Around the Ministry (April)
 Last fall in Japan, a country where conversions to Christ typically come slowly, three women from three generations of one family all joined God’s family within days of each other. Navigators Wataru and Heidi Minezaki have worked in Japan since 2004. Last September, they planned a trip to the States to visit friends and family. They decided to take a Japanese friend with them, and their friend, Yoriko, asked them to consider taking her daughter, Akiko. Akiko, 20, is an outgoing woman, ready for adventure. During her week in Springfield, Illinois, she met a 10-year-old boy named Adam. Adam had made a decision for Christ and Akiko was shocked. She asked Wataru, “How could a boy make a decision that would affect him eternally?”  On her last day in Springfield, Akiko asked Wataru more questions and
decided she wanted to accept Christ.“It was not because of any effort on my part,” Wataru says. “It was God that brought her to that decision.” When the Minezakis returned to Japan, Akiko’s mother, Yoriko, came by to thank them. As they talked, Wataru sensed that Yoriko was at a spiritual crossroads. He shared God’s Word with her and she, too, accepted Christ. “Then to top it off,” Wataru says, “Yoriko’s mother had been in the hospital for the last few months and God was already working on her heart. Goro, the pastor of our church, went to visit her in the hospital and she, too, accepted Christ that week.” Find out more about our International Student Ministries. | ||
 Men and women in the military are known for their frequent relocations. Sometimes, a person who was active in The Navigators moves to a place where there is no Navigator work. To keep the work of discipleship moving forward, a new ministry has been developed called Military Laborers Network (MLN). Bill Veilleux, who heads this new work, says, “The difference between MLN and traditional Navigator work is that we coach people in their ministry rather than ask them to join us in ours.” Coaching is done by e-mail, phone call, and personal visit. For more, write Bill at bill@veilleux.org. |  by Alan Andrews, U.S. Navigator President As I visit churches across the country I am quite often asked, “Will America become like Europe, Canada, and Australia, and the church practically disappear?” My answer and my prayer is the same as Paul’s in Romans 6:2, “By no means!” Today we are seeing a lot of energy, creative thinking, and seeking of guidance from the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ. I have met pastors, staff, and lay people who want to reach the nation for the Kingdom and are open to new ways of doing so. The body of Christ has a lot of energy and a great desire to go where the Spirit desires to take it. The Navigators is likewise experiencing this same powerful breeze from the Spirit and the calling to create lifetime laborers who will live and minister among the lost and broken. 
The staff of the Church Discipleship
Ministry (see Inside Story) is committed to partnering with local
churches to advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom. One of our
most successful ventures has been the Intentional Disciplemaking
Church, where the process and goal of making disciples is emphasized.
This is more than just a program; it’s a way of being. We in The Navigators love the church because Jesus loves it and because we have been loved by it. One of the commitments of the national leadership team is that The Navigators continue to love God’s people and to help in our unique gifting to enable churches to reach, disciple, and equip lifetime laborers for today’s and tomorrow’s generation. |
 Hook ups? Amps? Rigs? Since when do these terms describe The Navigators? Ever since we opened an RV park on the Glen Eyrie property to host volunteers. The Navigators has long depended on the work of volunteers to keep the ministry moving ahead. Out of this dependence upon skilled volunteers grew the idea of the RV (recreational vehicle) park, and last summer the Glen completed construction. Tucked away on top of a hill behind the castle stands a circle of 12 RV sites. Each parking area has electricity hook up, sewer, water, and a shared phone hook-up. The scene is completed with a picnic table and landscaping. According to Julie Schroeder, director of Volunteer Ministries for the Glen, this addition allows people with RVs to stay at the Glen for weeks at a time. “They receive training to serve alongside other volunteers and staff,” she says. Last fall, Dick and Weezie Bundy spent three weeks at the Glen as part of their work with a ministry called SOWERS, “Servants On Wheels Ever Ready.” (For more, visit their website: sowerministry.org.) “We put in a blacktop patch on part of the road, helped move the bookstore, painted—quite a variety of things,” Dick says. If you are interested in bringing your RV to the Glen and becoming a residential volunteer, give Julie a call at (719) 272-7470. |
| More articles from our flagship publication One-to-One Ministry Review. |
