MPD Tips

Since starting Serve the City Berlin in September 2011, our team has experienced many special moments with the STC volunteers. Our connections with homeless people, refugees, disabled people, and others are experiences I have shared with my ministry partners. Some ministry partners have even come to Berlin to take part in a Serve the City project themselves. Serving together has helped them have a closer connection to the projects.

Over the years I have found different ways to stay in contact with my ministry partners. I have learned it does not have to take a lot of time to stay in touch or say thank you. Each quarter I send a newsletter to my ministry partners. In between these newsletters, I stay in touch through personal emails, What’s App messages, or posts on Facebook and Instagram. At the end of the year I also hand write a personal note to express my thanks to each one of them.

This year we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Serve the City Berlin, so it’s time to say Thank You again.

Christine Thumm

Leader of Serve the City Berlin

Christine is from southern Germany. She has been serving with Communitas since 2011 in Berlin, Germany.

Since sharing is caring, I am sharing the best approach I have found when there is not an extended network of people who can partner with you in what GOD is doing in your city.

To expand my network, I invited two people to became advocates for the work God is doing in our midst. They both know me personally and also know about the ministry I am involved in. I asked them to prayerfully consider sharing names of people in their networks who might be interested in partnering with me. When they agreed, I asked them to introduce them to me (in this case through an email). Their introductions made it much easier to continue the conversations with these new contacts. It has been a great encouragement to see how my advocates described the work God is doing through my ministry and it has been a blessing to use this approach.

Perhaps some of you will find this approach helpful too as you look to expand your network.

Karen Fatas

Europe Training Team Leader

Originally from Columbia, Karen is serving with Communitas both globally and locally since 2017 in Madrid. Since 2019, she and her family call Dubai home.

An idea that came about recently during this pandemic was to host a coffee with my ministry partner team on Zoom. I put a Save the Date in my December/ Christmas newsletter and sent out a quick reminder about a week before the planned date, sharing the link. Five people came, so it was a small group of primarily older supporters, but the size allowed for some real interaction and connection. I went away feeling encouraged and they shared positive feedback and had a better idea of what I'm up to. They also gave me some really good ideas to implement down the road, so it felt like a fruitful time.

Here's an overview of how I outlined the hour session:

10 min- Welcome & Who’s who

15 min- Meditation & Sharing

20 min- Monique’s Update (I used a power point to keep things moving and included some pictures and video clip - Mobilization, Spiritual Direction, Victory Church Zwolle, Personal Update)

5 min- Q&A

10 min- Prayer & Thanks

I pray these ideas may inspire you as you continue to engage in Ministry Partner Development.

Monique Hoven

European Mobilization Liaison / Benelux Advancement Team / Spiritual Director

Monique and her husband Bastiaan live in Zwolle, The Netherlands. Monique has served with Communitas since 2011 in Leiden and since 2014 in Zwolle. Together they are part of Victory Church Zwolle.

When we lived in Barcelona we rode the metro everywhere. I would spend probably over 3 hours a day in the metro going to and from and to and from. So I made a little paper prayer calendar numbered from 1-30 and put the names of our supporters distributed throughout a month. I folded the paper up and stuck it in my wallet next to the metro card. So while I sat in the usual 2-3 minute wait for a train, too short for taking out a book, I would take out the calendar and pray for the people named on that day. And sometimes I sent them a message saying I had prayed for them and asking how they were doing.

Now a days that we are more phone savvy, I might program a reminder in my calendar each day at a certain time to pray for each supporter once a month. “Prayer initiates God's activity”, as I think Wes White said at the 2019 Family Reunion. ;)

Take a moment today and thank God for your ministry partner team.

Ellen Quarles

Ellen with her husband David have been serving Communitas since 2015 in Málaga, Spain

Truthfully, my husband Ismael and I have been in an ongoing struggle for a while now to raise our support back to a healthy level, and every success we've had has been because someone else has helped us in a big way, often unexpectedly. So, perhaps the best tip I have to offer during this season is meant for others in the same season of being stretched thin financially: have a budget and a cash-flow plan, spend wisely, and most importantly, just keep reminding yourself every day, every hour, every time you feel the stress and anxiety of not having enough, that God brought you to where you are with a plan to provide for you there. And he will not abandon you. And just don't give up hope and don't give in to worry.

I hope this tip will encourage someone going through a season of scarcity.

Amy Morrison Cortez

Amy and her husband Ismael have been serving with Communitas since 2014, and in Guayaquil, Ecuador since 2016

Elizabeth and I started what we call MPD Mondays. We established a standing appointment in our calendars on Monday afternoons for 2 ½ hours to write thank you notes, follow up with donors, make new asks, write a newsletter, and to pray for God’s provision. Ministry life is alway demanding and there is rarely time “free” for doing MPD. Elizabeth and I really value our partners and desire to stay in communication while keeping our income at the appointed level. Yet, we rarely made time in the past to do the work that goes with that. So, this helps us be more consistent and proactive in this important part of our ministry. During a week when we can’t do it on Monday, we shift to another day or try to increase our time on the following Monday. MPD Monday serves as a guide and reminder to us in the midst of a full schedule.

We’d be curious to hear from any of you as to how much time you think would be appropriate to spend in MPD work each week or month. And, how much do you do? What has helped you stay intentional about your MPD work?

Al Dyck

Al, the former Director of Staff Care and Development for Communitas, served 19 years in Europe (Berlin, The Hague Madrid).

After serving almost twenty years in a mission’s capacity, I admit that I’m often tempted to use a Public Relations “spin” on my activities and needs. This tendency to want to put “the best of me” out there for public consumption shows up in interesting ways – pick out the most attractive or striking photos, tell the “success” stories, list the many responsibilities that I’m carrying, etc. All of this is done with the desire to “prove” that investing in me/my ministry is worth it, that I’m involved in “ground-breaking” activity, that my location is spectacular…

But this often-varnished portrayal can come off as disingenuous. And if I am to value transparency and authenticity, then my Ministry Partner Development should contain these characteristics as well. To do this well often starts with an internal check of my own attitudes and intentions. How sincere am I? How vulnerable am I willing to be? Do I sound like a salesman/woman or a brother/sister in Christ? Am I able to share the struggles as well as the amazing things that God is doing? When I express gratitude, does it come across as genuine? And when I share of my need(s), does it feel like an invitation or is it coercive in any way?

These internal questions serve as a filter for me as I communicate to my supporters – whether that is through newsletters, thank you notes, or special appeals. The process helps me check my own heart attitude so that I can be sure I am functioning in a way that is healthy and represents myself and my ministry context in a truthful way. Yes, discernment is needed to know what to share, when to share it and how to do so. But I hope I always experience an invitation to authenticity in my interactions.

Marily Peters

Serving with Communitas in The Hague (2000-2006), in Uruguay (2013-present)

"If we ask for money from people who have money, we have to love them deeply ...we need to [consider] whether, through the invitation we offer them and the relationship we develop with them, they will come closer to God." Henri Nouwen

As part of my partner development, I have tried to build in relational and spiritual touch points. I do not have space for thirty new friends, but I can be intentional about caring for the men and women who have entrusted their financial resources to the vision I shared with them. I am regularly asking myself if being connected to my work is helping my partners grow closer to God. The first thing I do every Monday morning is prayerfully review my list of partners. Out of that review a few actions might emerge. For example:

• Each week I choose one partner to pray for. I send them a postcard with a verse and a text or email letting them know I'm praying each day for them. I ask for any specific requests and then spend time each morning praying for them.

• Anyone who has a birthday or anniversary coming up gets a card (I buy birthday, sympathy, thank you and encouragement cards in bulk)

• I may send a quick card, text or email to someone I know is struggling or celebrating

• There are a couple of partners where we are a mutual encouragement to each other. I try to set aside a weekend with them a couple of times a year. In those settings we all get to see God at work in our relationship and in the ministry

• I regularly share weakness and concerns with my prayer team. This allows them to experience God's work in personal and tangible ways.

• My monthly newsletter includes spiritual encouragement

All of this takes an hour once a week, but helps me stay connected to my partners and fulfill the promise I made to them that their investment in the work God has given me is also an investment in their spiritual health. As this practice has grown, I have found myself truly loving my partners more deeply and experiencing love and community in ways I hadn't expected.

Kelli Gotthardt

Served with Communitas as the Director of Learning