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Today’s Blog Post
An Older Missionary writing to a Younger Missionary
Meet Rod Corcoran. A young man that was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. After graduating from College he came to serve as an assistant pastor in Regina, Saskatchewan with me. After that task was finished Rod decided on taking up a Missionary Career… which then took him to Estonia. I think that was about 10 years ago now.
In Estonia he met Kaja. They are married now with two kids… and another on the way.
He has been doing things in the traditional way serving the church in ways that were needed. He was also helping another good group do their work in Estonia and across parts of Europe.
In January 2011 things are changing for them in a fairly big way with a launch of new ministry.
His email to me sparked the following email to him.
I would ask that you consider supporting Rod and Kaja – financially and in prayer they needed it.
Contact
Rodney Corcoran
explosif@hotmail.com
1. Donate online at
www.paoc.org/donate/rodneycorcoran
2. Send a cheque (payable to the PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLIES OF CANADA with “Corcoran” in the memo) to:
PAOC International Missions Department
2450 Milltower Court
Mississauga, ON. L5N 5Z6
The Following is taking from Rod’s news letter… quote…
e.g. (Business as Mission)
2011 will see the launch of a new missional expression to Nitra, Slovakia and Tallinn, Estonia and other parts of Europe called The Exile Group or e.g.. E.G. exists to see the human spirit set free at work. We will do this through helping people organize themselves for innovation through facilitation, training and design. E.G. is a joint venture with Sheldon Armitage (PAOC Global Worker in Slovakia and together we will focus on positively influencing the private and public sectors in our cities and around Europe with Kingdom values and services. This will also serve as a bridge to the local church and create new expressions of evangelism. This is a new paradigm of missional work but it builds upon our years of experience working with NLI and the PAOC. As well it is one of our regions identified strategies for reaching Europe. E.G. will also partner with Global Workers in the Eurasia region and work with other nonprofit organizations and missionary endeavors in Europe. We look forward to sharing our success stories with you.
End quote
Email from Murray to Rod…
Thank you Rod and Kaja for the update. What a joy to read of your new plans and the new adjustments in the strategies of your Ministries. Praise the Lord it is further confirmation that the Lord sees the way ahead and you have been willing to do what is necessary.
As a fellow missionary that thinks outside the box, I know some of the issues that will or perhaps have taken place for you. It may be a stretch for some of the traditional thinking of how a Missionary should do his work.
You have been well situated and trained to take the next step. And the blessing to me is that you are doing it now.
It is the new "Macedonian Call" - just like Luke describes it and they lived it with Paul. But then most that Paul did was that kind of New Missional thinking - reaching the boundaries and they taking one my step past that boundary.
I have quoted a saying that I heard many years ago - over and over again... "Faith is walking to the edge of the darkness and then taking one more step."
The suggestion in that quote... is that as you walk in the light, the known that you have in your life it is fairly easy, routine, and you can cope in that stage forever. Then one day God shows you clearly the direction that you have been walking on has been good... but as you look up and see the great wall of darkness... you actually see it. You have been walking by it for along time, thought about it, wondered about it, and even when you have tried dozens of directions that would be so good... the road was blocked and you needed to do something... but the darkness was not something that was number one on the list. Then you SEE the darkness... a great wall that swirls with the unknown... what if.... no way.... impossible... Bog keeps letting you see it... you cannot get away from it... you dream of it... it distracts you... and then you see and hear.. God is calling you to take that one Big Step into the new direction... into the wall and away from the light that you know.
The amazing part is that every single step is lit in a new way by the Son of all the Light. We remember that he is never leaving us nor forsaking us... he is there all the way... and BANG - BOOM - Kerpowieee! We break through and what was unknown is now the Opportunity of a Life Time... that would not have happened unless you took that one Big Step... and wouldn't have happened even a year ago.
The Lord of the Light has been in the Office Pace, the Factory, the new places that you never even thought about. Your greatest problem now will be keeping up with Opportunity. Hang on Bro! HANG ON!
In Hong Kong as the New Missionary in 1980 I was to do what the Older Missionaries told me to do. I was to Learn the Language - so I did that. Then I was to take over this Ministry and then the other Ministry... and another Ministry as well... that the other Missionaries didn't want or that maybe should have died(the Ministry that is).
Within one month I was buried in Old Missions Stuff - Old Ways to do things that really didn't fit into the feeling that I had inside.
I was an artist and craftsman - making stuff with my hands and able to show others what to do. Not doing some of that was so frustrating.
I had been a Lace Maker back in Canada. I had done Quilting. I was an artist that drew portraits. I was a wood carver. There wasn't much that I had not done. Yet in Hong Kong I had shelved that stuff... put it away... and now I was a Missionary... and Missionaries do Missionary Stuff.
Thinking back on it now I find it very funny. I came off the Airplane after that 22 hour journey and met with the Missionaries. On the airplane I had been making Lace - Tatting pieces of Lace...little snow flakes. I gave the Missionary a small Tatted Snow Flake. They smiled and took it. But had no clue as to what it was. Then they started informing me as to what my Missionary duties would be. I didn't complain - I just did what I was told to do.
It was within a year that I started Teaching Tatting as an outreach tool. I had to fit into what the other tasks were... but it started to take over more and more of my time. A church that was very different in their approach contacted me and asked if I had any ideas of ways that they could reach out to people in their community. I had preached in their church about reaching out. I had given stories about ways that we had been reaching out back in Canada and how people we never had any contact with started coming through the doors for help.
It was in Kun Tong that we started out "Very Interesting Classes"(translation from the Chinese) - teaching first Tatting and then Puppetry and making Puppets (the old Sesame Street Puppets) ... and the new folk started to come... They were factory workers that had been trapped in the Factory that they worked in. They were forced to do this because their parents needed money to put one of their Brothers into a different/better school.
The Creative Classes of all sorts gave the Young Factory Workers new hope. It helped with their Mental Health in huge ways... and as that improved they were seen as better workers and they then were promoted. All of this happened as the church opened the doors to this very different Creative stuff. Then as the new folk came for a the classes the church members sitting in the class with them...built a relationship and then earned the right to share Jesus with them. God had drawn each person coming... and then they in turn brought many others to the Classes and the church grew like crazy. It became a model for what others wanted to do... and THEN I BECAME SO CRAZY BUSY that I had less and less time to do it the Old Missionary way.
The Old Missionaries complained and didn't like what we were doing. Some were jealous. Other churches talked about us in negative ways as well...and stated this is not what God called us to do.... Rev. Lincoln is not doing God's Work... we don't want to have anything to do with this! Some Missionaries did the same thing... they were still back walking in the lit areas that they knew well - the lit areas had been lit in the very same way for 450 years of Mission Work in China... but had not changed at all... and really refused to change.
Thailand heard what I was doing in Hong Kong. A progressive Missionary that was also a little off the wall asked if I would come and help their church do something the same. They were working at the edge of huge slum area. People had come to work in Bangkok from way up country... there were no jobs and they ended up in the slums... the Klong Toi - a city built over the ocean's edge with stilted houses... There was no escape.
This Missionary was able to get some CIDA Money from Canada... and with it we launched the Classes.
In one class I taught Quilting... something I knew since my boyhood days - had perfected in the last few years and then adapted to the Hong Kong scene where few people had personal sewing machines...and we did it all by hand to produce amazing things. Some sewing was necessary and our students did it at work on the factor machines if they could.
The Thia Missionaries made contact with the folks that were interested... these folks did the class with us... then the Missionaries loaned the new students the money from the CIDA Fund... to rent a shop... buy a sewing machine and set up a business. As the new entrepreneur started making money they paid the money back to CIDA Fund... then it was loaned out to another person - revolving out over and over again producing a number of new successful businesses... and setting people free from the slums.
The funny thing that happened was the market that was developed from one Quilting Class that I taught... they sold their hand made Quilted products to Canadian and American Tourists who did quilting back home ... and couldn't believe that the Thai people knew how to do the same kind of Quilting that they did back home in North America.... and the quality that the Thai people put out was just amazing... everyone wanted it!
That was only one story from somewhere inside the Dark Wall...
I came home to Canada... and did the same thing over and over here. In Regina you may remember my carving in my garage with Tim Caswell.... that started a Thursday night happening that eventually turned into the First Church of the Garage with Communion every Thursday night - coffee and chocolate ship cookies. You will also remember that when I left there.. I sold the house and garage... Tim and Debbie decided that it should stop and then built their new garage. The last time I was back home... i dropped by.... and the Guys (new ones) still carve with Tim on Thursday nights....!!!!
That was 12 years ago now.
Rod this is an essay now... sorry for the length.
I needed to share that today after reading about what you are launching. I am so excited for you... and proud too.
Each time I see an email from you... I am reminded of that one link we have... the day that we created the email for you... "explosif" - named because of bike you were riding... but in a prophetic way - DESCRIPTIVE of YOUR MINISTRY. I remember hearing you tell me the word and my thinking - this really describes this guy!!!!
That's the way this Old Man remembers it all anyway...
BTW - I just started another new ministry... there was this Big Black Dark Wall... and it scared me skinny... I talked with some others about the problems at hand... we are retiring... and for some it is a nightmare... these fellow ministers are in trouble... the PAOC is busy doing Missions and Ministry the way they have to... and these folks are in need of help...
So with God's nudging... and lots of conversations with some early retired and soon to be retired ministers... we have launched something titled the "Moses Factor"... it has two tools developing now...
http://mosesfactor.blogspot.com/
http://mosesfactor.proboards.com/
There are three members so far... and you are welcome to join in... young but valuable... and you need to hear what the others are saying about the future. I know - I know... I have preached that sermon to you already!
Praying for you!!!
Murray
"The Older Missionary' - Not Old Missionary!!!!
AGAIN – Contact for Rod and Kaja
I would ask that you consider supporting Rod and Kaja – financially and in prayer they needed it.
Contact
Rodney Corcoran
explosif@hotmail.com
1. Donate online at
www.paoc.org/donate/rodneycorcoran
2. Send a cheque (payable to the PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLIES OF CANADA with “Corcoran” in the memo) to:
PAOC International Missions Department
2450 Milltower Court
Mississauga, ON. L5N 5Z6
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
