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Learning about God’s timing

In April 2018, WELS Board for Home Missions approved funding for a new mission in Joplin, Mo. In May 2019, Jordan Bence was assigned to serve as the home missionary in Joplin, Mo. What did the core group in Joplin do as it waited for its first pastor?

“Well, the first thing we had to learn was patience,” says Wendy Wright, a member of the core group. “This was God’s timing, not ours! We learned a lot about the divine call process, as we extended ten calls during this year.”

Wright adds, “The waiting would have been much harder had we not started a weekly Bible study last July, led by Pastor Aaron Schumann, who serves at Faith, Pittsburg, Kan.”

The Bible study began as a way for the core group to enjoy fellowship and biblical encouragement together. “But then, several of the group invited guests . . . and they came . . . and they stayed!” says Wright. “We were excited to have three guest families join us, and two have continued regular attendance.” One of the guests even offered space at her real estate office for the group to meet.

“My role was every pastor’s dream—I showed up and taught them and their friends God’s Word every Wednesday evening for one year,” says Schumann. “The core group took care of all of the details, filled out all of the necessary paperwork, put together the proposal to synod, and invited their friends and their coworkers to the Wednesday night Bible study. They were awesome. My role was to bring them Jesus on a weekly basis and to encourage them in what they were doing. Their motivation to serve their Lord and tell others about Jesus is what has driven this mission.”

So what was it like to find out that a pastor was assigned to them from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary’s graduating class of 2019?

“On Call Day the whole core group was waiting anxiously to find out who would be assigned to our home mission,” says Wright. “We were all watching on our laptops or phones at work and at home. When we saw that at the top of the list Jordan Bence was assigned to our mission, we were ecstatic!”

And Bence’s reaction? “I guess it was just pure shock,” he says. “You try to prepare yourself for that moment, but you really can’t. When President Schroeder read my name and assignment, I was just overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the fact that God had  chosen me for such a task. Overwhelmed with the opportunity that God placed before me to love these people by continually building them up in his unconditional love. It’s truly a humbling moment of God’s grace. It was something I had been dreaming of since kindergarten.”

Bence continues, “The training program of our synod has given me many experiences to not only build my own faith but also prepare me to serve the Joplin, Mo., (JOMO) mission. I have helped out multiple mission churches throughout the United States going all the way back to high school.”

Finally, Bence says, “When it comes to the JOMO mission, I guess a summarizing statement for this group might be—ambitious to serve. These people are filled with the spirit and are ready to go out and proclaim the good news!”

To learn more about the JOMO mission and other home mission congregations, visit WELS Home Missions.

Volume 106, Number 9
Issue: September 2019

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