Story number 5 for 24 Jul 2001

(USA)–And, in part two of our series on short-term missions, we’ll look at the effect such programs are having on full-time service. Bill Cashion is the Southern Baptist International Mission Board’s director of Volunteers in Missions. He says the times have changed. “I can recall when rare was the time when you would ever hear of a church having a minister of missions. Now, that’s becoming the norm, so, someone is charged in the local church. So, I think there has really been an awakening in the local church to have a true ‘Acts 1:8’ vision for the world.” Cashion says the amazing thing about short-term projects is that a growing number of people are turning the moment into a lifetime in missions. “I asked 108 new missionaries, ‘How many of you are here, in part, or total, because you were called on a volunteer trip?’ And, of the 108, 92 raised their hands. Our office of mission personnel tells us about 80 percent now, of all of our career missionaries, indicate that they’ve been on volunteer trips.”