Our purpose is to glorify God and spread His fame by assisting the Church in making disciples of all nations through our global partners. Our mission is to strengthen the connection between our global partners and each one at MBC through prayer opportunities, correspondence, in-person visits, missions trips, and financial support.

This year our adopt-a-global-partner involvement grew and continues to do so as interest grows especially through face-to-face visits. The ‘adopters’ were invited to join a gathering in January in which we met the PIE Romanian national director, Timotei Stanea and his wife.

Other highlights:

• Our first all-global partner prayer gathering in September with almost 40 in attendance including a few children for which a ‘prayer walk’ was held in the fellowship hall.
• A visit by our newest partners, Anna and Juan Antonio Ortiz, national directors of the L’Arcada Camp in northern Spain. They connected with many from our congregation.
• A visit by Teodora Petrut, the daughter of our Romanian partners, Daniel & Rachel Petrut.

We mourned the passing, yet not without hope, of global partner Mary Garland, who invested 45 years of her life in translating the New Testament for 2 tribal groups in Bolivia. In her remaining years, Mary served daily and joyfully as on online missionary with Global Media Outreach, answering the inquiries of almost 14,000 persons by email for salvation and Biblical counseling. “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Our goals in 2025 are:

• Strengthen MBC’s connection with our global partners through our ‘adopt’ growth
• 2 prayer nights this year for our global partners
• 1-2 new members to join the missions committee

The members of our team are:  Lisa Chohan, Vince Guerrero Sr., Erol Senses (Leadership Liaison), Caryl Zoladz, and Kim and Jenny Rasmussen.

This was our second year offering a weekly Bible study at Clarendale Senior Living at Six Corners. We had four regular attendees until a couple in the group moved away. A few more residents join us from time to time, and our notes are available in both English and Spanish. We’ve studied portions of Psalms, the Book of Isaiah, and “portraits” of Advent.

This gathering is not just a Bible study—it has become a growing community where residents care for and pray for one another. Two of our members also faithfully attend MBC. The study is led by Kim and Jenny Rasmussen.

This past year’s prayer station was a delight. As times are changing rapidly in our neighborhoods, so is the work of the Lord. Many homeless regulars at 6 corners got better acquainted with us as we shared cookies and banana bread along with prayers each week. By the end of the summer our friend Julian, who is in a wheelchair and is declining in his health, prayed for the salvation of our Lord Jesus in his life! 

This summer brought the influx of many immigrants to our city. We prayed with families from Ecuador, Venezuela, Columbia, Mexico, Ukraine, and several others. What an opportunity to share the gospel among the nations. We brought coloring books, toys and Christian tracks in Spanish and English. We encountered Russian and Polish speaking people as well and made a few friends along the way.

May God be glorified and may His love go forth in their lives in this ever changing world. Those joining us this past year were Dorcas and Chris, Manny and Lilly, Chris Martin and Angel.

Serving with us for the Gospel, 
Nancy and Luis Pagan

The role of a Connection Team member goes beyond simply greeting individuals as they enter our church. We serve as the initial point of contact for newcomers, with the mission of representing both God and our church positively.

To facilitate connections between visitors and regular attendees, we utilize various tools. We gather contact information to ensure that those we interact with are directed to the appropriate ministries for their spiritual growth and service to Christ. Ministry leaders and directors depend on the Connection Team to connect them with individuals who are eager to be ministered to, while the church relies on us to recruit volunteers who will actively serve alongside us. Our focus is on building relationships and fostering active engagement within our church community.

We've noticed many new attendees at the church, and it brings us joy to see them return. During the 90 seconds of greeting, I've had a few people mention, "I've seen you at the front." We are not just greeters; we are "ambassadors of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20) dedicated to seeking His presence, serving His family with love, and spreading His fame.

We pray for at least one new member to join our team so that everyone can enjoy at least one month off. We also pray that we can gather this year to spend quality time together as brothers and sisters in Christ. It would be a wonderful opportunity to refresh our training and share the new insights we have gained.

We currently have 11 team members. At the start of 2024, we had 12, but one member is now on a break. Our team: Marne Bariso, Liz David, Wendy Gallegos, Rosalia Lopez, David Martinez, Lissi Pagan, Josh Pagan, Lizette Reyes, Mike Kijowski, Terry Kijowski, Israel Soriano

The ushers have done a wonderful job of greeting and making our guests feel welcome as several new families and friends attended Midwest this past year and it has resulted in many coming back to stay with us. Getting to know everyone and introducing them to others is one of the joys of ushering. We have found the need for more ushers and have a few interested in taking on the role. Praise God! We recently met to thank our dedicated ushers for their service and willingness to be doorkeepers in the house of the Lord. We will be focusing on coordinated security and seeking God’s direction in how we can serve our Pastor and congregation. Please keep us in prayer and be sure to say hello and thank them for all they do.

Ushers who served in 2024:
Mario A. morales, Jamie Rivera, Richie Lord, Angel Pagan, Scott Mayer, Bert Berrios, Benny Vasquez, and Luis Pagan.
     
"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalm 84:10

As trustees, we are responsible to care for the physical property of our church.  Some of this care typically includes contracting out snow plowing, HVAC maintenance, cleaning, lawn mowing, etc.  One major win was that we were able to have a company fix several of our roof drain pipes that were cracked and causing major leaking, especially on the west end of the sanctuary.  

The Lord blessed us with the help we needed, not only with outside contractors, but with help from people in the congregation. We had one major work day and a few smaller ones throughout the year, in which people pitched in to work on projects like replacing the lights behind the cross, detail cleaning, fixing toilets, replacing ceiling tiles, cleaning up from excess water, and small fixes throughout the building. We're thankful for everyone who was able to help in one form or another.