Global Missions
TLC offers many ways to participate in outreach! Globally, opportunities exist to partner with TLC’s career missionaries via prayer support, giving, short term trips, internships and long term mission service.
Philosophy of Ministry
Our Vision
To be a church where every believer's life is characterized by habitual and purposeful involvement in outreach & missions, both at home and abroad.
Our Mission
Expose our church to outreach opportunities, Educate believers about the world of missions, Equip Christians to maximize their outreach gifts, and challenge disciples to Export God's purpose for their lives through living the Great Commission.
Isaiah 12:4; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 12:31; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:14-15; Revelation 5:9 & 7:9
Our Values
- Global perspective in all TLC ministries
- Linking with TLC missionaries in mission endeavors
- Optimal missionary care
- Backing fewer missionaries with more resources
- Alliances with like-minded organizations and nationals
- Led by the Spirit
Global perspective in all TLC ministries: From preschool to seniors, we endeavor to translate our value of making international missions a church-wide priority by encouraging all TLC ministries to incorporate missions education and participation into their ministry.
Linking with TLC missionaries in mission endeavors: We believe that personal relationship and shared ministry experiences between the locally based and internationally based members of our church to be of paramount value! To live out this value, we will minister together as often as possible via Short Term Missions in the missionary's locale. It is a given that not all our missionary's settings and ministries are a natural fit for STM. Due to this fact, some settings will no doubt receive more teams than others; we accept this reality. Nevertheless, teaming up with STM is an expectation of established missionaries and a non-negotiable for all new missionaries seeking to be supported by TLC.
Optimal missionary care: Recognizing the compounded stress and struggles that confront missionaries on a daily basis and, simply because we value and love our missionaries, our perpetual goal will be to continually improve our care of our (God's) missionaries! Some of our goals include: regular contact, free quality housing while on furlough, counseling services and complete relational honesty & safety.
Backing fewer missionaries with more resources: Far too many missionaries, when home on furlough, never receive the "R & R" they need and deserve! We believe the primary reason for this is that they are supported by far too many churches and are thus committed to "visiting overload" while supposedly "home getting rest." Relational depth with the Local Base is therefore quite unrealistic; to believe otherwise is to pretend. Moreover, Local Base motivation to pray and give will rise and fall in direct proportion to relational connection. To counter this, we endeavor to fund our missionary partners as much as we are able. Additionally, we will seek to establish a shared missionary support network with only a handful of geographically proximate churches.
Alliances with like-minded organizations and nationals: We recognize the tremendous value of partnering with like-minded sending agencies. Equal to this 'and perhaps even more so' we recognize and embrace the fact that a Spirit-filled national is the optimal minister to and for the people of his or her country. Therefore our goal will be to partner with nationals--and their local church--in a manner that is welcomed and subservient.
Led by the Spirit: Convinced that "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain" (Psalm 127:1a), it is our earnest desire to follow the Spirit's leading in the why, when, where, how and who of missions. Believing that missions is empowered by prayer, we will endeavor to build up a praying church so that all ministries 'especially missions' are bathed in prayer!
Our Plan: GLOBAL PEACE
TLC's global outreach strategic plan is a version of Rick Warren's 'P.E.A.C.E. Plan' approach to global outreach & missions. Warren is author of The Purpose Driven Life. The PEACE Plan is an acronym that is not only a Biblical manner to conduct outreach & missions, it is also a simple and memorable way to articulate our philosophy of, and strategy for, global outreach/missions. PEACE endeavors to address what Warren has identified as the "Global Giants" that work contra the Kingdom of God and hence the well-being of humanity. The "Giants," and their corresponding 'PEACE' antidotes TLC will endeavor to realize are:
| Global Giants | PEACE Antidote | |
|---|---|---|
| Spiritual darkness & emptiness | → | Plant & grow churches |
| Lack of servant leaders | → | Equip servant leaders |
| Poverty & injustice | → | Assist the poor & victimized |
| Disease | → | Care for the sick |
| Ignorance | → | Educate the next generation |
Examples of PEACE from TLC missionaries
Plant & grow churches: Alongside French nationals, Jonathan & Karen Finley have planted three churches in the suburbs of Paris (these suburbs have less than 1% evangelical witness). Doug & Melody Penny serve as church planters in Taiwan, working closely with a national leaders. Steve & Laura Reed have helped plant over 20 churches in Central America and now have begun work in Cambodia! They are also champions for the poor! Ken & Bola Taylor endeavor to reach out to Japanese non-believers via Black Gospel "seminars" (an outreach service since the origin and "Author" of the lyrics derived from the Bible are "studied." The Taylors also help plant churches and disciple new believers via a small Bible school they began. Doug & Dee Valenzuela have planted two thriving churches in Naples, unlike any else in all Italy (due to size, one church has 300 members! The Valenzuelas continue to successfully employ large biannual evangelistic outreach "Festivals" that have provided the converts that make up the two respective churches they have helped plant. Joe & Calla Jean Wright faithfully minister in a Klagenfurt, Austria, as church leaders, counselors, and leaders in "Church Based Training." Finally, TLC greatly helped in the launching of (and continues to support) Faith Community Church, a church plant in Santa Cruz.
Equip servant leaders: Dennis & Denise Ahern travels the world to support and equip both churches and missionaries. Johan & Christa Combrinck have trained hundreds of African pastors, most of whom come to him with only a Bible and very little understanding of it. Steve & Laura Reed are now equipping Cambodian leaders' with the help of a Guatemalan woman who has been trained to be a missionary herself! John & Janie Stark have been equipping three language groups in Nigeria for nearly 20 years! (via Wycliffe Bible translation into indigenous languages). Also with Wycliffe, David & Mitzi Shinen have helped hundreds of Eskimo (Yupik) believers possess the Scriptures in their native language and hence assist in equipping national leaders. Robert & Nancy Webber accomplish the same on Easter Island, translating the Scriptures into Rapa Nui! Marty & Denise Shaw serve as their mission agency's Asia & Oceania directors, and head equipping efforts in fourteen nations!
Assist the poor & victimized: John & Beth Aldax lead several missions teams each year to the resource-poor Navajo of Arizona; they've also initiated teams that provide hands-on training in life skills such as personal finance. Mark & Brenda Hall serve & minister to the resource-poor indigenous Mayans of Guatemala, a people-group most simply ignore. George & Stacy Palau direct Grace Children's Home, which takes in orphaned children, growing them up in the Lord and surely saving their very lives! TLC also partners with Little Flock Children's Homes, led by Viji Cammauf, a holistic orphanage in Chennai, India (most recently, TLC has been sending annual dental/medical teams to conduct clinics). Raoul & Karen Armbrister head up Karazim Ministries, a vital, multi-faceted ministry on Grand Bahama Island! This comprehensive ministry feeds, evangelizes and trains hundreds. Soon, the Armbristers will be joined by homegrown TLC members Tarak & Eileen Khan, whose expertise in social work will greatly enhance Karazim's ability to bring holistic healing to the many Bahamian children and teens that suffer from a variety of abuses. TLC also partners with International Sanctuary in order to assist the very poor in a way that helps prevent human trafficking.
Locally, TLC assists the poor through our People's Pantry food for the poor program, Joyful Noise disability ministry, Mom's Angels single moms car repair program, Prison Ministry & Angel Tree programs that assist ex-convicts and their families throughout the year and especially at Christmas, the Pajaro Rescue Mission, which, in conjunction with Teen Challenge assists homeless and wayward men, the Pregnancy Resource Center which provides assistance to women in crises, Kid's Korner which serves as a clothing exchange for families with young children, Project Pajamas, which gives brand new pajamas to needy children, and Love In the Name of Christ (Love Inc.), a terrific program that links the resources and people of over 20 Santa Cruz county churches, enabling all of us to more effectively assist those in need!
Care for the sick: Johan & Christa Combrinck, in cooperation with TLC members who created Santa Cruz Cares, have raised enough funds for two orphanages for children who have lost their parents to AIDS and/or are HIV positive themselves. Career missionary Donna Welch cares for retired and ailing missionaries. Many of TLC's short term missions (especially to India), provide dental and medical clinics each year to those who have never received any kind of professional treatment.
Locally, Bridge of Hope ministers to local nursing home clients on every level! BOH provides basic needs, conducts in-home church services, throws parties and faithfully dispenses tons of love! Wheels for the World collects, repairs and ships wheelchairs all over the globe to those that could never obtain one without the Wheel's program!
Educate the next generation: Gene & Linda Fisher, Marty & Carol Pelton and Ken & Julie Vaughan all faithfully serve in missionary schools all over the globe! The existence of these (boarding) schools allows for the missionaries to serve in extra-challenging and even dangerous settings not suitable for children. Linking with national churches and Music Camp International, Connie Fortunato employs pioneering, innovative music camps for children that make outreach to the children & their families possible in countries where traditional mission work is resisted. Prakash Institute, led by Loren & Sylvia Eckhardt, is comprised of two connected institutes, one for boys & one for girls, both of which provide basic education, vocational training and spiritual guidance to needy children who would have virtually no hope for a better life without Prakash! One more couple, whose names we cannot cite due to security reasons (they are based in the Middle East), offer theological education for Egyptian, Iranian, Iraqi and Palestinian pastors!