STEM Ministries and Bethany International announce the formation of a missions partnership.
STEM Ministries, a nationally-recognized leader in Christian short-term missions, and Bethany International, a mission training and sending agency for career missionaries, are joining their respective short-term mission and career mission competencies beginning September 1, 2008 to expand the mobilization of short-term and career missionaries. STEM brings 24 years of recruiting, training, and sending thousands of short-term missionaries into more than two dozen locations around the world to the partnership. Bethany brings 63 years of training, sending, and supporting more than 700 cross-cultural missionaries into 40 different countries. Its Bethany College of Missions and Bethany International Ministries focus on mobilizing a new generation of missionaries.
STEM Founder and President Roger Peterson notes, “Our partnership with Bethany will allow STEM short-term mission teams to penetrate places we never dreamed possible. Bethany will help ramp up our administration of these multiplied short-term mission efforts, and also provide opportunities for training and career placement to those short-termers in whom God places a longer-term vision during their STEM short-term outreach.”
Bethany CEO Dan Brokke notes, “STEM has pioneered church based short-term missions and has laid a foundation, both in relationship with church and with field mission leadership, to provide high impact mission service opportunities. We look forward to mobilizing together with STEM a whole new generation of short and long-term missionaries.”
Rev. Roger Peterson
Founder & President, STEM Int’l
http://stemintl.org/
Dan Brokke
CEO & President, Bethany International
http://bcom.org/
“This past summer, I, along with 6 teens and 5 adult leaders from Valley Community Baptist Church had the privilege to venture to Tepatitlan, Mexico for a two week mission trip. I found, and I think most the team will agree, that those two weeks were filled with the most blessings, growth, fun and unity than any other two in the past.
While on the field we had the opportunity to grow strong bonds with the people, young and old, of the church we partnered with in Mexico through futbol (aka soccer), tasty Mexican meals, long bus rides on which we all brushed up on our Spanish and the renewing church services. With the help of the church community our team traveled to many different villages throughout the state of Jalisco in which we presented the message of the Gospel through powerful dramas, testimonies, puppets/songs and speakers. Each person on our team found a different role to fill and gave it their all during these presentations which allowed us all to see a noticeable impact God made in many people’s lives.
Not only did we build everlasting relationships with the people in Mexico, but also had the blessing of having such a God-driven and indescribable STEM leader, Ryan, who we all feel is now a part of our family. In January, I knew God was calling me to pursue this mission trip, not really knowing why. After receiving the joy God gave me from this trip by serving Him, I am so thankful I followed His will and now have this life-changing experience to remember forever.” --Lauren
