OUTREACH
TO ASIA
NATIONALS
PO Box 2440
Winchester, VA 22604
(540) 665-6418
THE CHANGING COLORS OF MISSIONS
What changes, what stays the same...
ORGANIZE
OR AGONIZE
BRIAN PAUL
“Commit to the Lord
whatever you do,
and he will establish
your plans” (Pr. 16:3).
All successful
businesses begin
with a solidly defined strategic plan,
business plan, and marketing plan. I
am pleased to work with Dr. Chris
Gnanakan on defining OTAN's
strategic plan. This is an exciting time
for the organization as there are
numerous ways which OTAN can
help support pastors, missionaries
and provide discipleship to the
community of new believers in Asia.
As part of the planning process, we
will be seeking input from all those
associated with OTAN to seek candid
opinion, guidance and perspective.
The outputs of this planning
process will be to develop a written,
defined 5-year strategic business
plan. The plan will include a
proposed organizational design, a 5
year financial plan, and funding
strategy to meet the specific goals
and objectives. Continue to pray for
God's direction and providence for
the future of OTAN. Exciting times
are ahead.
Newsletter Editor:
Dr. Chris Gnanakan
Editing Team:
Kimberly Sorensen, David Stansbury, Luke
Shope, Dorothy Gnanakan, Sandie Powell
FALLING FOLIAGE AND SOARING SPIRITS
SANDIE POWELL
Autumn is all about change:…the leaves take on a color pallet of their very own,
the air takes on a crispness, even the sun decides to set at a new time, changing our
daytime routine.
Most of us enjoy the vivid drama and color-ama put on by nature. Not so with
famous songwriter, Fanny Crosby. Because of her blindness, she despised the fall.
You see, fall is beautiful to look at, but only if you can see it. To Fanny, it reeked of
musty, shriveled leaves, dampness, and decay. She did not like the change, at all.
It reminded her of death.
Fanny is not the only one who struggles with
change. Many of us know the pain of change we
never would have chosen in our lives. It hurts
more than we feel we can bear. It is costly,
requiring an investment beyond our capacity to
give, and it takes time, much more time than we
feel we can spend or sacrifice for the process.
Change defines missions in essence.
“Missions” is a change of perspective from inward
to outward. “Missions” is a change of priorities
from local to global. “Missions” is a change of
purpose from getting to giving. As the world
Henry Powell went to be with the
around us changes in sync with God’s divine
Lord on August 3, 2012. Sandie
cycle of nature, may we be motivated to change
Powell now writes about coping with
change without her husband of 40
the world around us according to God’s Divine
years.
Plan for World Evangelization.
B-OTAN: LOCAL CHAPTERS
LOIDA RUANE
In July 2012, the Bangor members of OTAN (B-OTAN) started
to meet together every month. As OTAN moves from “Good to Great,”
a sense of community is essential for encouragement, nurturance,
and celebration, hence, the monthly fellowship. It is our plan to sprout
many such focus groups in different parts of the country.
At each gathering, we share 3 B’s – Blessings, Burdens, and
Breakthroughs. The stories I hear during our monthly fellowship provide me with
glimpses of the wonders God is doing in and through OTAN.
As I participate with the B-OTAN community, my appreciation of individual
members, the different countries we serve, and OTAN as a movement increases. Our
interaction helps my heart sustain the freshness of our mission: doing what others
don’t, won’t, and can’t.
info@outreachtoasianationals.org • www.outreachtoasianationals.org • Tel: (540) 665-6418
OTAN WOMEN’S RETREAT 2012
"BACK"
OFFICE
CHANGE &
CHALLENGE
Left: Women’s Retreat 2012 in front of OTAN headquarters. Right: Roxann Goodwin, OTAN Women’s Ministry Leader
ROXANN GOODWIN
OTAN’s women’s ministry hosted
its first annual Women’s Retreat in
August. Seventeen women from all
over the US attended at the OTAN
headquarters in Winchester, Virginia.
Each of the women shared their
testimonies and the “focus country” that
God put under their feet as expressed
in Psalm 47:3. The nations represented
were as follows: China, Vietnam, Laos,
Nepal, Bhutan, Russia, Indonesia,
Cambodia and Myanmar.
Dr. Gnanakan led sessions on the
mission and vision of OTAN, policies
and procedures within the organization,
curriculum, and teaching methods.
We were also blessed to have Dr.
Wally Saunders challenge us to use the
“Tools at Hand for Witnessing.”
Many thanks to the OTAN staff for
their willingness to host this event and
for the men who gave up valuable time
to do the cooking, serving, and cleaning
up for the event.
.
RETREAT REFLECTIONS
Being that our OTAN team members are spread out around
the world, I had not met many of the women involved in the
organization. This women's retreat allowed me to learn more
about them personally and their specific ministries.
- Christen Cascella
The Women’s Retreat was a time of spiritual refreshment for
me. Hearing the testimonies of each of the ladies who attended
revealed more of God’s love and mercy as we heard how He has
and is working miraculously in our lives.
- Shirley Eldridge
DAVID ALLEY
Office staff are essential to
getting the work done and the word
out about the needs of the least
reached in Asia. Unless there is an
office support team working in the
background, teams would not be
able to travel to Asia to train the
nationals to reach their own people.
As the OTAN office support, we
experience a lot of blessings,
challenges, and opportunities. The
opportunities lead to challenges,
which are many: paper work for
coordinating teams, travel plans,
scheduling, acquiring visas, etc...
The challenges, however, lead
to blessings in the ministry: seeing
nationals come to Christ and reach
out to their own people. This is a
wonderful work and we are truly
blessed to have a small part in
reaching people with the gospel.
OTAN AND THE LOCAL CHURCH
SUE BITNER
About 25 years ago, Otis and Roxann Goodwin went to
a small church in central Pennsylvania to conduct a mission
conference. They taught about the essence of what makes a
successful conference. Since then, the church has continued
to give faithfully to support the cause of Christ around the world.
In September, Dr. Gnanakan was our guest speaker for
th
the 17 mission conference at Myerstown Baptist Church.
Together, we went on a journey with Jesus as He ministered to
hurting people while traveling the road that led Him to the cross.
We were encouraged to follow Him – simply and completely.
In the details of our daily lives, it is so easy to lose focus
Myerstown Baptist Church Mission Conference
and forget what it is that God cares about most: “For God so
loved the World...” Mission conferences bring the needs of the world blatantly in front of our eyes so that we cannot ignore
them. God ordained the local church to be the avenue through which missionaries are launched and missionary work is
cultivated. What greater privilege and responsibility can there be?
Global Alliance on Church Multiplication
CHANGE AND RE-CALIBRATING – OTAN [Est. 1986]
DR CHRIS GNANAKAN
We’ve had that feeling of working harder and
longer and not getting things done better! If there was a
smarter way to achieve greater results together, would we
want it? Of course! Insanity is “doing the same thing over
and over again and expecting the result to be different!” If
we are to move “forward together” “from Good to Great,”
the only constant we will find is… change!
We serve the Lord of all creation who makes all
things new! Yet, change for the sake of change is worthless. The Fall season is breathtaking as leaves change
their colors! But the trees don’t change their roots. No!
Likewise, there are core values that give the Church her
Biblical identity and stability for her mission in our meaningless world. These timeless virtues or Christ-like graces
anchor faith in a reliable God whose nature and word do
not change! (Mal. 3:6)
Some methods OTAN must cultivate, others we
must eliminate, still others, create! What Plato said of life,
is a truism for missions: “an unexamined ministry is not
worth keeping!” Jesus asked, “If you want to build a tower,
will you not first sit down and estimate the cost?” (Lk.
14:23) Evaluation of policies, processes, and priorities
matter! We can know if we are successful, only if we have
specific goals that are set and proven ways to measure
our progress, over a period of time!
Our North American Mission Leaders conference
Missio Nexus at Chicago was entitled: Recalibrate: Adjusting Missionary Methods to Today’s Reality. The CEO
roundtable had helpful topics such as: Relating to the
Majority World, Recruiting and Hiring the Next Generation, Funding the Great Commission, Bringing Fundamental Change to Missions… We all felt the need to ensure
that nationals take ownership and that US organizations
have a definite exit strategy!
OTAN is moving forward and upward with greater
responsibility! It’s a privilege and honor to be invited to serve
on the Mission Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance that provides a platform for multi-cultural voices to
advance God’s mission with global leaders. OTAN is also a
vital, contributing member of the Global Alliance on Church
Multiplication with bi/multilateral partnerships aimed at
planting at least 5 million multiplying churches and leaders
by 2020.
It’s time to change and recalibrate! Let’s refocus on
a Christ-centered mission that’s geared to the least
reached, resource appropriate training of national leaders
and re-tool with empowering partnerships that maintain
credible stewardship to get the Great Commission done!
Dr. Chris Gnanakan and Steve Moore, president of
Missio Nexus
Non-Profit Org.
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Outreach to Asia Nationals
PO Box 2440
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Phone: (540) 665-6418
Fax: (540) 665-0793
E-mail: info@outreachtoasianationals.org
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BRING THEM ON!
DR CHRIS GNANAKAN
Christian Education is “loving God” with
all one’s mind; ministry is demonstrating this
love on others; and mission is channeling this
toward the unreached and unchurched!
Today, this calls for a particular mindset and
skillset. OTAN is “reaching out” to equip and
recruit visionaries! Leaders with a deep faith
and character, who with high energy can
leverage technology, use social media, and
forge partnerships that efficiently implement
our mission. But, where can we find them?
OTAN has the opportunity to “launch out”
and catch them alive! We teach at institutes
where graduates yearn for the exposure and
experience to gain expertise in doing missions
in challenging contexts. Dates are set to teach
at the Word of Life Bible Institute (NY/FL),
Grace Evangelical College (ME), Outreach
Training Institute (DC), Trinity Baptist College
(FL), Lancaster Bible College (PA), and New
Brunswick Bible College (Canada).
Will you pray and join us in redeeming
all three: the time, scholarly minds, and souls?!
BHUTAN’S NEW
MINISTRY MANAGER
ADAM MARQUIS
In October 2008, the call to
missions became clear to me after
listening to Dr. Chris Gnanakan share
about missions at Bangor Baptist
Church. At that precise moment I
stepped from bridge to shore on
realizing my important roles to expedite
the Great Commission (Matt. 28: 18-20)!
After prayerful consideration, an opportunity appeared to
join Outreach to Asia Nationals (OTAN) in April 2011. I was willing
to go wherever our Lord wanted me to serve! Bhutan needed a
Ministry Manager to launch a new and overdue ministry!
Serving in a restricted access country to create a church
planting movement by targeting unreached people groups has its
challenges. Our heart was for God to grant us the “man of peace”
(Luke 10:6) to enter Bhutan and begin Appointing, Training, and
Mentoring [ATM] national pastors! After months of prayer, God
delivered!
Being a U.S. citizen comes with a price: $250 per day is
the tariff imposed for a Visa to enter Bhutan. Thankfully church
small groups clamored and raised a $1000 for me to go to Bhutan
and begin developing this new and over-due ministry! A three-day
survey trip has been planned and organized to meet with and enlist
at least 12 church planters to be trained with OTAN’s curriculum!
Pray for Bhutan in partnering with churches to support national
pastors in getting the job done at any cost to save the lost!