When I started serving as a Village Missionary I knew from the example of the Village Missionary serving my home church that the entire community would be my “mission field.” I would minister to the folks in the church, but I would also, in whatever way I could, minister to the folks outside the church. In Iowa, that meant visiting anyone in the area who was in the hospital and simply going door-to-door. In Colorado, it meant the same type of visiting and being a part of the volunteer fire department. Community involvement was, and is, part of being a Village Missionary.More than once I have heard stories of Village Missionaries called “my pastor” or “my pastor’s family” by people that have never stepped foot in church on a Sunday morning. The reason? A Village Missionary is often the only pastor in town. So, even if they don’t know everybody, everybody knows them. That’s because Village Missionaries aren’t just found behind the pulpit or in the church office. You’ll often find Village Missionaries at sporting events, cafes, fire department training, school performances or simply walking around town. They might even knock on your door just to say, “Hello.” Anyone in the community very likely will receive a visit if they are in need. It’s part of our job description!Many hours go into sermon and Bible study preparation, but we spend just as many in the community, getting to know people that

Community Missionaries

with Brian Wechsler, Executive DirectorA View From the Country

would never dream of stepping into a church, but appreciate the local pastor helping them with farm chores. That is why we call the individuals, couples and families we send out “Village Missionaries.” Husbands, wives, and children are all missionaries to their community.In this issue, you will read about Adam and Tamara Hamill, who had a passion for ministry, but could never have imagined the way God would use them in their community. I hope their story excites you about the potential of the community-mindedness of our Village Missionaries.

Standing with the country church,

Brian WechslerExecutive Director

READ MORE: We will also feature three more missionaries over the next three months. You can find these by visiting our Country Matters Online page at villagemissions.org/blog.

Just weeks after moving to their first field in the Northwoods of Michigan, Tamara Hamill was walking out the door when a car pulled into the driveway and a woman stepped out. With tears welling up, she explained that she had a family member near death. She’d heard this was where the new pastor lived, and she just wanted to talk. So, Adam and Tamara talked and prayed with the woman and later walked alongside her and her family as their loved one passed away. This was Adam and Tamara’s first taste of the unique ministry opportunities that arise in small town ministry.

“When my husband and I were in Bible college and in seminary, we talked a lot about the type of ministry that God was laying on our hearts,” said Tamara. “Words like ‘Bible teaching,’ ‘discipleship,’ and ‘missions’ came up a lot, but I’m pretty sure the word ‘funerals’ never entered those conversations.”

Rock Bible Church has hosted five funerals since the arrival of the Hamills

less than a year ago. Prior to Hamill’s arrival, church elder Mike Lepisto would either have to take off work to help, or families would have to work around his schedule.

Adam spends time each week driving down dirt roads simply looking for houses where he can introduce himself and invite families to church. Yet, funerals seem to bring those same people right through the chapel doors.“While we grieve the loss of these individuals, we are thankful that we are here and available to show God’s love to their families as they grieve. Funerals

have also provided a unique opportunity to share the hope of the Gospel with people who might otherwise never come to church.”Shortly after the Hamill’s fourth funeral, Adam was at the playground with his children and saw a man

working outside. Adam went to chat with the man who remembered Adam, because he’d come to the funeral that week. The man noted how nice the funeral was and said he’d felt so welcome in the church that he was considering going to church.

“We simply love encounters like these that happen because we are living right here in our small town—building relationships with people both inside and outside the church.”

But ministry doesn’t stop there. In a small town, ministry opportunities often come straight to the front door.

“It is amazing to me that everyone in our town knows where the only pastor in town lives, and more than once we’ve had people we’ve never met stop

by unexpectedly and say they were just passing our house, and something told them they needed to come talk to the pastor.”

That kind of community-minded ministry is what Village Missions is all about—being available to people in a small town or rural area that may have nowhere else to turn when they need a listening ear. Having never had a pastor, it’s exactly what the congregation in Rock, MI, needed as well.

“I would invite lay pastors to come sometimes, but I did most of the preaching,” said Mike (church elder). “But it’s so much more than being here for that one hour. We needed someone there more than that. We needed someone that could visit and go to people’s homes and let them know they are always welcome at the chapel.”

Today, the people in Rock have just that. From youth ministry to senior centers to Bible studies, both Adam and Tamara are available to minister to those in need. And while an abundance of funerals may not have been Adam and Tamara’s idea of ministry when they were

younger, the heart of the ministry is exactly what they’d hoped to experience.

“We have daily opportunities to ‘preach the Word and love the people,’ which is exactly what we have always been passionate about: both helping believers grow in their walk with Christ and building relationships with non-believers so that they will hopefully begin a relationship with Jesus themselves.”

While both Adam and Tamara hope for no more loss in the community any time soon, funerals also serve as a reminder of the urgency of evangelism—not just in small town Michigan, but in all the hidden communities that need to hear the Gospel message.

“We are so thankful that God brought us to this beautiful place and that His light continues to shine through the church in Rock—even in funerals.”

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