SEND U's January 2023 update

We are three weeks into 2023—have you filled out your Individual Growth Plan yet? Our new form is fillable, but that doesn’t mean it will fill out itself (at least mine hasn’t). It is NOT too late!

Here is a good action plan to start:

1. Set aside a day/time to work on your IGP and be in prayer about what God has for you.
2. Access the new IGP Guide.
3. Download the new IGP Form.
4. Decide if you will have a monthly, quarterly or annual plan.
5. Fill out the form, keeping in mind your Annual Ministry Plan.
6. Consider what could be helpful in you accomplishing your goal – an IGP coach, an IGP Group or an accountability partner.
7. Fill out the new Reflection Form at the end of your desired learning period

For those who have already begun working on their growth plans, great job! Keep learning and finding ways to implement your new knowledge, skill or practice.

May we all be blessed as we learn and grow in this season.

As you may have seen in “News You Can Use”, Teena Embaugh is leaving SEND and the US Office is looking for a new TCK Coordinator. For many years, Teena has done a wonderful job of training our MKs in MOP with an adapted version of what their parents were learning in MOP. This is a vital role for SEND, and definitely for us in planning for our Member Orientation Program. We currently have at least 7 children coming to MOP in July, with a possibility of a total of 17 children. We will need not only a program coordinator but also a childcare team. Some of the MKs are infants. If you know of someone that would be interested in the TCK Coordinator role, please send them to Careers - SEND International. If you know of someone that would be willing to help SEND U with the MK program for this upcoming MOP, please contact me (kguenther@send.org). SEND retirees, people on home service or those on a leave of absence are welcome to come and help! Please pray for this need.

During the first part of December, the SEND U staff and Leadership Council developed our 2023 Annual Plan. We identified four team goals, listed below:

1. Add a part-time team member with graphic design expertise so that we can make SEND U materials and courses more visually appealing and so that the content could more easily be understood.
2. Develop criteria for determining pre-field training requirements for co-vocational missionaries. This goal fits in with the New Pathways emphasis in SEND. What type of pre-field training do we need to provide for new team members who will be tent-makers or engaged in business as mission?
3. Provide training resources for team leaders and members on member care. We want to create an online workshop to better equip us to provide member care for our team members.
4. Update the Teaming toolkit, giving it a new look and including material on CQ and working with co-vocational members.

In January, different members of the SEND U team identified individual goals that each of them will be working on for SEND U in 2023. One of those goals is to develop a MOP refresher for senior SEND missionaries. This will be an online course with short videos to help those of us who have been with SEND for more than a decade to understand the new topics that we are now teaching in MOP (KDGs, teaming, working with the national church, etc).

• Jan 26-28 - Azmera- An in-person women's missions event in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX to connect and learn from other stateside and global ministry workers. There are specific training workshop tracks for TCKs/Global Families, Discipleship, Member Care and Self Care.
• Feb 6 - Mar 11 - Team Leader Orientation. This 5-week online training course (6 hours/week) explores what it means to be an effective team leader in a mission organization. It is for those who are already team leaders or are already designated to become team leaders in the near future. The training is led by Ken Guenther. The price for SEND missionaries is $30.
• Mar 1-15 - Sustainable Resilience. A 2-week Grow2Serve online course designed to raise awareness and develop perspectives and lifestyle choices that will increase resilience and keep cross-cultural workers true to their God-given calling. 10-12 hours of learning time over the 15-day period.
• Mar 20-31 - Facilitating Online with Grow2Serve. Understand the core roles and skills of an online facilitator and the tools available through Grow2Serve to succeed in the task. 8-12 hours of learning time over a 14-day period.
• May 10 - June 11 - Evangelism: Abundantly Sowing the Seed. A 4-week online course. #1 in the Roadmap Series. A resource that helps participants develop the necessary attitudes, skills and knowledge to be effective in evangelism within the context of establishing healthy, relevant, multiplying churches. Newer and veteran workers learn together, bringing fresh ideas and the wisdom of years of experience.
• May 15 - June 25 - MOP 201 - A 5-week online course that is required of all new mid-term and long-term members of SEND. It looks at worldview, cultural values, cultural stress, incarnational ministry, and safety and security. It is facilitated by Bethany Reedy. About 5-6 hours of work per week.
• May 17 - June 18 - Discipleship: Growing Mature Followers of Jesus. A 4-week online course. #2 in the Roadmap Series. This Discipleship course is designed to assist SEND missionaries in developing the necessary attitudes, skills and knowledge to be effective in disciple-making as the key to establishing healthy, relevant, reproducing churches.
• May 17 - June 18 - Church: Nurturing Communities of Faith. A 4-week online course. #3 in the Roadmap Series. This resource will help participants to develop the necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge to be effective in gathering disciples into healthy, relevant, reproducing churches. Newer and veteran workers learn together, bringing fresh ideas and the wisdom of years of experience.
• May 22 - 29 - Learning Culture Through Purposeful Observation (EC1). Learning Culture through Purposeful Observation is a one-week Grow2Serve online course designed to help you as a new missionary or cross-cultural worker to begin to put into practice your culture-learning skills. This course is MOP 301. The course asks you to make an investment of 4-6 hours of learning time.
• May 23 - 25 - Northern Ministry Training. It's a unique program designed to equip those ministering in the North. NMT is an opportunity to gather with many servants from different agencies and locations to learn and connect together.

All these can be found on the SEND U Training Events page on the SEND U wiki.

Keep learning,

Ken Guenther
based in Saskatchewan, Canada

Jenny Baker
based in Yukon, Canada