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Crossroad to the World
by Bruce Johnson, SIM USA President
29 January 2010
When you think of "Crossroad to the world," names of cities like Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, New York, or Vancouver might come to mind. How about Charlotte? The campus of SIM USA is on 94 wooded acres in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. On any given day I greet people who are coming through either on their way to or from one of the six continents being impacted through God's work through SIM. Because SIM is ministering in more than 50 countries, the recruiting, training, sending, and operational center of SIM USA in Charlotte becomes a crossroad to the world as people from the U.S. go to the ends of the earth. The Charlotte mission center is not the only ministry taking place in the U.S. through SIM missionaries. There is ministry happening all across the country from California to New England and from the Upper Midwest to Texas. SIM missionaries in the U.S. are helping churches become more effective in engaging God's mission both locally and globally. You can visit the SIM USA website and find out about our Culture ConneXions ministry which is helping churches become more multicultural, as their communities have become more culturally diverse. Other SIM missionaries are in regular contact with Christian college, seminary, nursing, and medical students about how their talents and passion to serve, disciple, and reach others can be realized through hundreds of opportunities. And then there are those gifted in technology, social media, accounting, project management, construction, communications, people and training, and organizational and global leadership who serve on the SIM USA campus. Six times a year people go through workshops and training to learn more about opportunities or prepare to go. Three times a year returning missionaries gather for several days of debriefing, spiritual renewal, and recovery before continuing on with their travel within the U.S. to speak at churches and visit family and friends. Global connectionsAn experience I had just a couple of months ago illustrates how our SIM USA campus serves as a crossroad to the world. A shipping container was being held up in Nigeria. It was filled with medical supplies that our staff here in Charlotte had accumulated, packed, and shipped for our medical mission work. When it arrived in Nigeria it sat on the dock for months because of disputes over approvals, paperwork, and levying exorbitant fees. It had come to a point where if the container didn't get released soon, the supplies would not be usable. Through Internet research we discovered that the port was owned by a global shipping company whose chairman lives in Charlotte. One of our staff had contact with the chairman and we wrote to him, asking for his help. Within 48 hours the container was released and on its way to the SIM compound in Nigeria—with no additional charges levied. Even Charlotte has become a crossroad to the world to help SIM accomplish our four primary tasks to share the Gospel, minister to human need, disciple believers into churches, and equip churches to fulfill Christ's commission. Thank you for your partnership in prayer and financial support in making this possible. Please encourage others to look into the opportunities in SIM to serve our Lord and touch the world. Or have you considered looking into the opportunities and taking a few months, a year or longer to give back? If you have questions or would like more information please contact the office nearest you. *Note: This article was originally published in Serving in Mission Together, Issue 126. 
 
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