A Summer in Review Harvest Notes


By Roger Reimer


Aſter a summer of ministry experiences, how would you describe your time? When all of the excitement of your cross-cultural experience in a different country is quickly fading from memory, how would you determine whether your efforts were positive and should be repeated?


How can your experience be transformed into an ongoing


lifestyle? Even if you never actually return to that country, you can have an ongoing involvement in the lives of the people with whom you served. Here are several ideas for you to consider as you think about multiplying your ministry.


Identify one person from the country where you served and


make a commitment to pray for him or her several times during the next year. Maybe choose Tanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. I know of one young Ecuadorian nurse who is serving as a missionary in a country far from home. She was encouraged to become a missionary through the influence of the work teams who came to work on her church building (like painting Sunday school classrooms) each summer.


Send a short email message to the missionary you worked


with and ask about what is happening as a result of your time last summer. Tat will remind the missionary of the experience and encourage you as well.


Meet Rev. Seth Gheen by Seth Gheen


Seth was born to Ken and Deborah Gheen as the fiſth of seven children. His dad was a Pediatric Intensivist, and his mother a stay-at-home mom. Seth’s parents are both devoted followers of Christ, and he became a Christian at a young age. Growing up near Colorado Springs, he spent much of his time playing outside with his siblings and later snowboarding in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Aſter high school, Seth attended Colorado State Uni- versity and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He graduated just in time for the 2008 economic recession. Fortunately, companies were looking for cheap labor and, as a recent college grad, Seth fit the bill. He worked for several companies and eventually became a licensed financial advisor at a large firm. It was during these post-college years that Seth met his future wife, Dana, at the church they both attended in Colorado Springs. Seth and Dana formed a friendship, which eventually grew into dating and engagement. Tey were married in 2010.


Aſter seven years of working in corporate America, Seth began to feel a call to pastoral ministry. Te call was validated through


trusted friends, family members and church leaders. Realizing his need for a solid Bible education, he applied to the Master of Teolo- gy program at Dallas Teological Seminary. He was accepted, and shortly thereaſter he and Dana loaded up their possessions and their nine-month-old daughter and moved to Dallas. Te following years were academically grueling, but rewarding. Besides Seth receiving an outstanding Bible education, he and Dana formed many lifelong friendships with other seminary families, and added two more daughters to their family.


Aſter nearly four years in Dallas, Seth and Dana again packed their belongings. With their three daughters in tow, they moved to


Omaha, Neb., in October 2017 so Seth could take up his post as Associate Pastor of Discipleship at Community Bible Church. He was ordained through the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches in January 2019. Seth, Dana and kids now enjoy the beautiful great plains, four changing seasons (Texas only had two: summer and not-so-hot summer), and being a part of a wonderful church.


8 Fellowship Focus, September/October 2019 FellowshipForward.org Take some time on the Internet to explore the the country


and the people you worked with and become an advocate for that people group in your church.


Te shirts of the waiters at our local restaurant say “I Love


My Job!” Tat statement says a lot. You know, identifying with the ministry you served with is a good way to encourage others to do the same kind of thing themselves. Wear a baseball cap with the country name or a T-shirt with the agency name — these are just a couple of the ways you can promote that ministry.


With all of the avenues of social media, you can quickly get


updates from those you served with and report back to people in your church. Tat’s one way you can be an agent of encourage- ment and challenge others to consider following your example next summer.


Being a reflection of Jesus through your life as you talk about your experiences will make your effort last summer worth it.


Roger Reimer is the chair of the Commission on Global Partnerships. He and his wife Lois served as cross-cultural missionaries for 40 years in Latin America. Roger has now moved to the role of an encourager through coaching and writing.


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