in is mission work is networking and connecting mission leaders for spiritual and social transformation. Perhaps the best example of this strategy is Martin Luther King, Jr. As the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, MLK could not have made a dent in the plague of institutional racism present in the United States since its earliest days. But through   his connections to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, community leaders and governmental officials, MLK organized and inspired a movement of Christian leaders who changed the hearts and minds of many thousands of Americans. MLK’s network of mission leaders continued his work even after his death. Where we work throughout the world, Resonate seeks to build networks of mission leaders who follow the Spirit proclaiming the Gospel to bring spiritual and social change for the Kingdom.

Missional Hospitality

One of the greatest mission opportunities for established churches today is hosting church plants. Church plants are effective in evangelism and enfolding of new believers. Church plants cast a vision for mission and catalyze spiritual renewal within their host congregation. Also, immigrant church plants can teach their host congregations to reach out to different ethic groups within the neighborhood. Zach had a chance to spend a day with Pastor Ricardo, a church planter in a rural West Michigan community. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit and the partnership of a core group of committed believers, Pastor Ricardo’s growing congregation has witnessed a number of baptisms in the last year. The church plant is especially effective at discipling new believers among the many Latino immigrants who make their home in the area. Through a partnership with Resonate, the established CRC congregation in the community provides financial support, worship and meeting space, and mentoring for Pastor Ricardo and the church plant. The best part of the arrangement is that it blesses both the church plant and the established church. Together the church plant and established church are growing in the love and knowledge of Christ—learning from each other and following Christ in mission.

Pastor Ricardo and his wife are hard working and dedicated leaders serving in their community. The community is itself has great socio-economic struggles like unemployment, crime and addiction. Pray for strength and perseverance for Pastor Ricardo and his family.